Continuing to partake in "high risk" activities such a skiing, surfing, biking ex. during the pandemic?

chris.goodhue

chris.goodhue

Member
I've been pondering the question of whether or not it's socially appropriate to partake in inherently "high risk" activities such a backcountry skiing, mountain biking, surfing, skating ex. during this time where we are being told to social distance and self quarantine.

This isn't necessarily an issue of whether or not you're properly social distancing, can you pass people on the trails / skin track and keep a safe distance? Sure.

The argument seems to be about how much risk are you willing to take. For example, you go backcountry skiing up at Tuckerman Ravine like the rest of the New Englanders who are home from work ( I currently live in Boston so it's most relevant) and have a long sliding fall that ultimately requires the use of resources at the hospital during this critical time (If you don't believe it's critical, listen to some podcasts, watch the news, get informed).

So as the rest of the country is making sacrifices to ease the burden on the hospitals, what do you think is appropriate as a member of the outdoor community?

There are pro's still posting shots of bagging big lines in the backcountry, while others are voicing strong opinions such as #staythefuckhome. Moab just announced they are prohibiting non-local visitors during this time and other companies such a SkiTheEast have clearly stated that now is not the time to be skiing.

Will I continue to mountain bike, surf and ski...? Probably, it seems to be pivotal to the mental health and well being of people in our community. I do think now is not the time to ski that crazy line, build that jump or generally "send it". Just my 0.02, but I posed this question on my Instagram story and got some really interesting responses, figured it could be an interesting thread.

Stay Safe, Much Love!
 
Everyone should make a decision based on their personal situation. Plenty of people know they can go ski something, skate something, etc and not have to go to the hospital, but the thing is nobody thinks about getting hurt before they get hurt. That being said, one person getting injured skiing doesn't really change the healthcare situation IMO. Do whatever you're comfortable doing, just in small groups and you'll be fine.
 
I think now isn't the time to go and stack hammers or ski that one big line. Make conservative choices where the injury risk is minimal to non existent becuase loading the healthcare system any more is pretty selfish. That being said still get outside in small groups
 
14120249:AndrewGravesSV said:
I think now isn't the time to go and stack hammers or ski that one big line. Make conservative choices where the injury risk is minimal to non existent becuase loading the healthcare system any more is pretty selfish. That being said still get outside in small groups
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Agree with this, acknowledging that a risky decision at this current time is selfish seems like a good mindset to have.
 
14120243:eheath said:
Everyone should make a decision based on their personal situation. Plenty of people know they can go ski something, skate something, etc and not have to go to the hospital, but the thing is nobody thinks about getting hurt before they get hurt. That being said, one person getting injured skiing doesn't really change the healthcare situation IMO. Do whatever you're comfortable doing, just in small groups and you'll be fine.
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It seems as though right now, like March 20th, one person getting hurt wouldn't make a huge impact in say Salt Lake (which is where id assume you currently are) but somewhere like New York or Seattle, that could be a different story. It will be interesting to see the data in the coming days / weeks.

**This post was edited on Mar 20th 2020 at 2:57:49pm
 
Everyone is bored out of their minds so make sure you do something and get outside but it’s really not the time to huck your meat.
 
I had the same thought about riding my mountain bike today. Definitely gonna have an effect on what trail I choose to ride, like you said I'm not worried about coming in contact with people but no chance do I want to get hurt and have to go to a hospital with a shitload of people around.
 
When taking a hospital bed bed means someone else can't, yeah its best to take it easy. It is not the time to push your limits
 
14120298:CLQ said:
When taking a hospital bed bed means someone else can't, yeah its best to take it easy. It is not the time to push your limits
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Apologies, I should've added this to my above post. Well said.
 
Its not bad yet but if the hospitals fill up and you end up breaking your leg dont be surprised if you end up sitting in a hallway or a parking lot surrounded by Coronavirus infected people with no help in sight. I would definitely keep low key right now and stick to low risk activities.
 
dont worry OP ive remember to put on my couch seatbelt before watching tv. Can never be sure when I can get tossed from my couch! Don't want to hog up the hospital resources like that haha XD!
 
My shitty cork 7 attempts can wait for next spring. I'd rather have one less trick in my repertoire than potentially killing someones grandma because I had to occupy a hospital bed.
 
Yeah, let's blame people for enjoying themselves because their country's healthcare system is so shitty it cannot handle basic injuries during times where there's high visitation rates. You might as well tell anyone that doesn't have 40k saved in an HSA to never participate in any action sport.
 
