+3 other snowmobilers in 48 hours. Bad week up north. Ridding solo when he died.
+3 other snowmobilers in 48 hours. Bad week up north. Ridding solo when he died.
RIP I guess. This "sport" irritates me.
You play with fire...you gonna get burned. The video's soundtrack sucked my ass too.
Delete that shit Grape ape.
I'm not into the Moto sport either, but the guy had some skills and had spent more time recreating in risky avy terrain then most of the snow sport world. Someone with this background dying riding solo in relatively 'mellow' terrain is an interesting data point to pontificate on...
The creator of a B.C. snowmobiling page on Facebook, titled “Nobody sleds alone,” posted that Davidoff’s death should be a big wake-up call.
“No one should ride alone, regardless of skill or equipment. Dan was one of the best chute climbers around. Extremely knowledgeable in the backcountry and of snow conditions,” the post said. “Yet this happened. No matter how good, how prepared you are Ma Nature takes no prisoners.”
Davidoff was featured in several extreme sport magazines, which tout him as the only two-time winner of the “Xtremey Award” for best performance in a snowmobile film.
A 2011 interview with Davidoff in Snowest magazine says his “ridiculous hillclimbs” and countless first ascents earned him a reputation as one of the top backcountry hillclimbers. It says he swore off alcohol and drugs in his youth, allowing him to “live on a natural high.”
Davidoff told the magazine he started riding about 40 years ago with his parents, who would pack him on their sled before he was two years old.
Asked whether he had advice for up-and-coming hillclimbers, Davidoff suggested people “ride smart” during dangerous avalanche days.
“You can always come back and slay the face another day,” he said. “But when the snow is safe and you feel it in your belly go for it. If you don’t feel it, trust your instincts. My worst failures always came when I had a bad feeling and didn’t listen to it.”
Talented for sure, some of those climbs were "Krazy".
Riding out his back door on terrain he knew intimately, but still well known as a hazardous slope, and the highest consequence instability we've seen this winter.
Funny I ran into a super talkative guide and author who lost a client in a slide this winter.
I told him I'm striving to go with the
I pass no judgement and offer vibes for the tribes addicts mother natures has taken
Braaapps on on another plane crazies caknucklehead
I'm not into the moto sports myself, but I recognize the skill and passion of riders like these. Really talented athletes in their own right.
It's been a crazy week in these parts. I know of 5 other recent large slides in the range. Two involved people, including a full burial who survived with minor injuries.
Sad. 12 of 13 avalanche deaths this winter are sledders. Interesting little read below. There's also a good link to a sled magazine about halfway down that offers a very reflective take on safety from a sledder point of view.
http://www.avalanche.ca/blogs/Vusw1y.../2016sledstats
Great blog by forecaster Storm. I agree totally with his assessment that a sledder has to make 100 decisions in a minute while ascending a 2000ft slope while a ski tourer has an hour or two for the same number of decisions. I also think that farmer john from innisfail who just got his $15K long track best be taking a fucking avie course before he hits the alpine in Valemont for a week.Quote:
Originally Posted by Angle Parking
Anyone who has been around mountain sledders at play knows that the way it's usually practiced involves slope testing by riding, and gradually pushing the limit. It’s an effective technique in times of obvious instability, but potentially lethal whenever there's a high risk/low probability issue in the snowpack, compounded by the additional force (compared to a skier) that sleds apply to the snowpack, and that sledders are drawn towards slide paths (when skiers can lap trees in the same conditions). Add a cultural propensity to anti-authoritarianism, bravado, and riding while drunk, it's no surprise that sledders die in the mountains. Tragically, the only thing that does seem to be effective in promoting more cautious sledder behaviour is large numbers of deaths, which happens every few years, but is soon forgotten.
I think the blog Angle Parking linked to is worth reading.