WHOOPS! Experienced Mountain Biker Dies in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park

If even an experienced mountain biker can't avoid dying from mountain biking, why do we allow this carnage to continue???

Evolution in action!

Mike


http://www.whistlerquestion.com/news...park-1.1100092

Updated: American man dies after injury in Whistler Mountain Bike Park

A 40-year-old was injured on an advanced trail on Friday

Alyssa Noel / Whistler Question
June 1, 2014 11:50 AM

A 40-year-old American man is dead after sustaining serious injuries in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park on Friday (May 30).

The man - whose identity is not being revealed, pending notification of family - was an experienced rider and was wearing proper safety gear when he lost control on a rock feature on the advanced Lower Whistler Downhill trail and crashed at the bottom. He was riding with a group of friends, including an emergency room doctor who immediately began CPR while park patrol was called.

A helicopter was on route as the man was transported to the Whistler Health Care Centre by ambulance, but he died as staff were attempting to stabilize him. "He'd been a long-time rider," said Doug MacFarlane, mountain manager for Whistler Blackcomb, the company that runs the park. "He's had a Triple Play pass with us since 2011 and he rides up here quite a bit... I want to say on behalf of Whistler Blackcomb, we want to express our condolences to family and friends for the loss. It's a tragic event for a small community of mountain biking."

WB crews investigated the scene after the accident, but found nothing wrong with it, MacFarlane added. "That trail is one of the first we had in the bike park," he said. "It hasn't changed in a long time. There was nothing abnormal about it. It wasn't in poor shape or anything."

This is the second fatality in the park's 15 years of operation. The other incident happened in Aug. 2002.