Ski "flying" anyone?!

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Dave Krall CFII

Final Approach
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Dave Krall CFII SEL SES, Cmcl HELI
Been watching the ski jumping on the large hill for the Olympics while channel surfing. It's pretty cool what they do and they always remind me of Rocky The Flying Squirrel.

I've never jumped anywhere near those distances but was wondering on a bet, how much money I'd accept to do just one jump, no practice and I get paid even if (yeah, IF) I crash as long as the takeoff is made at full speed starting at the top, etc. Would $10K sound reasonable?

How much would others take -$20K -less? Think you could land it?
 
I would do it for nothing if the party asking me to do it paid for all of my medical bills related to my ensuing crash.
 
N2212R said:
I would do it for nothing if the party asking me to do it paid for all of my medical bills related to my ensuing crash.
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Oh yeah, those bills... (they could be worth A LOT of money to you!)

I guess to be fair there should be two prizes, one for medical bills being paid and a higher one for bills not being paid.
 
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that would be a rush. my question is how fast are they going and how cold is it? wondering if the pee would be dripping off my pants or frozen to my leg when i got to the bottom.
Ski Jumping would be like crop dusting, I think itd be fun to do once. After that id start to think about all the bad things that could happen, then it would just be scary.
 
tonycondon said:
that would be a rush. my question is how fast are they going and how cold is it? wondering if the pee would be dripping off my pants or frozen to my leg when i got to the bottom.
Ski Jumping would be like crop dusting, I think itd be fun to do once. After that id start to think about all the bad things that could happen, then it would just be scary.
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Around 80 mph.
Crop dusting is much more dangerous, even with training.
 
Well...I'd say pretty fast. On the big hill they end up dropping about 200' from where they become airborne to where they land - about 425 feet out.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
How much would others take -$20K -less? Think you could land it?
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I'm reasonably skilled skiing. I've done a few teeny ballistic trajectories with mixed results. Black diamonds are challenging. Work up to real jumping on that level would be acceptable. I might consider doing that for free if they'd let me. I'd at least go through the training and smaller jumps.
But no training, no experience from the top of a quadruple black skull and crossbones, no way no how, ain't happening. :no: :no: :no: Assuming I made it that far without an acceleration crash, I'd be bug splat right about where the g forces go up at the bottom of the ramp. The landing would have considerably less finesse than the launch. $20K isn't enough money. Fort Knox isn't enough money for a downpayment on the downpayment.

IMNSHO health is far more important than the value of any unlimited amount of money. Contrary to popular belief, money is completely worthless to you if you're paralyzed to blinking with one eye only..or dead.


Now you have me wanting to go skiing again...
 
I climbed to the top of a 90 meter hill once and was scared just looking down.My cousin bob was practicing.He was real good,got a scholarship to dartmouth and was on the us ski team.His good buddy and a pretty good jumper broke his back later that weekend and is a paraplegic.
 
I met the guy who claims he went off the Dartmouth College ski jump in a baby carriage.

He got severely drunk and accepted the bet. He got severly drunk again and did the deed. Broke about everything he could break but survived.

He was in a head to toe cast in the hospital when a friend held the phone up to his plaster-encrusted face. "Hello Dad? I've had a skiing accident....."

-Skip
 
Just so you know what you're talking about, here's one (in the summer, no snow) that I visited in 1971. Any guesses where?
 

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Ghery said:
Just so you know what you're talking about, here's one (in the summer, no snow) that I visited in 1971. Any guesses where?
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Lake Placid NY?
 
Ghery said:
Just so you know what you're talking about, here's one (in the summer, no snow) that I visited in 1971. Any guesses where?
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Squaw Valley?
 
supercub185 said:
I climbed to the top of a 90 meter hill once and was scared just looking down.My cousin bob was practicing.He was real good,got a scholarship to dartmouth and was on the us ski team.His good buddy and a pretty good jumper broke his back later that weekend and is a paraplegic.
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On the other hand, the guy in the spectacular fall/crash of the infamous "Heartbreak of Defeat" video clip on the old Wide World of Sports weekly TV show opening, walked away with only a sprained ankle and ego I was told. That's got to be archived somewhere for those that may have missed seeing it.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
On the other hand, the guy in the spectacular fall/crash of the infamous "Heartbreak of Defeat" video clip on the old Wide World of Sports weekly TV show opening, walked away with only a sprained ankle and ego I was told. That's got to be archived somewhere for those that may have missed seeing it.
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Dave, it was "Heartbreak of Psoriasis", defeat was agony, as in "The Agony of Defeat":P
 
Henning said:
Dave, it was "Heartbreak of Psoriasis", defeat was agony, as in "The Agony of Defeat":P
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The poor bastard had psoriasis too?!?

(I sit corrected, thanks)
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
Been watching the ski jumping on the large hill for the Olympics while channel surfing. It's pretty cool what they do and they always remind me of Rocky The Flying Squirrel.

I've never jumped anywhere near those distances but was wondering on a bet, how much money I'd accept to do just one jump, no practice and I get paid even if (yeah, IF) I crash as long as the takeoff is made at full speed starting at the top, etc. Would $10K sound reasonable?

