Posts Tagged ‘crash’

The tragic news that 21-year-old luge racer Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed whilst practising for the Olympic luge at Whistler, Vancouver is more than tragedy. Kumaritashvili was injured when he flew off the track and collided with a steel pole, he died as a result of these injuries. He was travelling at 89mph when he crashed.

Inevitably questions have to be asked. Investigations were conducted the same day, concluding that the accident was not caused by deficiencies in the track. As a preventative measure, the walls at the exit of curve 16 were raised and a change in the ice profile was made. To reduce the speed the athletes were reaching the mens’ start was moved to where the ladies were launching and the ladies and mens doubles will now start from the junior start after turn 5.

Was the track too fast? The Whistler luge course includes 16 turns and a 498-foot drop and was considered to be the fastest track that has ever been built. These guys are covering a mile in approximately 50 seconds, attaining speeds in excess of 90mph and enduring a G force more commonly associated with sitting in a rocket.

The president of the ILF, the official governing body of luge, warned that the Whistler Sliding Center track was too fast back in 2008. At the time, he recommended capping maximum track speeds at 85 mph for future tracks. Yet for whatever reason, ILF president Josef Fendt failed to sound the alarm in 2010, even though sliders were clocking well over 90 mph in practice.

What ensued is a tragedy not only for Nodar Kumaritashvili’s family but for the wider Olympic community as a whole and particularly the authorities running the games. But ultimately we suggest that it is in man’s nature to go faster, or to want to go faster, and to put a speed limiter into an event is, in our view, a contradiction of what luge is all about – going flat out. How molly coddled do we want to become or should we keep the extreme element that is at the moment very much part of luge.

We have the deepest sympathy for Nodar Kumaritashvili’s family and send our most sincere condolences. We dedicate this blog to the memory of Nodar Kumaritashvili – he died doing something he loved – RIP.

A young Brit on holiday in Thailand survived a near fatal crash when the equipment that he was using to bungee jump failed and he was plunged into the water below.

Rishi Baveja had paid the $60 fee to the Jungle Bungy Centre in Kathu, Thailand only because they boasted a 100 per cent safety record.

It is unfortunate that it was Baveja who has smashed their safety record but ironically it is fortunate that he hit the water, at 80 mph, with his chest rather than his head. Fortunate for had it been with his head the consequences would have been worse than they were.

The poor man spent a month in a Bangkok hospital recovering from a ruptured spleen, torn liver, collapsed lungs and massive bruising.

In the video from widowsbreath you can see the near fatal jump – remember to check out the small print and make sure the company you are jumping with has appropriate and internationally recognised insurance. This is an extreme sport, you are risking yourself to severe physical and or mental damage if something goes wrong - nota bene.

Drag racing – the zenith of extreme sports? And a sport we have not often talked about – something we decided to change having done a little research and watched the video below from ProModFil which shows an unbelievable and horrific crash at 280 mph from which the driver survived but suffered CRAFT.

So what is drag racing? Our friends from Wikipedia put it quite simply – a competition in which vehicles compete to be the first to cross a set finish line, usually from a dead stop, and in a straight line. In other words you go flat out!

But within the sport there is a myriad of jargon, organisations – the two major ones in North America being the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), classes – both professional and non professional, and a glossary that would fill a dictionary. Don’t worry guys – we’re going to keep it simple!

The fastest cars can attain terminal speeds of over 530 km/h (329 mph) while covering the quarter mile (440 yard) distance in roughly 4.45 seconds. It is often related that dragsters are the fastest accelerating vehicles on earth; quicker even than the space shuttle launch vehicle or a catapult-assisted jet fighter at launch.

Before each race each driver is allowed to perform a ‘burnout’ which heats the tires and lays rubber down at the beginning of the track, therebye improving traction, he or she then lines up, or ’stages’, at the starting line.

Professional drag races are started electronically, with a series of vertically-arranged lights known as a Christmas Tree – in itself a performance and where racers can often be disqualified by trying to jump the gun.

The race has three measurements taken:

• reaction time – the time from the green light illuminating to the vehicle leaving the starting line
• elapsed time – the time from the vehicle leaving the starting line to crossing the finish line
• speed – indicates the approximate maximum speed of the vehicle during the run and is measured by a speed gun near the finish line

The winner is the first vehicle to cross the finish line.

Now this first video of Jerry Caminito’s crash does not really show the racing element so we have decided to add another video which is a compilation of drag racing, often presumed by the uninitiated to be a preserve of North Americans – but there is now a thriving and growing following of the sport in Europe and the South Africans have long been nuts about this extreme. The video comes from mannyrego.

