[Closed] Chris Akrigg - Not IF but WHEN

Ouch. Get well soon indeed! Quite hard to watch, that, could've been much worse: those are some big old rocks near where he landed.

i don't think i'd be talking to the camera with a broken femur, pro to the bitter end Mr Akrigg GWS

Ouch. But yes, it was innevitable at some point. Very lucky!

Yaldy that's goona sting!

Affy's back racing wc at for bill a year after breaking his neck (C1 and C2) and being in a halo (brace screwed into his skull) for 5 months.GOOOOOO ON DAN!!!!

Ow!! So philosophical about it too. Get well soon fella.

nice to know i'm not the only great bike handler with their arm in plaster,. . . . welcome fella.

[s]What a naughty boy! Playing near the cliff, tut tut tut...
[/s]Get well soon, more RIDING videos please!

Jeesus H...

How in the name of f... did he manage to get away with **ONLY** a broken arm and a broken leg.

Heal quick!

I like Chris, all his bids make me want to play on a bike.... Apart from maybe this one!

was it at Lee Quarry?

nah looks like calderdale, maybe up around gorple but not sure, just glad the lad is OK

Edit: it was Earl Crag, a large grit stone outcrop near Cowling, Keighley.

respect on so many levels....get well soon, a true cycling legend.

is it not silsden way

Lying on the ground with enough about him to say that it's gonna be a long time off, gotta give him respect for that.

lets just hope no one who needed it was inconvenienced by not having access to the air ambulance.

^ Tool ^

So you're suggesting he should have been left there & see if he could make it down unaided?

One of my favourite riders, such a laid back guy as well. Get well soon!

+1 on Affy as well, looking forward to him racing DH only this year

Lifer - Member

One of my favourite riders, such a laid back guy as well. Get well soon!

Underhill - Member

^ Tool ^

+1 🙄

+2

Klunk

Have you ever been to A&E most of the people are in there due to something they could of avoided if they sat at home and watched TV.
The rest of them have suffered a heart attack because they have been sat at home watching TV all there life!

[i]^ Tool ^

So you're suggesting he should have been left there & see if he could make it down unaided? [/i]

no I'm suggesting doing something that dangerous he makes his own safety arrangements before hand. Do you think they leave it to chance on one of those redbull events ?

Redbull event is slightly different to filming a vid with a mate.

[i]Have you ever been to A&E most of the people are in there due to something they could of avoided if they sat at home and watched TV.
The rest of them have suffered a heart attack because they have been sat at home watching TV all there life! [/i]

does that include strokes, farm accident and rta's ?

[i]Redbull event is slightly different to filming a vid with a mate.[/i]

advertising promo more like.

Quick thought - wonder how many people will watch that video and think about making a donation to a mountain rescue team or air ambulance? Could be quite effective fundraising.

I'l give you strokes, but Farming and driving cars are dangrous things to do.

[i]I'l give you strokes, but Farming and driving cars are dangrous things to do. [/i]

not all rta's involve just drivers.

Would not be suprised if Chris Akrigg is think of doing some fund raising himself.

[i]So you're suggesting he should have been left there & see if he could make it down unaided? [/i]

and how does hoping that no one else is disadvantaged by this completely avoidable incident translate to "oh just leave him there?".

'not all rta's involve just drivers'

ok getting out of bed is dangrous.

What I'm getting at is if Chris Akrigg needs to organise his own safety plans, what about the average mountain biker? I know we might not all be gap jumping on top of a cliff, but we do ride bikes in remote areas and could call on an air ambulance.

lets just hope no one who needed it was inconvenienced by not having access to the air ambulance

and the prize for sanctimonious a__hole of the day goes to..........

Fair enough, we have to take some measure of responsibility for our own actions. What measures do you take when out on the bike? Or crossing the road?

I'd suggest that mostly we don't expect the consequences of something going so spectacularly wrong and so we don't make provision for the worst case scenario. Fortunately there are services staffed by some great people who are willing to help us at those times.

