Snowmobiler Caleb Moore died Thursday, a week after a crash during Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. The crash, and his subsequent passing, have raised new concerns about the X Games.
The 25-year-old Moore was attempting a backflip when he couldn’t rotate the snowmobile enough to land properly. The skis dug into the slope and brought the weight of the machine down on him. He suffered head and chest injuries. Caleb was a four-time X Games champion and had attempted, and landed the trick numerous times.
ESPN, the organizer and station televising the games, put out a statement expressing their condolences to the family, and stating they would be conducting a thorough review of the snowmobile discipline.
Personally, after watching the X Games, both Summer and Winter, I do understand the concern for the snowmobile event. Unlike some of the other winter events, snowmobiles far outweigh their riders, and literally have a mind of their own. If thrown from the machine, riders are left helpless, while the machine can harm them or continue going and sometimes plow into the rows of fans standing close by. Something definitely needs to be done.
