Pro Freeskier caught in avalanche in Chile

[Tricia]

Pro Freeskier Matilda Rapaport is *reported* in a coma after a July 14th avalanche.
Snowbrains report
Chile has had an incredible snow year, which has to be leaving the avalanche danger at an all time high.

 

[Tricia]

Sad follow up:
Swedish free skier Matilda Rapport dies at age 30, from complications after being being buried in an avalanche for up to 30 minutes on July 14th.
http://www.skiracing.com/stories/swedish-freeskier-matilda-rapaport-dies

 

[scott43]

I didn't know she was Mattias Hargin's wife. That's terrible..they just got married a month ago. He seems like a fun guy, just tragic.

 

[Jim McDonald]

sad sad sad

 

[pete]

very sad. the extreme stuff is incredible to watch, way crazy.

watched a show this year that inteviewed extreme sports folk, base jumpers, etc, lot of insight on their passionate drive.

RIP Rapport.

 

[crgildart]

So sad for the family and friends. I want my kids' love for skiing to keep growing, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with them skiing at the level where the risks are this great. In fact, I know I wouldn't be comfortable with that... even though I would have totally taken that direction had I possessed the skills and opportunity to make a living doing it.

 

[Philpug]

So sad for the family and friends. I want my kids' love for skiing to keep growing, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with them skiing at the level where the risks are this great. In fact, I know I wouldn't be comfortable with that... even though I would have totally taken that direction had I possessed the skills and opportunity to make a living doing it.

We have said this for a while now. When the risk being death is greater than views on your Youtube page, we need to step back and reassess.

 

[Tricia]

It goes back to this thread How much risk is too much risk?

 

[Monique]

So sad for the family and friends. I want my kids' love for skiing to keep growing, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with them skiing at the level where the risks are this great. In fact, I know I wouldn't be comfortable with that... even though I would have totally taken that direction had I possessed the skills and opportunity to make a living doing it.

Yeah but ... if I stuck to what MY parents are comfortable with me doing, I would have never gone rock climbing or skied trees, you know? This woman was 30 years old ... well past the age where she could evaluate risk for herself. In my experience, most parents are far more cautious about the risks their kids take than the risks they themselves would accept.

 

[Philpug]

Yeah but ... if I stuck to what MY parents are comfortable with me doing, I would have never gone rock climbing or skied trees, you know? This woman was 30 years old ... well past the age where she could evaluate risk for herself. In my experience, most parents are far more cautious about the risks their kids take than the risks they themselves would accept.

How generations see things differently, my parents let me ride on the back package shelf of the car or on the back of the station wagon with the exhaust fumes coming in the back window. In the summer I left at sunrise and didn't come home until it was dark. Today, that parent would be brought to the police for child neglect.

 

[KingGrump]

In my experience, most parents are far more cautious about the risks their kids take than the risks they themselves would accept.

I think some of that caution is based upon our own experience in life.
Sometimes when I think about crazier stuffs I have done in my younger day, I would look up at the sky and say "You like me, don't you?"

 

[Monique]

How generations see things differently, my parents let me ride on the back package shelf of the car or on the back of the station wagon with the exhaust fumes coming in the back room. In the summer I left at sunrise and didn't come home until it was dark. Today, that parent would be brought to the police for child neglect.

I did all of that stuff, too. I don't think my parents considered it risky, though. Now that you mention it ... as they have gotten older, they have gotten more and more anxious. Especially my mom. So maybe this is more of a personal experience and I shouldn't generalize.

 

[crgildart]

In my experience, most parents are far more cautious about the risks their kids take than the risks they themselves would accept.

Agreed, when so many of your friends and family have died tragically, before their time we get more risk averse as we age and experience more of this type of loss up close. Fact is that our brains don't mature fully until early to mid 20s and the part that matures last is the place where risk analysis takes place. We send 18 year olds in to the military without the full capacity to evaluate the risks they signed up for. My 13 year old wrestles competitively, middle school and probably high school this spring so we aren't without risk in our house. EXTREMEly difficult no fall zones are another matter though. If they start going there when they are old enough to trransport themselves I'd rather not know about it hahahaha..

 

[Philpug]

Agreed, when so many of your friends and family have died tragically, before their time we get more risk averse as we age and experience more of this type of loss up close. Fact is that our brains don't mature fully until early to mid 20s and the part that matures last is the place where risk analysis takes place. We send 18 year olds in to the military without the full capacity to evaluate the risks they signed up for. My 13 year old wrestles competitively, middle school and probably high school this spring so we aren't without risk in our house. EXTREMEly difficult no fall zones are another matter though. If they start going there when they are old enough to trransport themselves I'd rather not know about it hahahaha..

I am in my early 50's and my brain is far from mature.

 

[KingGrump]

I am in my early 50's and my brain is far from mature.

Otherwise we wouldn't be skiing some of the stuff we do.

 

[Monique]

We send 18 year olds in to the military without the full capacity to evaluate the risks they signed up for.

I believe this is at least partially by design.

 

[Tricia]

As timid as I am amongst my PugSki friends, my family thinks I'm super adventurous.

 

[David Chaus]

I am in my early 50's and my brain is far from mature.

That may be true, but the fact you are aware of this possibility makes you wiser than the typical 20-year-old.

 

[quant]

Another obit:: http://www.powder.com/stories/news/...0F595CCA11126F87B7573FB1A#kg3mrF0qwHiqGwxB.97

 

[Swede]

Very very sad. She was doing a commercial job. Never met her personally, but she was an inspiration for a lot of skiers over here. Very liked. Mattias is a super guy and he started out racing in the same club as my daughter. My heart goes out to him and Matildas family.