I’ve been taking this thing super serious since the beginning, with that said, I’ve never required hospitalization due to a ski injury and I don’t plan to now. Obviously nobody expects going to a hospital before they go out in the bc but I definitely will be conscious of my actions and not doing anything crazy. I can say I definitely won’t be mountain biking like I normally would due to much higher risk hurting myself doing the normal biking I do than compared to skiing.
 
It’s kind of the same argument as, ‘is it responsible to ski without health insurance?’

Sort of depends on who you ask and how clued into the greater good they are.
 
We just hit a down rail in a parking lot. Kept it fairly mellow everyone stayed well within their ability levels and nobody really ate shit.

Felt good to ride with the homies
 
Avalanche Canada has an advisory to the same effect.

Low avy risk at all elevations but backcountry travel not recommended to avoid taking away beds from people who need them. Makes a lot of sense when you’ve got people in Italy getting triaged and left to die because beds are full. USA (and anywhere really) could very well hit that capacity at the rate it’s spreading currently. Worth it to take er easy at this point and be smart.
 
I've just told all my friends to give me the race-horse-with-a-broken-leg treatment if I get injured in the backcountry now.

Kidding. For now, I'm trying to keep my skis on the ground more often than not, not trying that new trick, and basically dropping my risk tolerance gauge lower than it'd typically be. And then obviously being very conservative in terms of avy terrain, but that's just the usual. I don't think I'll be the one publicly shaming people for dropping big cliffs or throwing big tricks right now, but I understand people's concern and anger over potentially avoidable injuries. Tough to do during the time of year when backcountry booters and spring jump sessions are ideal, but I'm just happy to be skiing right now (especially considering the folks in Europe).
 
14120364:skierman said:
their country's healthcare system is so shitty it cannot handle basic injuries during times where there's high visitation rates.
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A once in a lifetime pandemic does not make our healthcare shitty.
 
you should still ski whether its in your backyard or if your hiking a park. you don't want to overdo it because if you end up in a hospitable then you are taking up a bed space and because it puts you with other contaminated people.
 
Been pretty good about not going out/social distancing/helping the neighbors for about two weeks. I started skipping class the week before the official lockdown (youre welcome). However, today I snapped and hit some urban. Glad I didn't get hurt reading this in retrospect, probably will be more careful from now on. picnic tables only.
 
All this talk about "one person" or "one bed" etc. Yeah one person doesn't matter but when thousands of folks think they're only "one person", that will negatively impact the healthcare system.

I will say though, traumas from other areas are probably down considering all the people staying inside and traveling less.

Also consider the fact that if you have an injury that might require surgery but isn't really an immediate need, that shit might get put off for 6+ months. Acl tear? You can wait- gotta conserve resources. Any surgery or precedure that's not life or limb threatening is gonna get postponed guaranteed.

But people can and do whatever they want until they are forced to do otherwise. You wanna get hurt and end up sitting in an ER waiting room for 6 hours surrounded by sick people. Have at it.
 
14120376:Casey said:
It’s kind of the same argument as, ‘is it responsible to ski without health insurance?’

Sort of depends on who you ask and how clued into the greater good they are.
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This is the correct answer.
 
Even as I said above, I really can't blame any of you for going out and doing your thing. If I lived somewhere adventure worthy and knew how to navigate winter backcountry terrain safely, I'd probably be out there too. I actually was thinking today how I could go mountain biking at least with everything shut down, but it's too wet here right now. Might reconsider that idea
 
I’d say this all depends on where you live right now. If you’re near NYC or Seattle and you break something or tear your ACL then you’re an ass. Hospitals there are already overwhelmed and even though you wouldn’t be taking up day a respirator or other device needed for COVID-19 care, you’re adding to the already huge burden that doctors, nurses, and support staff face in these areas. These hospitals are going. To soon be faced with decisions on who to put on ventilators based on risk. If you come in with a TBI or something requiring an ICU stay then you will only be making this situation that much worse.

That being said after basically removing/being removed from my normal activities (skiing, climbing indoors, lifting, soccer) I fully understand the need to get out and do something. But right now lower risk activities or skiing within your limits should be priority. This will only get worse across the US.

If it were summer and I could wakeboard, hell yeah I would be wakeboarding with my family, isolated away from others. But I sure as shit wouldn’t be trying new tricks putting myself at risk of concussions, broken bones, or knee injuries.

I haven’t gone for a run outside separate from playing soccer in over a year but that’s my new thing during this time. I’ve also started working out in my apartment and bought a hangboard to keep in shape for climbing. I plan to go on a hike tomorrow while my wife works (local hospital).

Everyone can make their own decisions but if you cannot put high risk decisions on hold for a few weeks then you need to take a closer look into what is important in this life. I love adrenaline and hucking meat as much as anyone on here but I don’t want to see folks at higher risk during this time suffer due to my poor decisions.
 
