Arnold Schwarzenegger to undergo surgery

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his leg while skiing the Sun Valley slopes with his family, reported KTLA local Los Angeles television.

Schwarzenegger, 59, an avid skier, was taken to a hospital for X-rays and was discharged with a diagnosis of a fractured right femur, said Adam Mendelsohn, the governor's Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications.

"When the governor returns to Los Angeles from his scheduled Christmas trip, he will have surgery to repair his femur. No one else was involved in the skiing accident," Mendelsohn's statement said.

Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Julie Soderlund said she did not know how the governor hurt his leg. She said he was skiing at the time with family members who were not identified.

Schwarzenegger is in Idaho with his wife, Maria Shriver, and their four children, Soderlund said.

"The governor's doing great, and he's looking forward to spending the Christmas holiday with his family," Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Julie Soderlund said by telephone on Saturday night to Reuters

Soderlund said Schwarzenegger was not in a cast but was resting at his Sun Valley home. She said she did not know when the governor would undergo surgery.

The Sun Valley Resort is a destination for celebrities and includes a challenging short ski trail named "Arnold's Run" after Schwarzenegger. The trail is categorized as a black diamond, the most difficult.

A local ski instructor and longtime friend of the governor said late Saturday that he was with the governor when the accident occurred. Adi Erber, reached by telephone, said the governor was fine reports LA Times.

Rick Hickman, night general manager at Sun Valley Resort, described Schwarzegger as "a very good skier; he's a very confident skier."

Hickman said he had seen the governor just that morning with Erber at the foot of a lift that carries skiers up Baldy Mountain. Conditions at Sun Valley on

Earlier this year, Arnold Schwarzenegger crashed his motorcycle , with his 12-year old son Patrick riding in the sidecar. They were both wearing helmets and weren't seriously injured, but they were taken to St. John's Hospital where Arnold got 15 stitches in his lip.

"I was very lucky," he said at the news conference. "It could have been far different. You never know … not just on a motorcycle, but when you go skiing. I did all those things anyway before I was governor. I never stick to the rules."