I've posted about base jumping before, notably a video of wing-suit base jumpers leaping off Norwegian mountains, and a nasty accident involving parachute base-jumpers leaping from a bridge.
One of the leading lights of 'extreme sports' was Shane McConkey. He won many competitions, and was renowned among his peers.
He combined mountain skiing with base-jumping, and was well-known for pushing the limits of both sports. This video shows him in action.
Sadly, we learn that Mr. McConkey died in Italy last week. According to The Inquisitr:
McConkey experienced problems in the air after launching off a cliff with the expectation of deploying his parachute canopy and then gliding down to the ground. A witness said a ski failed to come off in the air, causing McConkey to spin out of control, preventing him from deploying his parachute.
McConkey is survived by his wife, Sherry, and their 3½-year-old daughter Ayla.
That's the terribly sad thing about such sports. I accept that anyone has the right to indulge in them, and enjoy them, and even make a living from them: but are the risks, and the enjoyment, and the rewards, worth leaving a young wife a widow, and a young girl an orphan?
I hope you'll join me in offering a prayer for Mr. McConkey's soul, and for his wife and daughter.
Peter
3 comments:
Agreed Peter. Prayers sent.
So. Very. Sad. When my wife and I had our first child, we both sold our motorcycles. Parents' lives are not only their own.
Hope he had plenty of life insurance. Would have been pretty impossible to get any once he took up the sport....
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