OT: The Insane Grace of Extreme Sports

[RockyMTblue2]

A great extreme skier - Matilda Rapaport - has died of injuries suffered in an avalanche 5 days ago high in the mountains of South America. here she talks of a near miss in 2015.

I do not understand these athletes. I do respect them. RIP Matilda.

 

[bags27]

I don't claim to be/have been an extreme athlete, but I was for a long time involved in an organized cycling sport that required doing 250-plus miles/day for multiple days. I started out just doing a modest amount of exercise but it became an addiction as I looked for greater and greater challenges. Fortunately for me, professional responsibilities and injury weaned me of it. It often does take over one's life.

 

[JordyG]

I don't claim to be/have been an extreme athlete, but I was for a long time involved in an organized cycling sport that required doing 250-plus miles/day for multiple days. I started out just doing a modest amount of exercise but it became an addiction as I looked for greater and greater challenges. Fortunately for me, professional responsibilities and injury weaned me of it. It often does take over one's life.

I get it. For about 6 or 7 years I did a comparatively modest 50 miles and day, after my morning 500 push ups and sit ups of course. My knees finally gave out. I did however continue my treadmill while upping the push ups and sit ups to 1000 (not kidding) well into my 50's. My shoulders finally said "What the...!" and gave up. For me however the kind of brinkmanship extreme sports people do is, to me, due to a low fear response. Some call this psychosis. I just used to call it Tuesday.

 

[cbraarj]

For about 3 years my friends and I would drive around NE just to jump off bridges tressels and cliffs . The higher the better and one of my favorites was the Collinsville Bridge in Canton . Close to 80 ft. into about 8 ft. of water . We would jump about 15x a day or more . Paying for it now but what a rush ! RIP Matilda.