How much risk?

Was just asking ~Inshane~ about his leg, and thinking about Wade's leg too, and got to thinking about the risks some people take. If you break a leg it takes about 1 year out of your life before things are back to normal. What about the guy that actually checked out last year on Whistler? Where and how do you draw the line and say you're not willing to suffer the consequences if things go bad? Do you ever really think about the consequeces of your actions or just focus on the insane stunt you're about to try and simply hope for the best?

Do whatever makes you happy dude!!! If it bothers you to skip a certain section that means you have not found your limit yet because you know you can do it but unwilling to take the risk. In some ways it could hold your riding back because everytime you want to try something new, you will always have the thought of "what if" inside your head.

For me, I pretty much found my limit to my riding. My focus is just to get in better shape so I can enjoy the riding even more.

I know my limits, I haven't nessesarily reached them in all aspects of my riding, but I know where they are. Maybe it's a symptom of age ( I'm 36) but I no longer care about constantly going bigger and higher. At a certain point the consequences of a mistake are more important than the thrill of pulling off a new bigger drop or gap. I am also kind of old school and take as much pleasure from ripping smoothly through a technical section as I do from hitting some huge stunt. I guess it boils down to the fact that I am not willing to risk permanent injury just for the thrill of hitting the next big drop etc. To put it in perspective WCB considers anything over 3 m to be a critical fall. This mean that at that hight the potential for permanent injury or death exists if you fall from that high or higher. We all have our own limits but I think a lot of people get caught up in the whole go big attitude and they don't stop to think of the consequences.

Yah there is a high risk , if you screw up its a busted bone or something even worst. But shit happens right. Sure im bummed about exploding my leg an all,:lol: but ill be back and going bigger than ever. This is me and what I live to do.
Theres new things to be done in this sport and limits to be broken.

IMO, if you think there is a good chance of crashing, don't do it. But don't play everything safe. You might get hit by a bus walking across the street.

On a long enough timeline everyone survivablity rate drops to 0. Go big while you can, but don't go way over your limits.

yea i used to take big risks and then i busted up my heel almost a year ago. the steel plate and screws are always bothering me and i still don't walk right. i'm back riding and i'm actually a better rider than i was before because now i'm more careful and i've really developed the technical aspect of my riding.

Originally posted by synchro
Was just asking ~Inshane~ about his leg, and thinking about Wade's leg too, and got to thinking about the risks some people take. If you break a leg it takes about 1 year out of your life before things are back to normal. What about the guy that actually checked out last year on Whistler? Where and how do you draw the line and say you're not willing to suffer the consequences if things go bad? Do you ever really think about the consequeces of your actions or just focus on the insane stunt you're about to try and simply hope for the best?

from my personal experience i can say that before my big injury I thought nothing of the consequences. Now however before i hit anything I think ahead. Even though I go bigger after my injury I now also walk away from more things. I take longer to think stuff over. After a big bike related injury every stunt is a totaly different experience.

Im totally worried about getting hurt..im sick so much anyway I don't need hte hassle of a broken bone, to be honest i'll be happy when I can drop 5 feet and develop my skinny riding..thats all I really want and will be happy doing.

this is a good thread. I definately love to push myself all the time but shore type riding is very dangerous. I rock climbed at a very very high level for 8 years and the biggest injury I had sustained was a sprained ankle on a 50' alpine fall and I burnt my arm once in a forced bivy "snow cave" more like a snow dent-but whatever.

Since switching over from XC 3 years ago I have seperated my shoulder twice, crack two ribs Dj'ing, broke my toe, and recently punctured a big hole in my leg. If you have ever fell directly on your head you know that it is seriously scarry shit. Not like "whoa dude, that was scary" more like sitting in the bath tub thinking "what if I DID break my neck, what if I paralized myself simply because I wanted to do a super man on the big gap jump"? You need to think about that shit!!!

I think it kind of boils down to this…
Who are you riding and hucking for? If you are doing it to impress others than you are heading towards a world of hurt. Everyone likes to show off their style and no matter who you are their is always a little "alpha wolf" mentality on the trail.

If you are riding to push yourself and see what you can do then I think the best thing to do is to set goals and progress steadily. If you set goals and limits ahead of time then when your out on the trail and feel the pressure or urge to "just do it" then you can temper yourself and say "in time, in time".

