tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871705412953857530.post2787791070008425639..comments2023-04-28T06:15:56.178-07:00Comments on Yet another blog for me: Skier dies after avalanche in Pemberton, B.C.Stephen Reeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14557925284157387548noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871705412953857530.post-49956198482055191942011-12-30T13:52:56.569-08:002011-12-30T13:52:56.569-08:00The young men in the movie are professionals. When...The young men in the movie are professionals. Whenever you see a commercial - for example a fast car being driven in a lunatic fashion - there is some small print somewhere warning viewers not to attempt the same stunt. But of course that is the "cover your rear end" strategy advised by the lawyers. People do attempt to do things they see. For that very simple reason, news reporting about suicides is very restricted. <br /><br />Red Bull encourages the idea that drinking their product increases the ability to achieve extra-ordinary feats. It doesn't of course. Nor does it provide anything you actually need - and it does so at a high price. And it spends a great deal on marketing - not directly advertising so much as being seen as a sponsor for the right kinds of life-style events.<br /><br />That is a very cynical exploitation of its target demographic. But like all corporations, they behave in ways that we would characterize as psychotic if they were in fact people.<br /><br />I do not want to criticize the sort of people who go into the wilderness and enjoy the undeveloped natural world - provided they leave it exactly as they found it. Human powered is exactly right. Skidoos and helicopters and starting avalanches are all outside that category. But if you go, you go at your own risk. I am not at all sure that others should be expected to risk their lives to pull out people who should not have exceeded their limits. Adventurous young men are not good at risk assessments, and tend not to err on the side of caution.<br /><br />Some of my writing is a way of putting my feelings into words, and your comment has helped crystallize my thought. Thank youStephen Reeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14557925284157387548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871705412953857530.post-53429268994475498142011-12-30T12:51:28.120-08:002011-12-30T12:51:28.120-08:00Hi Stephen,
I am not sure about the points you ar...Hi Stephen,<br /><br />I am not sure about the points you are making. The conclusion seems to be the "extent to which corporations should be encouraging young people to put their lives needlessly at risk." Are those corporations Red Bull, the riders' sponsors, and the film makers? <br /><br />Also, the excess of testosterone that you mention doesn't come from watching movies like this -- it is already there. All we are seeing here is an outlet for that energy. I'd say that extreme sports is probably a better outlet (and example) than, say, urban street car racing.<br /><br />At least the level of skill necessary to ride like those in the film requires years of practice, amazing fitness, some real knowledge of the mountains and the constantly changing qualities of snow... plus the ability to manage the business of planning adventures, logistics, care-and-feeding of sponsors, and maintaining a very high energy life-style. Yes, there is the risk of death. There is lots written by those who see that as adding to the quality of life -- but it is a thought-out philosophy, not just testosterone.<br /><br />That said, I don't really enjoy watching extreme sports films. I hate the grating music, and I'm not particularly interested in seeing people performing extraordinary feats that I cannot. I find discovering what they can do is neither entertaining nor instructive. I particularly don't like helicopters noisily attacking mountains -- especially when I am backcountry skiing nearby. It turns the solitude into a war zone.<br /><br />And that brings me to my last point; and is probably the reason that I am commenting. Today, I am at home while my skiing buddy is with friends at a destination that is only a few kilometers from the place where the skier you mentioned died in an avalanche. Today the avalanche conditions have improved slightly -- they were wicked yesterday and last night. Reading of the death, and watching the indicators of the conditions has me thinking, 'There, but for the grace...'<br /><br />My point is that, since I've moved to British Columbia (in 1990), I've learned to love muscle-powered backcountry travel, especially in the winter. One of the very special features of living near Vancouver is that the wilderness -- real wilderness -- begins within the metro area. I grew up in Montreal, where visiting wilderness meant driving for many hours.<br /><br />I am not a risk-taker. I believe that I have learned the skills to travel safely in the backcountry - and I think I know and respect my limits. Frankly, I don't like the word, 'wilderness.' There is nothing wild about it. It is awesome, and beautiful in all its many moods. Being there nourishes me in a way that urban spaces cannot. Out there I find the conditions to be safer and more predictable than coping in the big city. Both places require skills to survive and be comfortable. <br /><br />Unfortunately, most Canadians grow up within the confines of cities and towns, and, except for brief holiday dashes to very controlled countryside, many of our citizen never come to really know the wilderness that is, after all, our heritage. <br /><br />Does this matter? I think so. If our citizens never learn to experience, and even love, our wild places, there are those who will find commercial uses for those spaces. It is only a matter of time. In Canada, much of our wilderness belongs to the Crown. Who owns it? We, the people. During my life, so much of it has vanished forever. For that reason, I want people to be curious about their wilderness, to develop the skills to be able to experience it, and, when necessary, be inspired to support the voices who defend it.Robert Ballantynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09899705961766346732noreply@blogger.com