Update: Gee Atherton ‘Not Too Bad’ After Massive Rampage Crash

Oh ****!

Blimey, not another big one.

Such a shame.  Even though I’ve never been able to ride like that – a big inspiration.  

That man does not know when he’s beaten 

Not nice. Fingers crossed for a very speedy recovery.

Is that Gee posting, or on his behalf?

After yesterday’s video it seems it was inevitable sadly , just didn’t expect it so soon . I’m all for progression to a point but at what cost for other people’s entertainment 😞

but at what cost for other people’s entertainment

i dont think thats why they do it?

i dont think thats why they do it?

Exactly what i was going to reply. People like that do it “because it’s there..” and “to see if we can”..

The entertainment side just pays some of the bills… but they’d still find a way

It’s still appropriate to ask “Is the bike OK?”, isn’t it?

It’s OK, he’ll just build a new one 😀

I wonder how long it’ll be before the prediction from Benji (possibly!) in the STW podcast comes true?

Someone will end up paralysed or dead doing shit like this. Fair play to them if that’s what they want but it’s not like it’s even interesting to watch when it goes right!

Exactly what i was going to reply. People like that do it “because it’s there..” and “to see if we can”.. 

The entertainment side just pays some of the bills… but they’d still find a way

Doubtful. If there wasn’t an industry built up around it, I doubt they’d be helicoptering to the top of mountains to build so many lines.

The “just send it, bro” culture in mountain biking isn’t healthy IMV.

@crossed

Someone will end up paralysed or dead doing shit like this. Fair play to them if that’s what they want but it’s not like it’s even interesting to watch when it goes right!

Aven from the Tour De Gnar already has, at 18 years old.

Doubtful. If there wasn’t an industry built up around it, I doubt they’d be helicoptering to the top of mountains to build so many lines.

MTBers, snowboards, climbers, etc have been doing it for decades without the exposure from media there is now.. even before media they were doing stupid stuff… it’s just stupider and bigger as tech moves on and makes it possible.

Remember these guys are riding stuff that they deem to be within their ability with a decent amount of safety factor, it’s just it could go very wrong.

Look at the slopestyle riders, they are jumping stuff not even 1% of us would tackle, but they are doing it upside down spinning around

Freestyle MX riders doing similar 100’s of feet gaps with 100’s of KGs of bikes ready to break them

my point is, for a highly skilled rider, its probably statistically not much more dangerous than the average mountain bike rider doing something semi sketchy in the woods. Probably less risk of accident but with greater potential for injury.

anyway, that is some crazy drop and hoping Gee is OK

I think it’s naive to suggest that social media and sponsorship doesn’t indirectly encourage a greater level of risk taking.

Also, see Matt Jones latest video. He seems to think this stuff is much more sketchy than slopestyle. And he was riding the tamer ridge lines.

MTBers, snowboards, climbers, etc have been doing it for decades without the exposure from media there is now.. even before media they were doing stupid stuff

there is no “before media”, at least in any of our lifetimes. People doing wacky things have had a cameraman or reporter in-tow since forever.

[crossed]

crossed

Full Member

I wonder how long it’ll be before the prediction from Benji (possibly!) in the STW podcast comes true?
Someone will end up paralysed or dead doing shit like this. Fair play to them if that’s what they want but it’s not like it’s even interesting to watch when it goes right!

Didn’t that already happen to Paul Basagoitia?

edit- blimey that was 2015

[crossed]

I wonder how long it’ll be before the prediction from Benji (possibly!) in the STW podcast comes true?
Someone will end up paralysed or dead doing shit like this. Fair play to them if that’s what they want but it’s not like it’s even interesting to watch when it goes right!

Someone will end up paralysed or dead doing shit like this

Paul Bas did in 2015…
https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/paul-basagoitia-any-one-of-us-facts

I know it’s not our place to tell Gee to stop, but what if he knew we were all covering our eyes for his run?

MTBers, snowboards, climbers, etc have been doing it for decades without the exposure from media there is now.. even before media they were doing stupid stuff… it’s just stupider and bigger as tech moves on and makes it possible.

Yes they have, but it being publicised and financially enabled and rewarded makes it more common.

I also think it feeds down into the rest of the sport and encourages reckless risk taking at all levels.

Jeeeezas! Get well soon Gee.

I watched some footage of guys constructing the trails… climbing around the cliffs, and I thought… loose rock, big drops… you should really have a lid on and be roped up for that.

The big stuff like the canyon jumps… you can mitigate the risk there with giant trapeze circus nets. Yeah, it wont look so dangerous… because it’s not so dangerous. And you can edit the nets out in post-production.

I understand super talented riders doing this is as risky as me riding a regular trail centre. But I never get more than a foot or two off the ground, and rarely exceed 20 mph. These guys are 100 feet out and doing motorcycle speeds… and those bigger numbers equate to bigger impacts, and bigger consequences.

I suppose my point is that this could easily be less risky.

From experience, risk takers are generally acutely aware of the implications of what they are doing, those that are not tend not to survive long.

Gee has been here before, I wish him all the best in his recovery.

I hope nobody else ends up getting hurt, I have to say I have been nervous watching some of the online content, but this is their choice, I am a believer that they should be able to make their own choices.

Many of the things these folk are doing could very easily end up in an unsurvivable accident, or worse an accident which leaves them permanantly non functional.

Crossing fingers won’t help.

I also think, as has been mentioned, that some of the current MTB culture is unhealthy.

Having been dead on the table 3 times in the last year as a result of a bike (related) crash, for me it’s apparent how relatively delicate we are, how easy it is to get into that corner and how quickly it can do wrong. The recovery process is rarely complete and takes a long time, I guess for some it’s worth it, I’d hate to think they have to put themselves in that position.