How much would others take -$20K -less? Think you could land it?
Click to expand...

No training, no build up, no practice, no way, no how, no amount of money. Now for $50k + expenses, I'll train up and do it.
 
You couldn't pay me enough. I'm pretty chicken**** when it comes to that kind of stuff.

But if I did do it: I'd have a perfect run down the ramp, I'd launch perfectly and loft my body into the climb at just the right second, but I'd crash anyway. I'd crash because somewhere along that 400' in the air I would seriously wig out and absolutely spoil the landing. I'd bounce at the bottom and keep bouncing until I was nothing more than thousands of little red snowballs everywhere.

That is quite interesting to me because for all the things I've done--even dangerous things--and the pain I have sometimes experienced, there are some things I just won't try. Not train for, and certainly not even try. This is one of those things.
 
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Richard said:
But if I did do it: I'd have a perfect run down the ramp, I'd launch perfectly and loft my body into the climb at just the right second, but I'd crash anyway. I'd crash because somewhere along that 400' in the air I would seriously wig out and absolutely spoil the landing. I'd bounce at the bottom and keep bouncing until I was nothing more than thousands of little red snowballs everywhere.
quote]

For it to work, you can't be wigging out mid flight on this thing Richard.
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Dave Krall CFII said:
The poor bastard had psoriasis too?!?

(I sit corrected, thanks)
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:D :D :D
"I don't care who you are, that right there is FUNNY!"
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
For it to work, you can't be wigging out mid flight on this thing Richard.
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I know! That's the interesting part: Recalling past episodes of similar activities, I have the ability to do everything so well leading up to that point in time where I have time enough to think about how stupid I am being and it is that thinking which does me in.

I used to ride dirt bikes. I loved the thrill and the freedom to bust whatever move I could think of. Until that time when at the apex of a severly banked turn on a steep hillside I lost it because I wigged at the thought of coming back down. Never mind I had done it many times before.

Or the overhead tube I snuck in way backdoor. It wasn't even close to being my first time either. I bailed out with my board through the back of the wave half way down the line. My friends watching from the beach were appalled that I didn't keep going. Every one of them said I could've made it but I lost my confidence and ducked out the back.

I still surf but don't ride bikes anymore. It's a confidence thing. It's weird, I'll ride tricked out ATCs up and down some serious dunes like there's no tomorrow but that bike jumping they do (30'+ in the air w/ tricks), no way!

I used to ride trials on mtn bikes, including speeding down mtn trails but fast mogul skiing--no way! I've gone ice camping in avalanche conditions but no way I'll jump out of a good airplane for fun. Weird, huh?
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
For it to work, you can't be wigging out mid flight on this thing Richard.
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You can quote me, I'm not Olympic material. That is what I find so captivating is that those athletes do not give up. Through years of strife and personal tragedy, the keep moving towards their goals.
 
It's not so much the ski flying part that keeps from attempting this - it's the sudden stop and ensuing ball of fur, body parts and skis at the bottom of the hill that I'm concerned aoout...
 
I guess I'd give er a go if I had three of them there portable airbags, plus a 0/0 parachute attached.

OMG, don't tell me Greg likes 'Larry, TCG', too!
"Lord, Ah apologize for that raight thair."
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I guess I'd give er a go if I had three of them there portable airbags, plus a 0/0 parachute attached.
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I have such a cunning plan you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel!

At first I was thinking Mars Rover crash landing airbag routine then a much better idea came to mind...a zorbing ball! :goofy:
 
This is a funny post!
All of my friends and I often have the "how much would it take for you to..." type of questions.
Just the other day my brother was telling us that if he won the lottery he would see if we really would do what we say for the money.
Best,
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
Been watching the ski jumping on the large hill for the Olympics while channel surfing. It's pretty cool what they do and they always remind me of Rocky The Flying Squirrel.

I've never jumped anywhere near those distances but was wondering on a bet, how much money I'd accept to do just one jump, no practice and I get paid even if (yeah, IF) I crash as long as the takeoff is made at full speed starting at the top, etc. Would $10K sound reasonable?

How much would others take -$20K -less? Think you could land it?
Click to expand...

Only if my good friend Jack were with me! Otherwise, I'm not cheap but I can be had.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
On the other hand, the guy in the spectacular fall/crash of the infamous "Heartbreak of Defeat" video clip on the old Wide World of Sports weekly TV show opening, walked away with only a sprained ankle and ego I was told. That's got to be archived somewhere for those that may have missed seeing it.
Click to expand...

This video? That's gotta hurt...I used to cringe for that guy everytime that video ran.
 
Henning said:
No training, no build up, no practice, no way, no how, no amount of money. Now for $50k + expenses, I'll train up and do it.
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Too much money and time of exposure to multiple injuries during the train up. You'd be sure to get injured!
 
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I love that video. The need to bring it back but put Lindsey Jacobelis in the agony of defeat part. If you watch the clip of the skiier it looks like he takes someone out just befor the bottom of the jump. That had to hurt the guy he took out.
 
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