Happily, those who receive their attention rarely forget who looked after them and so the love spreads around

I like that little manoeuvre @ 1:46 where he pops a little endo then ride down that steep bit on the front wheel only, I'm gonna learn that, oh yes I am. 8)

if it had been a climber on the same crag whose rope may or may not have snapped?

should they have organised their own private ambulance and rescue team on site 'just in case' ?

should these guys have had their own rescue and medical team on standby too?

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13640925 ]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13640925[/url]

this is what the air ambulance is for...

theres always a risk someone else will need it when its on a shout..
and why they have magical inventions called radios so they can speak to each other... and divert to more serious emergencies if need be..

🙄

Heal quickly Chris.. you are an inspiration..!

i do like these crossing the road and mountaineering analogies.

crossing the road, blind chicken on M1 would be closer, being flatten by a juggernaut at the second attempt after being bounced of the bonnet of a jag first time.

mountaineering. yes but climbing on a rope knitted by your gran having it snap once but hey lets see if it will hold this time.

climbing on a rope knitted by your gran having it snap once but hey lets see if it will hold this time.

his bike was capable of the jump... he slipped and didnt get quite enough speed..

a better analogy would be having a climbing rope somehow get accidentaly damaged.. rather than your ridiculous rope knitted by gran idea.. would a climber use a rope like that? no.

theres an element of risk in everything we do... people have entirely avoidable accidents everyday.
thats why we have setup these quite frankly amazing emergency services to help us out when something doesnt go quite according to plan.

would a climber use a rope that had already snapped once if he didn't need too ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13640925

That photo idea is excellent, must remember that one if I ever need to. 🙂

[img] [/img]

Klunks house.

^^^ The image hasn't appeared, did I ever show you my trailer park trash trailer? 🙂
[img] [/img]

would a climber use a rope that had already snapped once if he didn't need too ?

his bike didnt break.

would a climber carry on up the rock if they missed a hand hold.. slipped.. and fell a few feet and didnt really hurt themselves?

I tire of this now. you sir. are a troll.

*wanders off*

there is probably no better place to injure yourself than in the UK. none of that cost him anything. had that happened elsewhere he'd have a massive bill to foot.

the UK is brilliant!

and i'm sure he'll give a few ££s to the Air Ambulance and the mountain rescue after this. if he doesn't then he should.

and his videos are some of the best. i think he's probably one of the most rounded riders out there.

Spirit of adventure = taking risks for glory alone - hurrah!

So he found his limit. Good for him.

What rubbish. I broke my femur falling 40ft from a route I was trying to put up in Mid-Wales. I was trying something a bit daft (it would have been a first ascent), on the very edge of what I was capable of at the time, and it went wrong.
For some people hill-walking up Pen y Fan is on the limit of their capabilities, for others it's climbing E5, some push their luck on E8 onsights. And it's the same in biking, some ride trail centres at 10mph, others at World Cup DH at 25, for each person their speed/technical difficulties are irrelevant, it is whatever they have experience and skill to cope with. People will only push their luck so far, idiots may push further, but I don't think Chris Akrigg falls into that category. A very talented rider, tring something many of us wouldn't dream of attempting. But then an 'everyday' gap jump for him is still well beyond us. He's a great rider who 'lucked out'. It's what the Air Ambulance/Mountain Rescue is there for.

Klunk, do you relise what a prick you sound!!!
Do you really believe Chris thought oh well atleast if i fall off this cliff the air ambulance will come and get me!!! Keep your stupid pathetic thoughts to yourself!
P.S ropes don't just snap by the way, well toe ropes might but 8mm plus.... Ropes don't just snap, they will lift a car.
I used to be in Calder valley Mountain Rescue team, and believe me if it was'nt for the whole team including the air ambulance alot of not so serious injuries would end up being alot worse if left to the normal ambulance service. Nobody goes out climbing / walking / ridding with the intention of doing serious damage to them selves whilst out, its just unfortunate, what anoys me more is asians and people that has never worked a day in there life in the A&E departments taking up valuble time and resources just because its FREE.
I bet Chris has paid his taxes since he left school,so why the hell should he be blasted for needing NHS help!?

