It's a live tree with a split crown. Not the healthiest tree, but this opens it up to infections. Plus after it falls there's the hazard to anyone taking a chainsaw to it.
I don't want to take away from Jodie and his riding anything regardless of how ridiculously short the ramp out is!
It is difficult for me to write a response to this video without sounding overly harsh. This linkbest sums up my feeling about why I watch mountain bike videos. Brandon Semenuk is inspiring to watch ride. I have to say, there is nothing remarkable in Mr Lunn's riding, only that he is willing to try and cheat death or dismemberment.
Within my own medical school class I had one classmate that went mountaineering with her boyfriend and never returned - presumed dead. One classmate that broke his neck biking at whistler and will never walk again. A third classmate who amputated his arm riding on the shore. A fourth classmate who's husband died falling into a crevasse while sking and finally a classmate who's friend died while competing in a half pipe competition in the US. I have personally cared for several 18-35 year old men who have among other things "quaded" themselves and sit in the icu with a breathing tube for a month. Let me tell you, there is little you can do on a mountain bike or in the backcountry that is worth that cost.
Mr Lunn is taking enormous risks not to mention, deforming a tree with a stupid useless stunt that no one else will ever do. I hope he put that stunt on his own land or removed it after he was done because it is a giant liability for access if people build stunts like this and leave them in the forest for others to hurt themselves on. This video represents all that is irresponsible about mountain biking. I can appreciate that Mr Lunn probably really likes biking but I find it hard to be supportive of such a risky endeavour. If he had broken his neck, or given himself a pneumothorax, or ruptured his spleen on any one of his ridiculous stunts, did his crew have some way to get him out of the forest? I sure hope so, because riding like that will eventually end with a catastrophic injury. Everyone will say "he was doing what he loved" like that somehow makes blatant stupidity OK.
Avoiding nailing into live trees is recommended by most trail standards. It's bad for the health of the tree, bad for safety and bad for the image of our sport.
Are you sure that was a live tree? Were you there? Everything I saw from the clip showed that the tree was dead and no longer growing. The look up the tree showed no living branches except on the trees behind it. The look down the tree showed no live branches. Now, I am assuming the tree must be recently deceased or it would not be suitable to build on.
Hey Cam
I think Alan has a point. Part of what makes MTB great is that we can ride through nature as it is. Certainly in places like Cypress and Cumberland you often get a tour of industry impact but it's always important to promote sustainable trail building. To lose that would diminish the sport for all of us. That and Alan worked tirelessly to try to preserve trails on Cypress. I would think he'd get more respect on these boards than to be shut down the way you did. Just my 2c.
Not to take away from Jordie. Great riding, fun to watch.
Comments
Rob Gretchen
6 years, 2 months ago
Yah.. pretty sure that tree is dead... in any case let's celebrate Jordie and his crazy antics.. WTF?
Reply
AlanB
6 years, 2 months ago
It's a live tree with a split crown. Not the healthiest tree, but this opens it up to infections. Plus after it falls there's the hazard to anyone taking a chainsaw to it.
I don't want to take away from Jodie and his riding anything regardless of how ridiculously short the ramp out is!
Reply
Reed Holden
6 years, 2 months ago
It is difficult for me to write a response to this video without sounding overly harsh. This linkbest sums up my feeling about why I watch mountain bike videos. Brandon Semenuk is inspiring to watch ride. I have to say, there is nothing remarkable in Mr Lunn's riding, only that he is willing to try and cheat death or dismemberment.
Within my own medical school class I had one classmate that went mountaineering with her boyfriend and never returned - presumed dead. One classmate that broke his neck biking at whistler and will never walk again. A third classmate who amputated his arm riding on the shore. A fourth classmate who's husband died falling into a crevasse while sking and finally a classmate who's friend died while competing in a half pipe competition in the US. I have personally cared for several 18-35 year old men who have among other things "quaded" themselves and sit in the icu with a breathing tube for a month. Let me tell you, there is little you can do on a mountain bike or in the backcountry that is worth that cost.
Mr Lunn is taking enormous risks not to mention, deforming a tree with a stupid useless stunt that no one else will ever do. I hope he put that stunt on his own land or removed it after he was done because it is a giant liability for access if people build stunts like this and leave them in the forest for others to hurt themselves on. This video represents all that is irresponsible about mountain biking. I can appreciate that Mr Lunn probably really likes biking but I find it hard to be supportive of such a risky endeavour. If he had broken his neck, or given himself a pneumothorax, or ruptured his spleen on any one of his ridiculous stunts, did his crew have some way to get him out of the forest? I sure hope so, because riding like that will eventually end with a catastrophic injury. Everyone will say "he was doing what he loved" like that somehow makes blatant stupidity OK.
I am sure a giant flame war will ensue.....
Reply
mightyted
5 years, 4 months ago
Sad to report Reed, your comment was spot on .
https://m.pinkbike.com/news/jordie-lunn-passes-away-after-crash-in-mexico.html
Reply
AlanB
6 years, 2 months ago
Spiking rungs directly into a live tree. (Rewriting my overly sharp first response) I sure wish he hadn't done that.
Reply
Cam McRae
6 years, 2 months ago
Those are words.
How do you feel about clear cuts? Xmas trees? Dining room tables? Books? And that tree doesn't look all that vital to me.
Reply
Cam McRae
6 years, 2 months ago
How about toilet paper?
Reply
AlanB
6 years, 2 months ago
Avoiding nailing into live trees is recommended by most trail standards. It's bad for the health of the tree, bad for safety and bad for the image of our sport.
Reply
Metacomet
6 years, 2 months ago
Are you sure that was a live tree? Were you there? Everything I saw from the clip showed that the tree was dead and no longer growing. The look up the tree showed no living branches except on the trees behind it. The look down the tree showed no live branches. Now, I am assuming the tree must be recently deceased or it would not be suitable to build on.
Reply
Cam McRae
6 years, 2 months ago
I've seen more and the tree is live - and has a split trunk, likely from a lightning strike. I think if it survived that a few nails won't do it in.
Reply
Kieran
6 years, 2 months ago
Yeah its live, but if you head over to cypress you'll see BP ripping them out a dozen at a time and no one seems to be up in arms about that!
Reply
mightyted
6 years, 2 months ago
Hey Cam
I think Alan has a point. Part of what makes MTB great is that we can ride through nature as it is. Certainly in places like Cypress and Cumberland you often get a tour of industry impact but it's always important to promote sustainable trail building. To lose that would diminish the sport for all of us. That and Alan worked tirelessly to try to preserve trails on Cypress. I would think he'd get more respect on these boards than to be shut down the way you did. Just my 2c.
Not to take away from Jordie. Great riding, fun to watch.
Reply
mightyted
6 years, 2 months ago
This comment has been removed.
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