Althouse: "There’s this energy drink culture now, a high-level, high-risk culture, that’s being marketed and impacting the way people ski."

December 31, 2013

"There’s this energy drink culture now, a high-level, high-risk culture, that’s being marketed and impacting the way people ski."

"That’s what people see and that’s what people think skiing is, but really, that’s the highest level of skiers doing the highest level of tricks."

16 comments:

PB said...: An article on how injuries are up despite increased focus on safety equipment (that actually encourages riskier behavior) without mentioning the Peltzmann Effect?

This is a well-known, documented, statistically significant phenomenon about grand ideas to foist on people that don't do what they intend.; 12/31/13, 5:01 PM
The Roller said...: The marketing of water loaded up with HFCS is at all time highs.

Get the lowdown here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM; 12/31/13, 5:28 PM
Sorun said...: Google autofill:
do energy drinks cause acne
do energy drinks cause cancer
do energy drinks cause high blood pressure
do energy drinks cause kidney stones
Way way down the list:
do energy drinks cause brain damage; 12/31/13, 5:47 PM
mccullough said...: Time to ban helmets.; 12/31/13, 5:47 PM
Oso Negro said...: Skiing is a sport for the elites. Consequently, it is unlikely to be banned as too dangerous or substantially limited.; 12/31/13, 5:56 PM
Lost My Cookies said...: This is the same reason they banned tampon commercials in the early 90's.; 12/31/13, 6:10 PM
Mountain Maven said...: It seems that a high profile "extreme skier" dies every year. The extreme skiers get all the pub and the younger, more foolish element follows them.
However 30 deaths a year out of almost 20 million skiers and boarders is very small. Is it more dangerous to ski or to drive 4 hours to the mountains?
I have skied 50+ years and know only one skier personally who has suffered more than a knee injury or a concussion. And with him we don't know if the fall caused the injury or vice versa. He was 80 years old and passed out.

Besides this is the NYT with a Clintonian record of dishonesty.; 12/31/13, 6:22 PM
Michael K said...: "Time to ban helmets."

And time to ban them in football. The safety equipment fad is nearing its logical conclusion.; 12/31/13, 6:48 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: Centuries from now, humans will be much better skiers,, and no one will think to thank Darwin.; 12/31/13, 8:16 PM
Tari said...: I blame snowboarding 110% for this. I grew up in a ski town before snowboarding was allowed on the mountain, and you almost never saw outrageous, risky behavior on the slopes. Yes, you'd have idiots who took the drunk bus up from Jersey for the weekend and were convinced they could ski like the locals could, but even they rarely hurt themselves badly. My friends and I skied 3-4 afternoons a week throughout high school (no helmets, of course) and none of us so much as sprained a wrist. Snowboarding brought a surfer dude, irresponsible mentality to the slopes that wasn't there before.

Wow am I old.; 12/31/13, 9:01 PM
Joe said...: One thing they touched on was the blindingly obvious point that a helmet doesn't stop your brain from slamming against the inside of your skull.; 12/31/13, 9:04 PM
Tari said...: Forgot to add: I admire Schumacher and sincerely hope he recovers. I didn't know he was injured until I read this article. Love live The Stig!; 12/31/13, 9:05 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Way way down the list: do energy drinks cause brain damage"

The working assumption for a long time has been that energy drinks are killing us. The question has been: How are they killing us? I blogged this quote for its sheer absurdity, blaming energy drinks for skiing accidents, as if being very alert and skiing is somehow like being drunk and skiing. It's the opposite, but somehow also the same. Voila!

(First comment written in 2014.); 1/1/14, 5:18 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "One thing they touched on was the blindingly obvious point that a helmet doesn't stop your brain from slamming against the inside of your skull."

Your skull is already a helmet. A helmet is a helmet for a helmet. Old Brainy is still a delicate assemblage of mush. Don't scramble it.; 1/1/14, 5:20 AM
Curious George said...: Tari said...
Forgot to add: I admire Schumacher and sincerely hope he recovers. I didn't know he was injured until I read this article. Love live The Stig!

Schumacher wasn't the Stig.; 1/1/14, 8:25 AM
Tari said...: Curious George,

Sorry you didn't get my joke. I guess I should have added a winking Emoticon?

Happy New Year,

Tari; 1/1/14, 10:22 AM