I found this article and though it might stimulate a little thought!
Tragedy, Thrill Seeking or Stupidity ?
Over the last couple of weeks the news reports have headlined the “tragedies” of young people dying during winter activities;
In Fernie B.C., eleven young men in their prime, all with good paying jobs and bright futures decided to go snowmobiling in the local mountains. The Canadian Avalanche Centre had issued an advisory that day warning of dangerous conditions and the strong possibility of natural and human-triggered avalanches. They all knew of the warning but still chose to proceed. Their machines started an avalanche that enveloped them and ended up killing 8 of them.
The body of a 37-year-old Whistler man was found Thursday on Blackcomb Mountain on a ski run called Spanky's Ladder. An avalanche occurred there on Wednesday and a search was called after the skier was reported missing. The area was clearly marked as “OFF LIMITS” and warning of avalanche dangers.
The second fatality occurred a few hours later on Whistler Mountain after an avalanche hit a ski course called Hidden Chute. RCMP said the victim was a 26-year-old man from outside B.C. The area was clearly marked as “OFF LIMITS” and warning of avalanche dangers.
Three skiers and a snowboarder have been banned for life from B.C.'s Grouse Mountain ski resort after the four ducked a rope at 1 p.m. Friday and entered an avalanche-prone area despite warnings from ski patrol.
Rescuers refused to follow the four males, all in their late teens and early 20s, due to the avalanche danger. Instead, North Shore Search and Rescue guided the group from the area via helicopter 45 minutes later. The four suspects, who were described as uncooperative and emotionless, refused to provide their names to rescuers, but were subsequently interviewed by the RCMP.
It is sad when anyone dies and everyone’s initial reaction is to feel sadness for the dead, their relatives and their friends.
The second reaction is to try to understand a reason for that death. One can understand the death of a Canadian soldier dying in Afghanistan notwithstanding what position you have on that war. One can understand the death of a policeman and/or firefighter during the performance of their duties. Those are still “tragedies”.
Trying to understand the avalanche caused deaths of these individuals in B.C. brings one to anger - anger at the stupidity and “macho” needs that needlessly takes lives and endangers others.
These were no “tragedies” they were lessons on human weakness!
If someone was killed or injured trying to rescue these guys then that would have been a tragedy.
If a person comes upon a bridge that has been boarded off and labeled as “UNSAFE – DO NOT USE” and then decides to cross that bridge and is killed in the process then do we deal with that death as a “tragedy”?
Every year we hear of people (mainly young men) dying because of trying to snowmobile across a partially frozen lake at night, or passing 3 or more cars at the same time on a highway, or skiing or snowboarding in areas deemed “OFF LIMITS”, or racing their cars at 160 km/hr. My major regret is that the media does not cover these deaths as acts of overt “stupidity” but as “tragedies”. The “tragedy” is that next one to die does not appear to get the message.
Perhaps if the posthumous winners of the Darwin Awards were better advertised then some of the potential future recipients might get the message!
Tragedy, Thrill Seeking or Stupidity ?
Over the last couple of weeks the news reports have headlined the “tragedies” of young people dying during winter activities;
In Fernie B.C., eleven young men in their prime, all with good paying jobs and bright futures decided to go snowmobiling in the local mountains. The Canadian Avalanche Centre had issued an advisory that day warning of dangerous conditions and the strong possibility of natural and human-triggered avalanches. They all knew of the warning but still chose to proceed. Their machines started an avalanche that enveloped them and ended up killing 8 of them.
The body of a 37-year-old Whistler man was found Thursday on Blackcomb Mountain on a ski run called Spanky's Ladder. An avalanche occurred there on Wednesday and a search was called after the skier was reported missing. The area was clearly marked as “OFF LIMITS” and warning of avalanche dangers.
The second fatality occurred a few hours later on Whistler Mountain after an avalanche hit a ski course called Hidden Chute. RCMP said the victim was a 26-year-old man from outside B.C. The area was clearly marked as “OFF LIMITS” and warning of avalanche dangers.
Three skiers and a snowboarder have been banned for life from B.C.'s Grouse Mountain ski resort after the four ducked a rope at 1 p.m. Friday and entered an avalanche-prone area despite warnings from ski patrol.
Rescuers refused to follow the four males, all in their late teens and early 20s, due to the avalanche danger. Instead, North Shore Search and Rescue guided the group from the area via helicopter 45 minutes later. The four suspects, who were described as uncooperative and emotionless, refused to provide their names to rescuers, but were subsequently interviewed by the RCMP.
It is sad when anyone dies and everyone’s initial reaction is to feel sadness for the dead, their relatives and their friends.
The second reaction is to try to understand a reason for that death. One can understand the death of a Canadian soldier dying in Afghanistan notwithstanding what position you have on that war. One can understand the death of a policeman and/or firefighter during the performance of their duties. Those are still “tragedies”.
Trying to understand the avalanche caused deaths of these individuals in B.C. brings one to anger - anger at the stupidity and “macho” needs that needlessly takes lives and endangers others.
These were no “tragedies” they were lessons on human weakness!
If someone was killed or injured trying to rescue these guys then that would have been a tragedy.
If a person comes upon a bridge that has been boarded off and labeled as “UNSAFE – DO NOT USE” and then decides to cross that bridge and is killed in the process then do we deal with that death as a “tragedy”?
Every year we hear of people (mainly young men) dying because of trying to snowmobile across a partially frozen lake at night, or passing 3 or more cars at the same time on a highway, or skiing or snowboarding in areas deemed “OFF LIMITS”, or racing their cars at 160 km/hr. My major regret is that the media does not cover these deaths as acts of overt “stupidity” but as “tragedies”. The “tragedy” is that next one to die does not appear to get the message.
Perhaps if the posthumous winners of the Darwin Awards were better advertised then some of the potential future recipients might get the message!
