Although the risks of fell racing, particularly the OMM, are very small, many Dark Peakers have a taste for more dangerous pursuits such as rock climbing, mountaineering and paragliding, but as far as I know none of them are practitioners of BASE jumping. But just how dangerous is it? A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine addressed some of the risks. Of an estimated 700 participants in 2002 there were 12 deaths or 1 in 60. Although the annual incidence was lower over the 1981-2006 period with 106 deaths the figure is likely to be incomplete and compares poorly to 1 in 9350 for skydivers in 2006.
Many of the deaths were due to difficulty controlling body position (‘freefall instability’) due to the relatively low body speed and turbulence resulting in striking objects or failure to open the chute. Acrobatics aren’t good either. Parachute faults also led to deaths partly because back up chutes aren’t generally used. Poor visibility, landing in water and wind were also risk factors. Almost all the risks are inherent and the authors didn’t have much to suggest to reduce the dangers.
If I haven’t put you off try the fatality list.