Good vid but he he's gone down in my estimation, only because gassers are crap.
Akrigg is a super cool down to earth working class hero.

Hey Klunk, are you a mountainbiker? I just ask because I am and I don't set out on any ride thinking about which bit of me I might break, although I have broken several bits over the years. You've got to remember that the air ambulance and mountain rescue teams are both voluntary charitable organisations and my experience of them is that this is what they do and when needed respond to those in greatest need irrespective of preparedness or ability and thank flip for that. Big respect to them and also to Mr. Ackrigg who is an inspiration to us mere mortals.

I'm proud to be from the same area as Chris. He's a tough nut. He knew the score as soon as he'd done it, long road.

Cards at the ready...

what anoys me more is asians and people that has never worked a day in there life in the A&E departments taking up valuble time and resources just because its FREE.

HOUSE!

Graham, i iz asian an i work driving people round! U haz really upset me now! I think u needs banning for a while to think about your rasist comments! 🙄

graham1975 - Member
...what anoys me more is asians and people that has never worked a day in there life in the A&E departments taking up valuble time and resources just because its FREE.

Please do the world a favour and kill yourself.

That's got to be an iPhone typo error surely?

It was very brave to keep recording after the injury.
He held it together better than I would have.
Get well soon mate.

Do you guys carry around the details of the local mountain rescue team on your phones?
How do you find and contact them in situations like this?

How do you find and contact them in situations like this?

Ring 999 and someone will do it for you, alternatively you can wave down the hill at your personal emergency back up squad that now appears mandatory 🙄

oh i do like this, where did i say he shouldn't have access to the services ? I made the point that when you act like a tit, and take unwarranted and unnecessary risk it may not be just yourself you are putting at a disadvantage.

OK Klunk, I'll bite.

Can we assume that when you ride offroad (presuming that you do, this being a MTB forum and all that) you stick to around 10-12mph on fireroads whilst fully armoured up?

Lets muse on the following situation. You are enjoying a swoopy, downhill singletrack run. Your speed it on the edge of your comfort zone. Suddenly your front wheel washes out and you crash. You crack your knee, you are walking nowhere. Have you made arrangments to get yourself out of that situation or would it be fair to expect the emergency services to rescue you? If you had stuck to 10mph on the nice wide fireroads, this hypothetical situation wouldn't have happened, would it?

because that's just like a gap jump above a 60ft drop (twice).

IMO what Chris is doing there, for a promotional video, is no different to a kid playing chicken with an express train and being filmed by his mates. Any incident will have consequences for someone else.

Bad analogy.

Chris is riding at the edge of his limits which are a little wider than for most of us. The presence of a camera is not the governing issue here.

Have you seen the stuff that the likes of Simmons and Shandro do on the North Shore of Canada? You think that they don't do that when the cameras are not running? People are pushing the limits of MTBing. Comparing that to some dumb kid staring down a train is frankly stupid.

I'm sure he practices that jump there all the time. But I guess doing 6 inches above the ground in your back garden doesn't get the same amount of youtube hits.

[i]Comparing that to some dumb kid staring down a train is frankly stupid.[/i]

I don't see the difference, and proof of the pudding is in the eating.

get well soon chris..........inspirational rider, even to old duffers like me.

You can always rely on one or two complete ****ts on every thread.

Great vid and huge respect to the man - he must have been in agony and still able to talk to the camera.

BTW thats what mountain rescue and air ambulance are there for ...................-

.............................TO RESCUE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD ACCIDENTS

again where did I ever say he shouldn't have be rescued ?

You didn't but you did suggest that he shouldn't be there in the first place.