Oh and if you are still wondering what CRAFT is……..Can’t Remember A F……….Thing! We know what you mean Jerry.

This frightening video from adamwuk clearly demonstrates why it is vital that when mountain biking it is imperative to be in 100% control for 100% of the time.

[youtube=http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsDjh7oAAP0]

Another example from bakewhore of why control on your MTB is essential.

[youtube=http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=wWvSxhfa4Uc]

Having viewed the above and should you be thinking of taking up this ever increasingly popular sport we thought it might be helpful if we gave you some guidelines. Thanks to www.thaimarathon.com for this useful advice.

Anyone who knows how to ride a bicycle can enjoy mountain biking. There are some dangers to mountain biking, when it is compared to the standard bike ride. It is for this reason that mastering the following beginner mountain bike skills is a necessity prior to taking off for your mountain bike excursion.

These skills can all be practiced by heading to any school, local park, around your house, or on a bike path. The key to the right location is if it has a steep hill for you to practice on.

The pedals are an important part of a mountain bike. You can practice getting a feel for the pedals by doing the following:

• Release and Replace your foot while pedaling around;
• Sit and spin for position with the following;
• Adjust the seat height so that the leg is a minimum of 70% extended at the bottom of each pedal cycle;
  Bend arms slightly;
  Keep the body as relaxed as possible, a position should never occur that requires you to lock your elbows or knees.
• Sit on the Mountain bike and pedal;
• Practice shifting gears ;
• Make sure you know the differences in gears on your bike;
• Try a high gear-it is harder to pedal, but rides at a faster speed;
• Try a low gear-easier to pedal, particularly useful while on hills;
• Try shifting gear prior to reaching the hill – it is easier to overcome a shift before the hill than it is while on the hill;
• Practice coasting and;
• Practice this while standing on the pedals, not sitting on the bike seat;
• Do not lock your knees;
• Keep arms slightly bent;
• Attempt coasting while shifting the body towards the rear of the mountain bike;
• Practice pedaling while standing;
• Try pedaling standing up in different ways, once you have become comfortable with standing on the pedals;
• First pedal while standing in a high gear on flatter grounds;
• Then pedal while standing in a low gear on hills;
• Practice dropping down a curb;
• Locate a curb in the area, using a moderate speed, practice coasting and standing off the curb to the lower level from the upper level;
• Continue this at different speeds until you are comfortable with it and it is like second nature.

The above practicing techniques are important because they will give you the feel of the mountain bike trail, without having to be on one while you are training.

Basic stuff but important and the only thing we would add is that it is imperative to take your time in learning these skills – do not rush.

OMG – this is truly awful, you will gasp when you see it, if it is genuine, which it looks……..then RIP.

Come on guys – just switch it on before something crazy like this happens, we understand that accidents come hand in hand with extreme sports but there are too many that are unnecessary – let this frightening video from sotalx be a lesson.

We expect the extreme but not the casualties – is that a contradiction in terms?

Here’s a cool hang gliding video from hangman 360 of some expert flying around Big Spring, Texas where yesterday there was an unfortunate accident when the tow plane for the hang gliders crashed – thank goodness no one was badly hurt.

The City of Big Spring is pretty famous in the hang gliding world. It’s nice blue skies and puffy clouds make it perfect to practice the sport. Some feared Monday’s tow plane crash would interfere with the competition, but organizers say everything is going just fine.

“The pilot is ok, everything is going to be just fine, the pilot is ok, he went to the hospital, he is going to make a full recovery and we have three tow planes that are towing all the gliders in the air. We’ll love to have more days of flying here, slightly lighter winds would be perfect, but we are having a great time,” Competition Organizer David Glover, said.

A tow plane went down during a practice run on Monday evening. Organizers say he’s recovering, but it’s still a reminder of the dangers of flying.

“It’s like any aviation, you need to respect it, it’s not bowling. Hopefully you are not up in the air terrified that ‘oh my god, my glider comes apart,’ because that probably does not conduce to flying well, but the craft themselves are very strong,” Competitor Lauren Tjaden, said.

For hang glider pilot Dustin Martin safety is number one. The twelve year glider says it’s all about checking your equipment.

“I check everything like if this is unattended for a little while, I recheck everything, just so I know when I am off the ground for sure I am confident everything is going to be fine,” Martin said.

Other pilots also say staying safe is about making the right decisions

“If you fly in bad conditions, if your skills are not top to par, you can hurt yourself, but if you stay with in those guidelines and respect it, it’s a fabulous sport,” Tjaden said.

The competition will continue until Saturday August 9. The top five pilots will continue to represent the U.S. in the World Championship of Hang Gliding in France next year.

Thanks to Roma Vivas of NewsWest9 for this story.