Lastly, wear your armour and keep your bike in shape. I may sound like an old fart, and to be honest I don't really remember how I became a 31yo father with a full time career and all the responsabilities that come with that so quickly, but I do know one thing - You need to protect yourself out there!

There are lots of young people on this board and believe it or not I can identify with them. At one time in my life I had no money, no responsabilities and all I cared about was getting stoned, riding my bike, and climbing BIG rock walls. I loved those times but really don't miss them. One thing I didn't learn until I was older was that I am not invincible. You can smash your leg to smitherines and it will heal. But I'll tell you what, when your 30 years old and its raining outside and you have to get out of bed to go to work, your leg is going to ache like a mother ** and it's only going to get worse. My buddy had his heal put back together after a bad climbing fall 12 years ago and he can still tell when its going to rain. So go out and push yourself, strive to get better but just remember in the grand scheme of things that big drop or huge gap means next to nothing and the guy who repeately rides over his head and hurts himself doesn't earn any respect from his peers.

the risk is always in the back of my mind, but just the feeling of progressing is enough to pass it off and give it my all. ive gotten hurt before, and i guess just wanting to keep riding after that has really shown me how much this sport means. i hope i can do it for a long time and maybe even make it somewhere with it :)

As you get older the fear begins to set in. That 10' drop starts to look like 20'. Crashing and injuries are a part of riding and progressing, look at Bender. As mentioned before ride for yourself. The best advice I was once told is to learn how to crash, do not just think about cleaning the stunt, look for a way out if sh@t goes down.

I think some of the younger guys need to understand that it's not when you're 60 or 70 years old that you get arthritis and joint pain. Try more like 30 years old. When you rack up the injuries, you really take away some joy out of your life as you get older. Is the 5-10 years you spend being a maniac worth the 40-60 years you spend wincing everytime you bend your knees?
I'd say, ride to the edge of your limits and have fun.
NEVER EVER EVER do something cuz you want to impress someone or cuz someone dared you or called you chicken, etc.
If you are going to try something difficult, you will need FULL concentration. At that point, it is not the physical aspect of the stunt but the mental aspect.
NEVER try out a big drop or jump or whatever, unless you can visualize the whole thing in your head first. If you can see in your head how it can work, then you can probably do it. If you just try something and hope for the best, you're probably screwed.
My 2 cents.:)

I used to take risks when I skateboarded. But I only started riding bikes when I was 24ish. I've been injured enough on the skateboard to give me the fear, so if something on the bike is a huge risk, I usually don't do it.

I'm 30 and starting a family too. That has a huge factor in what you attempt on a bike. It doesn't seem as important when you are expecting a child.

I also put that energy into other aspects like XC and road riding, both of which require skill in a different way.

Originally posted by usa_hucker
**…..more like sitting in the bath tub thinking "what if I DID break my neck, what if I paralized myself simply because I wanted to do a super man on the big gap jump"? You need to think about that shit!!!

I think it kind of boils down to this…
Who are you riding and hucking for? If you are doing it to impress others than you are heading towards a world of hurt. Everyone likes to show off their style and no matter who you are their is always a little "alpha wolf" mentality on the trail.

If you are riding to push yourself and see what you can do then I think the best thing to do is to set goals and progress steadily.

**

Originally posted by Gurney
The best advice I was once told is to learn how to crash, do not just think about cleaning the stunt, look for a way out if sh@t goes down.

Great responses dudes. I always scope out the landing before I try stuff, and if there isn't an 'out' then I will probably pass. Knowing how to crash makes a huge difference. I have saved myself a bunch of injuries by knowing how and when to bail out. Not to knock you ~Inshane~, but when you busted your leg on the road gap did you did a speed check at all? If you are going to do a huge road gap why not do some physics. Measure up the distances so you've got a good idea of how fast to go before just hitting it up. I think Wade should've done the same thing and maybe would've been able to spare himself some carnage.

I've neer personally done anthing that big so I might not have the right to talk about it, but I would definitely do some serious preparation and thinking before going that big. Taking a calculated risk means looking at the possibilities of what can go wrong and how you can save yourself if it does. If there is any doubt and there is no out then take a pass.