Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

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Lequack

Lequack

Jul 10, 2014
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This is terrible news. She was a such a great winner when she was racing, one of the best women's biathletes. And she retired so young as well.
 
Samu Cuenca

Samu Cuenca

Sep 26, 2020
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We can only pray good news will emerge soon, even if the chances are slim. It doesn't get less tragic that her ex-boyfriend apparently lost his life in a similar accident three years ago.
 
QueenStagiaire

QueenStagiaire

Jun 30, 2022
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Bavarianrider said:
Rest in peace Laura, but I can't feel to much compassion for people who willingly put their lives at risk like that. Feel bad for her Familie, of course.
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Feels a bit early to call it now as the rescuers haven‘t gotten to her yet, but in reality she‘s most likely dead. Very sad.
 
Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
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The IBU's official press communiqué made it sound like the rescuers had got to her, but it seems other sources suggest they have only arrived to the site of the accident, without yet having been able to access where she herself is. Either way, with no signs of life shown, I think we have to prepare for the obvious; the likelihood of any positive outcome is minimal and even in the unlikely eventuality that they get to her and she is alive, the chances are that it will be another situation like we saw with Michael Schumacher's skiing accident. But as they say, die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt.

She was a great biathlete in her time, but mountaineering had always been her true passion. Hell, even when she had her amazing breakthrough at the end of the 2012-13 season, the German press asked her where she saw herself in five years time, and she said "possibly not in biathlon". Like Neuner before her she conquered all she could in biathlon and got out before it got boring to her, but it's crazy to think that she (is) still only in her early thirties.
 
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Tricycle Rider

Tricycle Rider

Feb 9, 2013
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Bavarianrider said:
Rest in peace Laura, but I can't feel to much compassion for people who willingly put their lives at risk like that. Feel bad for her Familie, of course.
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Might sound cold but I tend to agree, mountaineering is inherently such a dangerous sport even for the most experienced because of the ever changing terrain and weather, and ambulances or medivacs can be hard to come by in especially remote areas. So those kind of risks mountaineers have to be more than prepared for and be ready to take...

I do feel much empathy for her loved ones though, that goes without saying.
 
B

BullsFan22

Jun 22, 2010
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Really sad. She seemed like such a nice person. She was quiet, went about everything without drama, was someone that did other activities outside biathlon and I totally respect someone that doesn't get bogged down in one thing, and one thing only. Yes, she was into climbing and mountaineering which, no matter where you go, can be very dangerous, but she clearly enjoyed doing that.

RIP Laura.
 
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iBanesto

iBanesto

Jul 29, 2023
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So sad for an incredibly talented and young girl.
  • Olympic champion
  • Hochfilzen World Championships winning 5 golds and 1 silver from 6 events
  • Wrote a children's book
  • Commentator
  • Finished 27th in the World Mountain Running Championships
  • Mountaineer
She probably could have been a good cyclist if she tried.
 
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D

dobrien

Jul 10, 2009
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Tricycle Rider said:
Might sound cold but I tend to agree, mountaineering is inherently such a dangerous sport even for the most experienced because of the ever changing terrain and weather, and ambulances or medivacs can be hard to come by in especially remote areas. So those kind of risks mountaineers have to be more than prepared for and be ready to take...

I do feel much empathy for her loved ones though, that goes without saying.
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Agree with this post.

First, RIP Laura, so sad to hear of this; she was hands down one of my favorite biathletes to follow.

I was a serious ice climber/alpinist/mountaineer for 25+ years; made it out without dying but had my share of close calls along the way. I was not world class myself but had a sometime training partner who has his name on some pretty huge North American first ascents, so between my own experiences and those lived vicariously through his I understand the pull of high, dangerous places. These experiences are difficult to adequately explain with mere words, people are either truly drawn to this or they're not, there is no place for middle ground, and I'm sure someone as obviously intelligent as Laura was well aware of the risks. From my admittedly far off vantage point she struck me as someone who was going to live the fullest version of her life, come what may.

The strange thing about serious climbing is there is this weird cocktail of awareness and denial, you know death is all around you and yet the feeling of being utterly and completely focused and alive trumps everything else; regular life is full of static, the climbing life is clear, and sharp as a ringing bell. My training partner had a saying he would occasionally utter, not entirely tongue-in-cheek... "You can die slow (by not climbing), or you can die fast; I choose fast." I know it may sound crazy, but that's how it is. RIP.
 
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K

kingjr

Sep 9, 2012
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dobrien said:
Agree with this post.

First, RIP Laura, so sad to hear of this; she was hands down one of my favorite biathletes to follow.

I was a serious ice climber/alpinist/mountaineer for 25+ years; made it out without dying but had my share of close calls along the way. I was not world class myself but had a sometime training partner who has his name on some pretty huge North American first ascents, so between my own experiences and those lived vicariously through his I understand the pull of high, dangerous places. These experiences are difficult to adequately explain with mere words, people are either truly drawn to this or they're not, there is no place for middle ground, and I'm sure someone as obviously intelligent as Laura was well aware of the risks. From my admittedly far off vantage point she struck me as someone who was going to live the fullest version of her life, come what may.

The strange thing about serious climbing is there is this weird cocktail of awareness and denial, you know death is all around you and yet the feeling of being utterly and completely focused and alive trumps everything else; regular life is full of static, the climbing life is clear, and sharp as a ringing bell. My training partner had a saying he would occasionally utter, not entirely tongue-in-cheek... "You can die slow (by not climbing), or you can die fast; I choose fast." I know it may sound crazy, but that's how it is. RIP.
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I believe you can also die slow when climbing
 
K

kingjr

Sep 9, 2012
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dobrien said:
Ok, you know what I mean by that quote, but yes, I've heard stories of some pretty hideous, drawn out deaths.

That wasn't the point, obviously.
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Yeah, I know, but that's always the first thought my mind goes to when I hear that quote, or variations of it.
 
D

dobrien

Jul 10, 2009
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kingjr said:
Yeah, I know, but that's always the first thought my mind goes to when I hear that quote, or variations of it.
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I know what you mean; I've heard horror stories of crevasse deaths, people lingering for a couple of days with broken femurs, high altitude deaths, horrible stuff, no doubt. Like all aphorisms of that nature they work best when not dissected... :p

To the original quote, for myself, even at 65 and having been out of it for a long time due to some physical stuff, regular life just has kind of a low-level 'walking dead' quality to it which nothing else has ever been able to quite ameliorate, though I still winter peak-bag, winter camp, etc. Love the elemental nature of living close to the bone. Just is what it is.
 
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QueenStagiaire

QueenStagiaire

Jun 30, 2022
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Bavarianrider said:
Most climbers actually die a slow death, actually. So did Dahlmeier, most likely.
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Actually from newer articles on what her climbing partner said she got hit in the head by a boulder and hit the rock face right after and didn’t respond after that, so there‘s a good chance it was lights out immediately.
 
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iBanesto

iBanesto

Jul 29, 2023
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If Reinhold Messner says the climb is extremely difficult and dangerous, that is saying something about the extreme risk.

 
Tricycle Rider

Tricycle Rider

Feb 9, 2013
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iBanesto said:
If Reinhold Messner says the climb is extremely difficult and dangerous, that is saying something about the extreme risk.

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While I've never done any climbing myself I'm certainly aware of Messner, he was giving a lecture at the school I went to decades ago and I got to see the lecture because I was working the event as event staff. It was pretty cool to have seen and heard such a legend in person, and I certainly wouldn't argue with him regarding anything mountaineering related.
 
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