14120474:Claytonc said:
Our healthcare system is still shitty though
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Yeah I agree. Still it’s not shotty because they don’t have enough beds. There are 45,000 ICU beds in America which has been totally fine. It’s estimated that we will need 200,000 beds. Unfortunately hospitals can’t just account for a 4x increase in ICU beds.
 
14120526:CLQ said:
Yeah I agree. Still it’s not shotty because they don’t have enough beds. There are 45,000 ICU beds in America which has been totally fine. It’s estimated that we will need 200,000 beds. Unfortunately hospitals can’t just account for a 4x increase in ICU beds.
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Uhhh yeah it is, you stupid prick.
 
I came here afraid that I'd have to go to great lengths trying to argue that people should not be skiing gnarly shit right now and should be keeping it mellow but i'm really happy to see so many people making intelligent choices!

Thank you for thinking about the high risk people who don't have a real choice about needing the ICU beds
 
14120533:skierman said:
Uhhh yeah it is, you stupid prick.
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Does your house have 5 spare bedrooms? If not, fuck off

**This post was edited on Mar 21st 2020 at 12:36:47pm
 
Going to wait myself personally before doing some activities, but not for a long while. I felt it was a little selfish at first still going out to do activities but I get it now: We're outdoor minded people, its kind of a way of life in a way that yeah, a lot of people base their lives around in one way or another. It sucks, but we'll survive. A lot more pressing matters to tend to.

Shittiest part to me is the economic impact in terms of jobs and businesses. Areas near mountains or in ski towns are a lot of small businesses and those take massive hits during things like this. Not to mention unexpected unemployment as a resort worker or bartender or something or being laid off from one of the resorts if you're salaried.
 
I was about to jump off a house roof into a deep pool the other day- pretty low risk jump, but I thought about that small chance of slipping on the take off and breaking something, taking up space in a hospital, and using resources that are running out— so I decided against the adrenaline rush.

I'm impressed with most of the comments in this thread. NSers are surprisingly responsible.
 
14120416:DrZoidberg said:
I surfed Tuesday. Perfect place to isolate.
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Surfed today in some pretty mellow waves today, didn't feel like I was making an overly risky decision to be out there. 50+ other people seemed to feel the same way haha.
 
I love how people pretend like if they don’t get to partake in their favorite hobby for a week or 3, their mental health will deteriorate beyond repair.

people are so self absorbed it’s wild.

drive Loveland or berthoud pass right now.

Just a bunch of “individuals” maintaining #socialdistancing one hacked, staged pow slash at a time for the gram.
 
14120631:casual said:
I love how people pretend like if they don’t get to partake in their favorite hobby for a week or 3, their mental health will deteriorate beyond repair.

people are so self absorbed it’s wild.

drive Loveland or berthoud pass right now.

Just a bunch of “individuals” maintaining #socialdistancing one hacked, staged pow slash at a time for the gram.
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As a person that is naturally really good at not calling people back and avoiding doing stuff it’s been really eye opening how hard this is hitting all the social joiners and extroverts that I know.
 
14120631:casual said:
I love how people pretend like if they don’t get to partake in their favorite hobby for a week or 3, their mental health will deteriorate beyond repair.

people are so self absorbed it’s wild.

drive Loveland or berthoud pass right now.

Just a bunch of “individuals” maintaining #socialdistancing one hacked, staged pow slash at a time for the gram.
Click to expand...

A splitboard group I'm in was full of people from the bay the last week posting shitty selfies riding the mtns up in tahoe. The world was gonna end if they didn't get that pow pic on the gram.

I haven't even taken my board out because too many kooks last weekend, places got tracked out, some places had shitty snow or coverage, and i just didn't feel like it.

Was stoked to hit a rail a couple times the other day when we went to work to pick up our last pay checks(that weren't even there). In case don't see em for a while it was nice.

Just vegging out at home though. If we get some snow the next few days I might do a mellow tour behind the house to get some excersize.

I've got enough food to last a couple weeks though. Trying to isolate the next week or two and not even leave outside of a walk or small terr. and we have a deck with a view so i dont even have to leave to get sunshine. Figure if I don't have to go into town for anything might as well not.
 
14120651:zeke.oblique said:
Skiing closed resorts and back country isn’t high risk
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The avy anger was high in Tahoe last weekend and everybody and their mom from SF that bought a splitboard was out doing whatever wheverer with 0 fucks given. Luckily nothing crazy happened but stoked that everyone felt the need to drive 4 hours during this shitshow to get a pow shot for the gram.
 
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