"I haven’t tried landing it outright yet—nope, too dangerous. If you’re going to go out, you might as well go out like Evel Knievel on live television.”
—Freestyle snowmobiler Heath Frisby says he will launch himself off a 10-foot-tall, 50-degree ramp and attempt a front flip on his 450-pound snowmobile during Sunday night's "best trick" competition at the Winter X Games that start today in Aspen. No one has ever successfully done that before. And having read the list of horrific injuries many of his colleagues have suffered while competing in this insane-sounding sport, I wish he would reconsider his decision.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
12
If Frisby can pull that trick off, it would be the Ultimate stunt.
I have to say that it's pretty appalling that the X Games organizers are letting this go on. Having people sign waivers may get them legally off the hook (at least for the time being), but morally, this is just gross.
@SeanP Yeah, you're right about that. It's a good thing that none of this would happen without the X-Games. These bros are just in it for the cash.
@Moxie Oh, please. Are you seriously trying to suggest that the same number of people would be doing highly, ridiculously dangerous stunts WITHOUT the encouragement provided by the X games? And the enticement is obviously less about the cash and more about fame within the "extreme" sports community.
Wow. This is almost as dangerous as yoga.
A tag like FUTURE DARWIN AWARDS could work well here.
Also, "heath frisbee" is a sport I could get into.
It could also be a good flavor of Ben-n-Jerry's ice cream.
@Dave Bry Like Chunky Monkey, only more aerodynamic.
You know what, some people told Christopher Columbus that he would fall off the Earth if he sailed too far West. Look how that one worked out.
@Lockheed Ventura We're moving into uncharted motorized sled trick territory. Entire populations could be wiped out, a civilization destroyed, a whole continent converted to Catholicism. NBD.
There have been lots of snowmobiling videos out lately, but most of them have features slednecks getting caught in avalanches. This is a dangerous sport, and this year the snowpack is really unstable throughout North America. Heads up if you're our playing in it.
Showed a dude at work this video and he told me about the time he was snowmobiling through someone's property and his buddy hit barbed wire with his neck. No lasting injury, but livid marks that stuck around for months!