Backwoods’ big hike; thoughts on snowboarding dangers

Posted by bob doucette

on January 18, 2010M at 6:05 pm

Elk Mountain.

News and notes from the outdoors…

I had a couple of friends join a sizable group Saturday for a hike up Elk Mountain. The meet-up, which was organized through outdoor retailer Backwoods, drew a bunch of people for the hike.

Hiking buddies Ouida Plumlee and Johnny Hunter were among those who went, though Johnny found a way to spearate from the pack. He spent the better part of the day actually running the trail, climbing around the Rock Rooms and otherwise doing his best to get in climbing condition. Seems like he’s taking my idea of a snow climb of Colorado’s Missouri Mountain pretty seriously. I think I could use similar conditioning.

Would love to hear from others about their day in the Wichitas with the Backwoods group.

***

Is snowboarding inherently dangerous?

Saw this interesting link, courtesy of outdoorsfile.com:

http://www.myfoxchattanooga.com/dpps/health/dpgoh-snowboarding-dangers-eyed-fc-20100115_5576785

The story talks about the dangers that have grown in snowboarding, particularly among those who are attempting the high-flying tricks common to terrain parks and those which will be the staple of many Winter Olympics events.

The story references Kevin Pearce, an Olympic hopeful in snowboarding who had a serious brain injury last month while practicing for the Olympics. Pearce was wearing a helmet, but the manner in which he crashed caused the injury anyway.

It’s hard to say what to make of this. Snowboarding and skiing have risks, some deadly, depending on what you’re doing or where you’re skiing/riding.

And obviously Pearce is very accomplished at his sport. You don’t get to Olympic levels without being really good on the board.

So I suppose for the rest of us the lesson is to be prepared (wear that helmet!) and ski/ride within your capabilities. That way, there’s always a chance for future runs on the slopes.

Bob Doucette

bdoucette@opubco.com

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