Schwarzenegger breaks his leg while skiing

updated 12:42 a.m. ET Dec. 24, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his leg while skiing with his family Saturday morning in Sun Valley, Idaho, a spokesman said.

Schwarzenegger, 59, was taken to a hospital for X-rays and was discharged with a fracture to his right femur, said Adam Mendelsohn, the governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications.

He will have surgery to repair the bone when he returns to Los Angeles, Mendelsohn said. The governor remained at his Sun Valley home Saturday night and still planned to spend Christmas there.

No one else was involved in the accident, Mendelsohn said.

The fracture was the second medical problem the governor suffered in a year. He spent several hours at a University of California, Davis, hospital last December with a rapid heartbeat after coming down with a stomach flu.

The Sun Valley Resort, a favorite skiing destination for celebrities, includes a short ski trail named “Arnold’s Run” after Schwarzenegger. The trail is categorized as a black diamond, or most difficult, for its challenging terrain.

The name and level of difficulty of the trail the governor was skiing when his accident occurred were not released.

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