The grand delusion
We need to stop telling ourselves lies about the risks of mountain sports
The author says this is not a view to die for
I recently attended a rare event: a memorial for someone who didn’t die in the mountains. This particular high-achieving friend died of alcoholism, but was his addiction really so different than my own devotion to mountain sports? He knew alcohol would kill him, but chose to drink. And I am increasingly certain that if anyone spends enough time in the mountains, he or she will die there.
I often hear friends make statistically insane comments such as, “You can die on the way to the mountains just as easily as you can die in the mountains.” That statement, for the record, is a stinking pile of self-delusional excrement that does not smell any less foul with repeated exposure. The ignorance behind those words makes me seethe internally—because I once believed exactly the same thing.
I do a lot of presentations about mountain sports, and sometimes share a list of dead friends to remind myself and the audience that the hidden price for the stunning photographs is all-too-regularly life itself. There are 27 names on my list. Not one of those friends died while driving to the mountains. Not one died on a commercial airline flight. To equate the risks of mountain sports to everyday activities like driving or even the chance of death from cancer is completely idiotic. Every friend on my list drove to the mountains a lot, and some even wrecked vehicles and spent time in the hospital from those crashes. But they died doing mountain sports.
As the list grows longer, I have a harder and harder time understanding why I take the risks I do out there. Yes, I’m careful; yes, I use good gear; yes, I run away a lot in the face of peril—but there are always elevated dangers in sports such as climbing, whitewater kayaking and paragliding. Each friend’s death has been a crack in my mental foundation of “managed risk.” And then, two months ago, that foundation was shattered with the sound of someone’s spine breaking. I had launched my glider off Mount Lady MacDonald, north of Canmore, and was 500 feet above my friend Stewart when he plummeted into the rocks shortly after takeoff.
I almost puked in the air as I watched and heard him hit. I didn’t think anyone could survive the impact he took, and the spinning fall down the scree that followed. Thanks to prompt first aid from some great people who happened to be hiking in the area, and to a helicopter rescue team from Canmore, Stewart was in a good hospital only two hours after his accident. He remains there, with hopefully temporary spinal damage. I was thrilled when I heard that he had survived—unlike the dead, he would have the opportunity to say what he needed to his friends and family. He might even recover fully.
This article was originally published on December 5, 2011
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Genius Loci
Jan. 23, 2013
11:36 am
Mountain Sports don't need to be necessarily dangerous - if only people would know when to waive or give up, rather than wanting to get 'to the top' at all costs.....
linkseo083@gmail.com
Sep. 22, 2012
2:21 am
Generally mountain sports are too popular and interesting. thousands of people like this sport. particularly all of the foreigners like this game and the often do the participate in this game. however, are you give me some more information about this..... http://www.electro-link.co.uk/
lwootten
May. 13, 2012
6:30 am
Flier wrote 'Will Gadd may or may not recover from the trauma of witnessing his friend's accident and its aftermath - but that he seeks to generalise from his very personal experience by suggesting that his pre-accident perceptions were flawed and that his post- accident perceptions represent insights and truths which should guide us all, suggests to me that Will might have an over- inflated view of his importance'. I find this comment extra-ordinary! Will writes about his personal experience and insights. Nowhere does he suggest his personal perceptions should guide us all, though he does suggest that the danger-deniers look at the statistics. Nor do I think he suggests we all give up the sports we love. He just suggests we be realistic about the risks when we make our decisions. Flier's need to denigrate Will makes me wonder if he has truly accepted the dangers inherent in mountain/flying sports as he seems to claim.
airtimesf@gmail.com
Mar. 17, 2012
1:22 pm
Will, You are one of my all time heroes. Thanks for sharing your well worded concerns and evaluations. We all need to crush the denial that is inherent in the community. The denial that is there is often what lets pilots let their guard down. Like you, I have seen way too many friends and acquaintances hut and some are no longer with us. I have shared this article with my students and friends to help them keep humility at the top of their flying activities. Thanks for sharing! Jeff Greenbaum
johnlangmead@gmail.com
Mar. 13, 2012
2:52 pm
I have had a serious hang gliding accident, andI I have a friend who is a quadriplegic as a result of a hang gliding accident. Will Gadd may or may not recover from the trauma of witnessing his friend's accident and its aftermath - but that he seeks to generalise from his very personal experience by suggesting that his pre-accident perceptions were flawed and that his post- accident perceptions represent insights and truths which should guide us all, suggests to me that Will might have an over- inflated view of his importance. Will has understandably gone off the boil with his flying - maybe for only for a while, or maybe for good. As a result he has chosen at least for the moment to find comfort in the long list of sound reasons not to fly instead of, as he once did, in the long list of sound reasons TO fly. Everyone who flies and everyone who doesn't makes that personal and valid choice. But for an individual to promote his choice not merely as right for him, but as right for everyone, is to over-estimate himself and to under-estimate others. Will's pre-accident understanding of why he flew may have been flawed if he had persuaded himself it was low risk; and now that he has seen a risk materialise he understands more and wants to fly less. Fair enough. But some understand the risk that has just dawned on Will, and they still want to fly. Just do your own thing Will and don't presume to tell me how to do mine. You and I have simply made different decisions - its not that one of us is right and the other wrong.
amyleecrawford@hotmail.com
Mar. 10, 2012
9:48 am
Thank you Will for being emotionally intelligent and able to express with such courage your feelings regarding one of the greatest mountain myths. Kudos to your insight and humility. The mountains and bad asses that they often draw need more people like you! Best, Amy
milesmcdonough@gmail.com
Feb. 9, 2012
2:41 am
fantastically well written, will. thanks for sharing. though not to the same degree as your friend Stewart, i too am fighting to recover from injuries sustained from a fall this past september. i have been mulling through a number of the issues you touched on. your succinctly put "a crack in my mental foundation of managed risk" sums it up quite well. a superb helo rescue team saved me as well. i wrote a bit about my incident here: http://www.mra.org/images/stories/meridian/Meridian12Jan2012.pdf
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