Anyway, get well soon Chris. You are your kind to more to develop and explore the possiblities of MTB'ing than keyboard trolls ever will. Look forward to hearing of your full recovery!

Nowhere but............

lets just hope no one who needed it was inconvenienced by not having access to the air ambulance.

ets just hope no one who needed it was inconvenienced by not having access to the air ambulance.

I'm fairly certain that if a higher priority job had come in they would have gone to deal with that.

I think it was asked what precautions had been put in place in case he had an accident.. Even if a fully qualified medical team had been on site they would have called the Air Ambulance out.

However I hope these vids Chris makes are non profit, non commercial, otherwise the Health and safety lot may start sniffing around. Accident in the work place Sir.. can i see your risk assesment??

Hope Chris is on the mend though, He is a lucky boy!

Even if a fully qualified medical team had been on site they would have called the Air Ambulance out.

I entirely agree. I have done a fair bit of prehospital care work, mainly pulling people out of badly parked rally cars, and still respond locally for the ambulance service and therefore meet the Yorkshire Air Ambulance on scene every so often. In these circumstances I would be mobilising YAA as soon as I had checked that the casualty was still breathing. And for the record I would have had no issues about responding to that call and the idea that my time might have been better spent would never have crossed my mind.

Just a guess, but I reckon Ambulance Control will route the chopper appropriately. Perhaps in future they should phone Klunk and ask him/her who is most deserving?

Speaking of choppers - has Graham1975 been banned yet? Nasty little racist.

Good luck with the recovery Chris. Taht looks unpleasant.

Never found his riding style very smooth though, danny seems much smoother and more natural?

I prefer Akrigg myself, the way he attacks stuff is so good to watch.

Just a guess, but I reckon Ambulance Control will route the chopper appropriately.

IIRC Ambulance Control make the request for support, but YAA monitor what is going on and obviously make decisions on priority of different requests and between them they can mobilise a second heli/neighbouring Air Ambulance/SAR heli as needed so capacity really shouldn't be an issue unless the shit has hit the fan in a major way.

A couple of points of interest:

Some air ambulance services are contracted to provide a service for the ambulance service - in other words they get paid to provide the service (as well as fundraising).

To call out a mountain rescue team you need to call 999 and request "Police - Mountain Rescue"; not all 99 operators know this, they may route your call to ambulance control who will send an ambulance, who will arrive on scene then request MR backup. This could add an extra hour to MR turning up. A member of CID will be on call as the MR liason officer; once you have spoken to them they will call an area duty controller (a very experienced member of a team) who will then decide which team(s) will need to come to your assistance. After you've made your call - stay put unless you HAVE to return to the casualty. Phone signals are erratic to say the least in the hills. MR may well want to talk to you - to check what has happened and also to work out if you are where you say you are. Don't forget good grid references 6 figs at least; if you can't give one describe what you can see, where you have been - all these clues will help MR find you quickly.

How are air ambulances tasked? Ambulance control will dispatch helimeds. MR teams can request helimeds directly from ambulance control. They do prioritise jobs using a triage type scale - an old lady with a broken femur will take precedence over fit healthy biker who has taken a tumble and broken their wrist in the middle of the moors for example.

RAF/RN/Coastguard helicopters are dispatched via SAR ops room in Scotland and can be requested by MR (via Police HQ) or ambulance control, these requests are then sent up to Scotland...

Well that looked worse than I thought it would, quite sickening really.

Whilst we're on the subject of the yorkshire air ambulance, I myself was picked up by them after crashing into a tree up holmfirth and breaking my spine 🙄 .
They provide an amazing service and I will always be grateful that we have something like that available to us should it all go wrong.

So please if anyone feels like making a donation to them, no matter how small then please do. There's lots of ways of doing it, from playing their lottery to purchasing something from the shop to regular donations.

[url= http://www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk/ ]YAA[/url]

Sorry if that sounds like a plea off comic relief 😆 but its something that is important to me.

😀

OUch! I'll have nightmares now. Get well soon Mr Akrigg!