People doing wacky things have had a cameraman or reporter in-tow since forever.

Rubbish.
I remember fairly recently seeing a film about Josh Bender. Filmer had to go looking in the mountains for him. He was out there on his own chucking his bike off stuff for his own enjoyment.
Maybe the ones you see are the ones with cameramen in-tow eh?

>> I understand super talented riders doing this is as risky as me riding a regular trail centre. But I never get more than a foot or two off the ground, and rarely exceed 20 mph

Not really, it’s an energy thing, energy increases as the square of speed, so going much faster is (much x much) more dangerous.

You fall at 20 and you break your wrist, arm, entirely survivable injuries.

You stop abruptly at 40 and you are breaking lots of bones and rupturing organs, that may kill you.

At 50 statistically you have a 5-10% chance of surviving . . .

I’ve been there and done that at 40-50mph . . . it really wasn’t pleasant, and anecdotally the statistics must be reasonable as I was told by the police, the surgical team, the ICU staff and anybody else who offered a view that I was lucky to survive and even luckier to walk out of hospital a few weeks later ;-).

I also think, as has been mentioned, that some of the current MTB culture is unhealthy.

This is my only objection to Rampage. and any slope contest, and big freeride videos.

The pro riders know what they are doing and understand the risks. They have done a thousand drops and gaps before and know how to judge it. They have more experienced riders to help them get the speed right. Everything is built and adjusted to expert specifications.

A twelve year old with a youtube account and a shovel has none of those things. When they decide they want to do their first gap jump but lack the ability to judge the angles and speeds nor have the knowledge to build a feature that will hold up.

Not to mention the next person who comes along a week later and finds a new feature in the woods. They’ve never seen it ridden. But hey, theres tyre marks on it so it must work right? hold my go pro and watch this…

Although I will admit I dont profess to “getting it”. I’ll watch rampage. I’ll watch a Semenuk video. But thats it. On the other hand; I’ll be glued to the DH world cup, Hardline etc. Racing the course provided, against the clock gets my interest as an armchair spectator, not judged tricks.

I remember years ago reading a piece about snowboarding and the athlete in that being very clear that people wouldn’t be going as big as they were unless it was for magazines and videos. They’d be progressing, but the sheer size wouldn’t be what it was, and the sheer size wasn’t what was fun and was taking some of the joy out of it.

Tell you what has been about forever – this desire to wrap other people in cotton wool for their own good. Ooh you shouldn’t do that, it’s dangerous! **** off! All the more reason to do it!

Since a big corporation is paying these riders to do this and is making marketing mileage out of the event, how far does and should Red Bull’s duty of care extend in the case of Rampage?

Film of the crash here – https://www.instagram.com/p/CyO9tz1LRgr/

Tell you what has been about forever – this desire to wrap other people in cotton wool for their own good.

Absolutely, we’ve never sent other people down mines, out to build bridges, clean bird poo from nelson’s column, clamber up a mountain in nothing but a wooly hat, race cars with fans on to make them sick to the road etc etc etc

The realisation that other people risking their lives solely for our benefit isn’t necessarily a good thing is very much a recent development.

Tell you what has been about forever – this desire to wrap other people in cotton wool for their own good. Ooh you shouldn’t do that, it’s dangerous! **** off! All the more reason to do it!

Letting people do what they want, and incentivising people to do stupid stuff for their, and a companies, financial gain are very different things.

Also, see Matt Jones latest video. He seems to think this stuff is much more sketchy than slopestyle. And he was riding the tamer ridge lines.

Matt Jones made Kong look difficult and very sketchy and we know he’s a very good rider. Deeks was walking sections. It also features in Fairlclough’s video and he made it look easy. He looked to be placing the bike exactly where he wanted to with confidence so anything outside his intended line didn’t matter.

Deeks was walking sections.

Without being harsh to Deaks as i think he’s an awesome guy and i chat rubbish to him regularly, he only beats my lad by 2s in most races. I’d expect Fairclough to be a lot more precise/better/skilled than Deaks

Since a big corporation is paying these riders to do this and is making marketing mileage out of the event, how far does and should Red Bull’s duty of care extend in the case of Rampage?

This.  The event is a marketing event for the sponsor. What happens if things go wrong in a life changing way? Will RB pick up the long term care costs

This. The event is a marketing event for the sponsor. What happens if things go wrong in a life changing way? Will RB pick up the long term care costs

You seem to be making a lot of assumptions that NO is the answer on here and on PB, however in truth none of us know what would/does/may happen in terms of aftercare, insurance, health cover etc. Unless you’ve got something to add, you’re basically just assuming.
I have no doubt it’s a marketing thing… However does that make it wrong ? Everything in sport is marketed in some way nowdays, that’s how society works. You seem to have a bit of an agenda/dislike here from what i can see.

Not sure if it’s just wishful thinking, assumptions, or actually based on evidence but Red Bull do seem to have a consistently pretty god reputation for looking after their sponsored athletes.

You seem to be making a lot of assumptions that NO is the answer on here and on PB, however in truth none of us know what would/does/may happen in terms of aftercare, insurance, health cover etc. Unless you’ve got something to add, you’re basically just assuming.

No assumptions, no idea is the truth, hence the question. I accept I have a cynical starting point but no idea.

Absolutely, we’ve never sent other people down mines, out to build bridges, clean bird poo from nelson’s column, clamber up a mountain in nothing but a wooly hat, race cars with fans on to make them sick to the road etc etc etc

And pretty much all of those activities have taken a look at accidents where people get hurt and changed something as a result. They haven’t stopped people doing those things but they aren’t getting the same injuries they used to get. Why is rampage any different?

Is it just me or does anyone else find it slightly disturbing that Gee has barely got to hospial before the crash is on social media for entertainment