 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Snowmobile....
Black run...
Excessive speed...
At night...
sounds like Darwin Awards all round
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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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6 dead and 2 injured. I presume numerous skidoos were involved
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Only one snow mobile and a trailer according to the news here. Reports here are saying too fast on an unlit closed piste and alcohol may have played a significant role. Sad whatever reason for it.
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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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two of the dead worked in the 'tourism' industry - which probably means they were the Reps/Ski Guides.....
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Dreadful. 
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I am 100% confident in saying that there was Alcohol involved in this!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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what a shame
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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stanton, Horrific! I hope the organisers get punished for their criminal negligence.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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If alcohol was a factor in this tragic incident then it would simply echo the many incidents of drunken Brits on holiday in the mountains.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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albinomountainbadger, I don't even want to know how he managed to climb up there and get onto the seat without killing himself, though obviously the booze probably helped 
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Poster: A snowHead
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What a way to go, must have been horrific, mountains need to be respected at all times.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Masque, but that isn't H&S, it is just reckless stupidity. There is ONE lethal danger - the muhassive drop to the left.
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Frosty the Snowman, they needed a bully to cut the path, the resort's involved. The whole concept of personal and public safety hasn't existed in Russia till quite recently. It simply doesn't figure in the thinking . . . till it all goes ballzup! There are lots of old jokes about Russian fatalism like the doctor who tells his patient "I have some good news and bad for you" . . . ."what?" . . . "you've six months to live" . . . "OK, so what's the bad news?"
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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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The Russians are a little extreme, but perhaps best not to condemn the whole country and poplace just yet.
Note from the Zorbing incident that criminal negligence charges are being considered...whereas in New Zealand, where apparently the sport was invented (acc. Daily Mail..mmmm) there is no law of criminal negigence. and in fact a number of horiffic skydiving accidents have occured with UK tourists, whose family have subsequently been unable to press any charges.
Russia ain't so bad.
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Strax, you haven't met my family 
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Really, people - is it necessary for some of you to be posting like this? People die in extreme accidents all of the time. We Brits are amongst the worst for drinking and skiing, behaving badly and generally being irresponsible in ski resorts. These are tragic accidents (especially the Zorbing one - that poor family; what were the organisers thinking?!).
The tone of some of the posts on this thread is disconcerting at best, and at worst, downright shameful.
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Harry Flashman, It's a fact of life that people die in horrible circumstances and very frequently of their own cause. The event is sad but predictable and will continue to occur. You cannot wrap people in cotton wool and you also cannot wring your hands in sorrow when bad choices preclude bad outcomes. There's nothing in this thread particularly offensive, more simple resignation to yet more unnecessary self contributory deaths.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Darwinksi award
(Too soon?)
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Zero-G, bad girl . . . [/spank]
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Having had a look at the pictures of the Russian Zorbing fatality I have to say I'm amazed that they were doing this with no safety at all, there was nothing to prevent the zorb going off down the slope and over, they don't even appear to have had any staff stationed on the downhill side of the zorb track, just having one person there on skis might have prevented the accident, though it would have been far more sensible to have had some rope netting down either side of the run to make sure the zorb didn't wander off, tragic that a young father should loose his life like this.
Note that the other two incidents on this page seem to have been as a result of too much alcohol, but there's nothing to suggest that in this case, rather it's that the organisers seem to have had a complete disregard for safety, no doubt there minds were on the profits they were taking
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Masque wrote: |
| Harry Flashman, It's a fact of life that people die in horrible circumstances and very frequently of their own cause. The event is sad but predictable and will continue to occur. You cannot wrap people in cotton wool and you also cannot wring your hands in sorrow when bad choices preclude bad outcomes. There's nothing in this thread particularly offensive, more simple resignation to yet more unnecessary self contributory deaths. |
Agreed to an extent - I'm no hand wringer, nor an apologist for stupid behaviour. What I object to (strenuously) is the attitude here (thread title included) that Russians are somehow all banzai nutters who endanger themselves and anyone else on the piste, and somehow (subtext) deserve all they get.
Particularly rich coming from us British, I feel, having seen the way we behave in the Alps.
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| Harry Flashman wrote: |
| Russians are somehow all banzai nutters who endanger themselves and anyone else on the piste, and somehow (subtext) deserve all they get. |
Replace the word 'Russian' in that phrase with ' Snowbladers / snowbikers / snowboarders / speed-riders / young people ' and it wouldn't raise an eyebrow...
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You know it makes sense.
