There’s a reason why, after more than 60 years of skiing, Senator Nancy Greene-Raine has never found herself in a dangerous or possibly life-threatening situation on a mountain.
The gold-medal-winning Olympian, who was in Vancouver yesterday, said it’s the young thrill-seekers, not the seasoned athletes, who think they have more experience than they do, and they are the ones who push the envelope and get hurt.
She said this message is more important than ever this winter, with the death toll in B.C. avalanches at 13.
Another hiker’s body was recovered on Thursday after an avalanche in Canmore, Alta. the previous day.
“Competitive sport is not about risk-taking, it’s about risk-analysis. You challenge yourself and challenge your limits, but you don’t push those limits because if you do, you don’t win the race,” Greene-Raine said.
She said adrenaline junkies can easily find other ways to challenge themselves than ducking under out-of-bound ropes to find fresh powder.
“Go in recreational ski races or challenge yourself on mogul runs.”
“I understand the draw, but if nobody’s skid down a pitch, then there’s good reasons there are no tracks there,” she said.
“The rules weren’t written for the other guy.”
