The events of the Winter Olympic Games range from the elegance of figure skating to the high-stakes adrenaline of events such as skeleton and downhill Skiing. Whether competitors brave vertical drops of the alpine slopes or the claustrophobic, icy chutes of the sliding track, these competitors turn these already dangerous tracks into the fastest arenas on Earth. In these events, the difference between gold and a catastrophic crash is extremely minute and at speeds that would earn a speeding ticket on most roadways.
Australian snowboard cross star Belle Brockhoff has announced her retirement from competitive racing, stepping away just weeks before the next Winter Olympics after a long rehabilitation from serious injuries. In a heartfelt open letter addressed to the "Snowboarding Family," Brockhoff confirmed that ongoing recovery from a compound wrist fracture and a fractured L1 vertebra ultimately led her to the decision.
When he was 27, snow cross racer Mike Schultz (who got the nickname "Monster Mike" because of his renowned fearlessness) drifted off course in a race, flew off his snowmobile, and obliterated his knee. It required multiple surgeries and multiple days in a coma to save his life. Ultimately, his medical team had to amputate his leg.