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Harry Flashman, banzai? perhaps not. Nutters? absolutely and often not in a good way 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| albinomountainbadger wrote: |
| Harry Flashman wrote: |
| Russians are somehow all banzai nutters who endanger themselves and anyone else on the piste, and somehow (subtext) deserve all they get. |
Replace the word 'Russian' in that phrase with ' Snowbladers / snowbikers / snowboarders / speed-riders / young people ' and it wouldn't raise an eyebrow... |
It would with me. I tend to think that generalisations are, for want of a better word, retarded - and I genuinely don't like the sneering attitude frequently visible on here when bad things happen to people on the snow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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albinomountainbadger, I think you are being a tad harsh - the chap was obviously just trying to be the first on the slopes to get the best snow - something we generally applaud. He just got his timings a bit wrong. I think we should applaud his initiative and pluck and buy him a watch, suitably engraved on the back (something like 'Turn over' seems appropriate).
Zero-G, nope - spot on!
Just taking the alternate POV for a second, I know any number of restaurants in the Alps that try to extend their opening hours by offerring evening meals and a return to base by snowmobile. I've seen and heard of a number of these runs (I prefer sledging back) - I'll bet the incident was related to a meal/drink on the slopes but I've yet to hear of one that returned via a black. Sounds like a detour to me.
"Russians are somehow all banzai nutters who endanger themselves and anyone else on the piste" - all the Russians I've met would strenuously agree with the former and strenuously deny the latter - and therein lies the dichotomy that is Russia (and prob the reason for the snowmobile incident)!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SoHarry Flashman,
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I tend to think that generalisations are, for want of a better word, retarded
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After
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Particularly rich coming from us British, I feel, having seen the way we behave in the Alps.
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and
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Brits are amongst the worst for drinking and skiing, behaving badly and generally being irresponsible in ski resorts.
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I can assure you I don't behave like that, so stop with the generalisations
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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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This forum is preternaturally obsessed with the Russians for some reason.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| RattytheSnowRat wrote: |
| I'll bet the incident was related to a meal/drink on the slopes but I've yet to hear of one that returned via a black. Sounds like a detour to me. |
This report suggests you're right.
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ROME, January 7 (RIA Novosti) - A preliminary investigation blamed a snowmobile accident in Italy which left six Russians dead on the driver’s recklessness, not drunk driving, the L'Adige newspaper reported on Monday citing prosecutors.
Four women and two men from Russia died at Cermis in the Trentino province late on Friday when their rented snowmobile tipped over and fell into a deep ravine. Two other men were sent to a hospital in Trentino in serious condition. Azat Agafarov, who drove the vehicle, was one of the two survivors. Trentino chief prosecutor Giuseppe Amato said that test showed that the Agafarov’s blood alcohol level was “only slightly above the permitted level” of 0.5 per mille.
Italian media earlier reported that the Russians were returning from a holiday dinner in a restaurant to their hotel and the driver was possibly under the influence of alcohol. The accident occurred on a steep slope at the altitude of 2,000 meters while the eight were traversing a closed ‘black’ track. The driver apparently lost control of the snowmobile and the vehicle broke through the safety nets, plunging about 100 meters down the slope. |
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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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Forget nationalities, that zorbing thing is incredible. The first, second and third thing I would do before getting into a rolling thing that I can't stop myself is making 100% sure that there is only one safe place in which it will stop. Darwinski award for sure.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Boris, are you complaining becasue you don't behave like that as British or Russian - I couldn't tell ...... 
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| Boris wrote: |
SoHarry Flashman,
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I tend to think that generalisations are, for want of a better word, retarded
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After
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Particularly rich coming from us British, I feel, having seen the way we behave in the Alps.
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and
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Brits are amongst the worst for drinking and skiing, behaving badly and generally being irresponsible in ski resorts.
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I can assure you I don't behave like that, so stop with the generalisations |
Heh - you got me there, fair and square!!
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| Mr Piehole wrote: |
| This forum is preternaturally obsessed with the Russians for some reason. |
Nah, not really (I would have noticed) and the thread title is just typical Mr Cloggy. He does not a whole forum make, luckily.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I've done zorbing in NZ (on grass) with a nice large flat area at the bottom, just trees at the edge no cliffs! Part of the fun is that you have no idea exactly where it is going to bounce, no way would I do it at the top of a mountain.
As for Russians, well I wouldn't want to generalise from the Rosa Klebb lookalike who took Mrs 1g out from behind last winter. The rest of her group were quite apologetic.
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I have less sympathy with the snowmobile incident than the zorbing. As a punter you'd generally expect the organisers to know what they were doing and from the stills (no desire to watch the snuff movie) it looks like the casual punter might expect the run out to break right. Snowmobile seems a) very heavily loaded and b) drastic deviation from a safe route so I'm not sure some user decision doesn't come into play.
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