Extreme skier Billy Poole dies

[nzlegend 1]

Billy Poole died this afternoon from injuries he suffered after jumping off a cliff while filming in Utah with Warren Miller Entertainment. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that “Poole was filming a jump, had a bad landing, and possibly hit some rocks.”

 

 

that sucks, its a fine line those guys ride.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

was this the same guy FT was on about in another thread??

 

Sad day either way

[OkemoLoon 0]

same guy.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

Im sad he died. That really sucks.

 

But it begs the question, are these guys, who are pushing the limits of whats imgaginable, and humanly physically possible, being smart bout some of the lines theyre pushing and the bar their raising? Is it worth it? Really?

 

Jamie Pierre jumped what 200+ and only got a busted lip out of it. He's lucky he is still around to be with his wife and kid.

 

Daily skiers/boarders are stepping over the limit of whats possible and deaths, IMHO, are only going to increase due to what theyre doing. Its not just skiing/boarding either...surfing, BASE jumping, mtn biking, etc...

 

Anybody who is at the forefront of their respected sport knows the risks theyre taking. And if death is the result, is it really worth it?

 

Not blaming Billy, just stating what Im thinking.

 

RIP Billy Poole

[RobBright 35]

But surely anyone who takes up, or does, a dangerous sport - be it a beginner or advanced, is putting their life at risk?

 

Is it worth driving a car considering there are so many accidents per year?

 

Death is part and parcel of daily life - you could get killed walking down the street, you could get killed slipping over when you come out of the shower, in a friend's case, simply being in the wrong place at the right time.

 

These guys know what they're doing when they do this - the ones that think they are indestructible are the dangerous ones. They do it for the rush - of finding new lines, nailing that jump, doing a nice long sweeping carve down a mountain on fresh powder. Adrenalin.

 

He died - but he died doing something that he enjoyed doing - if I could go like that then I hope I do - instead of these other ways to go that are slower and more painful.

[Fattwins 0]

He new the risks and took them.

It is human nature to push our limits.

 

 

Rocket science

atom bombs

Mountain climbing

free climbing

speed

[samurai 0]

(did my link get deleted? or did i just not post it?)

[SnowJapan 178]

(why don't you ask us, rather than the forums?)

 

Very sad news.

[Stuntcok 0]

That Billy chose a riskier profession than is the average does not make his loss any less tragic. Indeed, the risks he took were in part to entertain and inspire us as skiers and his risks were taken in part for our gain (he did not get paid well for it, that is for sure). He and other althletes like him let us know what is possible by doing what was previously thought impossible.

 

I met Billy on a trip together in Valdez. From the ride up from Anchorage to the down days amongst the Tundra Wookies, Billy's enthusiasm radiated from him. Down days passed quicker with his antics, whether he was tightrope walking between the hotel and the garage or throwing lincolns off the local pool diving board, Billy was always just having fun and bringing everyone along with him.

 

Billy tackling me (literaly) in the liftline at Snowbird (where he was at the time banned) is what led to he and the boys staying at FTs in Hakuba. Because of that meeting, many of us here in Japan got to meet Billy and he will be missed here all the more. Those of us who got to meet Billy and ski with him can count ourselves lucky for the experience.

 

So RIP Billy. We will miss you here in Japan and I am sure that cute little Japanese nurse who helped stitch you up will be heartbroken at this tragic news.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Yeah, it was no more tragic that he knew the risks. Having never met the man I can only make an opinion based upon what I have read here. He sounds like a fun guy to be around, but he was a risk taker. I think risk takers are special kinds of people, they go into whatever they do knowing full well that they may never make it out the other side. That kind of bravery has to be admired, but I'm not that kind of person. Of course I do take risks but I also know my limitations and I'm hard pushed to expand on them.

 

Either way, I feel for his family at this time. Someone siad before that he died doing something that he loved, can there be a better way to go?

[Tubby Beaver 209]

 Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver

Yeah, it was no tragic tragic that he knew the risks. Having never met the man I can only make an opinion based upon what I have read here. He sounds like a fun guy to be around, but he was a risk taker. I think risk takers are special kinds of people, they go into whatever they do knowing full well that they may never make it out the other side. That kind of bravery has to be admired, but I'm not that kind of person. Of course I do take risks but I also know my limitations and I'm hard pushed to expand on them.

Either way, I feel for his family at this time. Someone siad before that he died doing something that he loved, can there be a better way to go?

[Yuki's Passion 1]

I agree with said comments, and I think people misunderstood my point, is it worth it to try things that extreme? I dont know the specifics of Billys death, hence I wasnt targeting him in the first place, but some jumps, tricks, etc people do, while freaking awesome, crazy, and insane, are just overboard IMHO. I know Billy jumped a cliff and landed on some rocks, it might have just been a slight miscalculation on his part, which caused his death. But, I just find myself shaking my head sometimes going "its remarkable that he/she didnt die trying that..."

sorry, only 1 min to write but will add more when time