 Poster: A snowHead
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An 18-year-old Swiss skier from Verbier has died after falling on a steep mountainside during a "freeride" competition at Tignes in France. Neal Valiton hurtled several hundred meters down a slope Wednesday after starting his descent of a slope with a steepness of 50 per cent known as la Grande Balme, where an "extreme" skiing competition was taking place.
The competition was terminated after the accident, viewed by horrified onlookers. Valiton, who also carried an Argentinian passport, was considered among the top competitors in the daredevil sport. He had placed second in an extreme skiing competition in Verbier last year and won a similar event at the Morgins ski competition.
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http://www.24heures.ch/pages/home/24_heures/english_corner/news/news_detail/(contenu)/53000
and
http://www.natives.co.uk/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=9&listcatid=39&listitemid=3078
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Not sure 'daredevil' is the correct word.
The people who compete are extremley talented skiers/boarders who push their skills to the limit.
Our condolances must go to the family & friends of Neal Valiton who was only 18 years old.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Awful to hear this. Deepest heartfelt sympathies to his family. Truly it is the extreme of skiing. 
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| Natives.co.uk wrote: |
It may look like sustained & reckless personal endangerment, but in fact the riders evaluate conditions, routes and risks extremely carefully. Testament to this is the minimal number of casualties at freeride events around the world (it's far, far lower than at, say, freestyle events).
However, there always remains a massive potential risk when riding on rock-strewn slopes of up to 50+ degrees, dropping off 60-foot cliffs into narrow chutes and using steep snow-flecked cliffs as some kind of vertical snow maze to 'billy-goat' through. |
Very sad. These guys are amazing. They plan their runs meticulously. But the risks are huge.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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this is sad to hear about, but extreme skiing is now relatively mainstream, and competitions like this host the very best int he world. It's not a question of daredevil at all, but of slightly loony!!! Unfortunately it's one sport where the cost of failure can be death, and the films never show that, do they?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I refer you all again to the site,
www.perfectmoment.com
I've known the riders Karsten and Fred for many years, but i'm not sure for how many more. Karsten has eaten too much snow for his brain to be anything but frozen. R.I.P the rider concearned, glad you didn't see it coming and enjoyed mastering you own destiny.
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