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Is it that much risker than mountainbiking, offtrack skiing or base jumping? Relatively few people would take the risk of practicing extreme sport either, but t

Is it that much risker than mountainbiking, offtrack skiing or base jumping? Relatively few people would take the risk of practicing extreme sport either, but there are still thousands of people that do. It's not too different from people testing the first hot air balloons, planes or helicopters (albeit much less risky, still).

wolverine876 3y ago
My concern is not the amount of risk, but that the amount of risk is unknown. Someone who has done a lot of skiing / parachuting can estimate well the risks of offtrack skiing and base jumping, plus lots of people have done it before and can inform you, plus the technology used (skiis / parachutes) have very long track records and known performance. (Mountain biking doesn't seem to be in the same category, but whatever.) > It's not too different from people testing the first hot air balloons, planes or helicopters (albeit much less risky, still). Yes, good analogies.
- littlestymaar 3y ago
  > My concern is not the amount of risk, but that the amount of risk is unknown. It's not really unknown: it's really high and you better hope you don't mess up or you're dead/maimed. Sure here the “don't mess up“ happens mostly at design/build time instead of during the execution, but at the end of the day you're risking your life hoping you're not making a mistake. That's definitely not for everyone.
bbradley406 3y ago
Comparing this to off-piste skiing or mountain biking is not fair at all. You can view avalanche predictions, sample the snow pack, and take safe and slow lines that go perpendicular to the faults when skiing. Biking you can use hydraulic disk brakes, deliberately lay the bike down and slide out, plus you should be wearing a full face helmet, spine + neck protector, and other armor. Unless you are actively trying to set a speed record or win a race there is far less danger.
- littlestymaar 3y ago
  > Unless you are actively trying to set a speed record or win a race there is far less danger. Well, that's also exactly what we are talking about here… Also you're talking to someone who broke his own shoulder earlier this year while doing some very easy off-piste skiing earlier this year so I can absolutely assure you that danger is just a small mistake away even if you aren't doing insane stuff.

wolverine876 3y ago

My concern is not the amount of risk, but that the amount of risk is unknown. Someone who has done a lot of skiing / parachuting can estimate well the risks of offtrack skiing and base jumping, plus lots of people have done it before and can inform you, plus the technology used (skiis / parachutes) have very long track records and known performance. (Mountain biking doesn't seem to be in the same category, but whatever.) > It's not too different from people testing the first hot air balloons, planes or helicopters (albeit much less risky, still). Yes, good analogies.

littlestymaar 3y ago
> My concern is not the amount of risk, but that the amount of risk is unknown. It's not really unknown: it's really high and you better hope you don't mess up or you're dead/maimed. Sure here the “don't mess up“ happens mostly at design/build time instead of during the execution, but at the end of the day you're risking your life hoping you're not making a mistake. That's definitely not for everyone.

bbradley406 3y ago

Comparing this to off-piste skiing or mountain biking is not fair at all. You can view avalanche predictions, sample the snow pack, and take safe and slow lines that go perpendicular to the faults when skiing. Biking you can use hydraulic disk brakes, deliberately lay the bike down and slide out, plus you should be wearing a full face helmet, spine + neck protector, and other armor. Unless you are actively trying to set a speed record or win a race there is far less danger.

littlestymaar 3y ago
> Unless you are actively trying to set a speed record or win a race there is far less danger. Well, that's also exactly what we are talking about here… Also you're talking to someone who broke his own shoulder earlier this year while doing some very easy off-piste skiing earlier this year so I can absolutely assure you that danger is just a small mistake away even if you aren't doing insane stuff.