The Death Zone: Extreme skiing deaths on the rise in California community

Dingosean,

I think the NBC report is really quite objective.

I didn't get the sense that it makes a judgement one way or the other toward "extreme skiers."

Simply, I think it happened to report and highlight a growing trend: professional skiers are dying at a higher rate in recent years. Then the show begins to investigate the psychology behind the risks that these athletes take, and the possible reasons why deaths may be occurring more frequently now than, say, 15-20 years ago.

I appreciate NBC's report. I think this piece adds fuel to the discussion that I think most skiers, be it pros, ams or recreationalists, are  afraid to seriously take part in: the reality that we're pushing the boundary between life and death.

And this in itself deserves a very intense discussion.

That wasn't directed towards the report itself.. it was directed towards the commentary on NBC's site about the piece.

What's surprising is they only got to this story now, when Shane died in 2009. I expected them to go through other losses to the sport in recent years. Maybe there's a longer version.

Ignorance is bliss for those guys, I guess. They have no idea of the exhilarating feel of finding your limit, then pushing it.

Also: Schmalze, great post brosidon.

I am SO pissed off right now....


especially since CR's passing is coming up

sure, i agree - there was some oversimplification of it.

it's a pretty complicated topic.

Don't forget Montana in that list. We've lost a large number of people to avalanches and such this season already.

Yea you are the majority... BUT... The majority of people never do anything great in this world... The majority of people are OK with watching TV instead of making TV... The Majority of people never get to live the great lives that us minority's do... The majority of people never get that feeling of death defying stunts... And the majority never gets to see the things we see, meet the people we meet, share moments we share, or go places we go...

there is... They detail 5 different people in the full version. Shane, CR, Arne and 2 others.

i think your perspective on life is sad.

billions of people live very satisfying and meaningful lives without pushing the boundary between life and death while chasing some momentary high with skis strapped to their feet.

your opinion strikes me as very shallow and narrow-minded.

I don't think that's his point. He was being a little bit defensive and harsh in his rebuttal there. However, his opinion that if we don't have people out there pushing the limit, then where would we be as a society?

explain your line of thinking to me on this one. going out of bounds ( i can only assume not literally) results in TV? the reasons someone would pursue a technological breakthrough and jumping off a cliff or skiing some gnarly line are TOTALLY different. involve different risks, expect different rewards. etc etc etc

Haha. Okay, lets put an example here (forenote: I have not wiki'd how TV was invented or what problems arose from the invention - I'm only providing potentials)

i would rather die while skiing than die doing anything else, and that's why i probably will die from it. i have no problem with that, and i have no problem with anyone else dying doing what they love.

it still seems as though we're comparing semi trucks and turtles.

i just dont see the connections.

taking on enormous risk to follow your dreams? but at then end of the day people winding up dead or in financial hardship is a little different. even moreso when you have a family left behind, youre dead, eveyone left behind are the ones picking up the pieces.

I thought the full news piece was really good, and overall had an interesting take on whats happening in the world of action sports today.

also as a matter of fact comparing something that revolutionized the way information is consumed around the world and people that jump off cliffs on skis... im not sure. no disrespect meant.

And now a Dutch prince was caught in an avy. He's in a coma and may not regain consciousness. That's real high profile. Especially for Europe. That means the shitstorm winds will hit warp 12 so get ready. But I get what's being said above. It's close to what I was saying on page 1. There are people in this world who push boundaries of what is possible and those who sit and criticize. Shane died skiing off a cliff to squirrel suit to base jump with a double back thrown in for good measure. That's super hardcore. I don't care who ya are. Now would I do that? Heck no, but I can appreciate someone having the balls to do it. As stated above, all great things come from those willing to risk their lives and push the line further of what's possible. It's just easier for some to accept or praise someone for their risks based on context, how it's sold to them, or a "what does it do for me?" attitude. Like I said before, hardly anyone questions the sacrifices of astronauts. No one calls them daredevils or reckless individuals. How bout a specops soldier? There's a saying in that community, "there's a thousand ways to die before you ever see an enemy.". Some die doing damn near the same thing Shane did. No one questions that because there's a benefit to them. What Shane did was important to him. Don't criticize his actions because there was no benefit to you. Although if your on this site, things like rocker and reverse sidecut have actually benefitted you.

YES. I completely agree. It's always a tragedy of course, but it is much better dying while doing what you love then, for example, in a car accident-which as stated previously is a much more common (and arguably dangerous) activity that almost everyone puts themselves at risk for on a daily basis.
Regarding the commentary to this report: people are idiots. It's too bad seeing people make comments on something they really don't understand or have any knowledge/experience on the subject. I guarantee that most skiers at this level understand the risks that they are taking, but as CR stated, the joy they get from skiing is worth dying for.