Whistler

Since 2012, there have been seven confirmed back fractures sustained by patrons at the Whistler Sliding Centre’s thrill ride. Published Nov 21, 2024  •  Last updated 47 minutes ago  •  3 minute read Screenshot from Technical Safety B.C. report on Whistler Sliding Centre’s bobsled. Photo by Technical Safety B.C. Two passengers of the “bobsleigh sport experience” in Whistler — the only ride of its kind in Canada — have suffered back injuries in the past year caused by seat ergonomics and compression forces, says a Technical Safety B.C. report. There have been seven confirmed broken backs on the Whistler Sliding Centre’s ride since 2012, according to the report released this month. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account or Article content “Vertebrae fractures, and more specifically, lower or lumbar back fractures have occurred at a steady rate since 2012, shortly after opening,” the report says. The centre’s website says visitors can experience what it’s like to “slide like an Olympian,” as trained pilots take them through twists and turns at speeds of 125 km/h. Passengers are asked before they ride to confirm they do not have any heart conditions and that they have not had any previous head, neck or back injuries. They also must meet certain age, height and other requirements. The investigation was launched after two passengers broke their backs — one in November 2023, the other in February 2024 — while on the four-person bobsled. One required surgery. The other did not, but faced a long recovery. “They compare it to a roller-coaster. But in a roller-coaster, the G-force isn’t sustained, you get weightlessness. … The G-force on the bobsled is constant,” the passenger injured in February told the safety authority. “As you went down, the pressure increased, it was the second or third-to-last, I could feel my back get more and more compressed and then at one point I felt like I got the wind knocked out of me.” By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Article content Article content The report said the usual compression forces from the ride and the ergonomics of the rear seat in the bobsled made riders vulnerable to injury. Measures taken by the company after these injuries were focused on amending the pre-ride warnings to include the risk associated with medical conditions, the report said. However, investigators said it’s unlikely the injuries that occurred in 2023 and 2024 were linked to passenger health. Investigators said the ergonomics of the fourth seat contributed to both injuries because of the way it forces the rider to lean forward, disengaging core muscles which would otherwise support the spine and concentrating the force on a smaller area of the vertebrae. They said the rear seat appears to have a higher incidence of injury than the two middle seats. The bobsled track was built for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. It was the track where Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed and died during a training run just before the opening of the Olympics. When the company opened it as a public ride in 2011, the bobsleds were changed to make them safer. They have wider seats with foam pads, taller sides that were intended to provide better protection in the event of a rollover, and cables that ran along the interior sides of the bobsleigh to hold on to. Brakes and steering moved to the front of the bobsleigh to be operated by the professional pilot. Article content Screenshot from Technical Safety B.C. report on Whistler Sliding Centre’s bobsled experience. Photo by Technical Safety B.C. Technical Safety B.C. interviewed the engineer that did the safety assessment. The engineer did not address the bobsleigh ergonomics, passenger positioning, or restraint as it was not part of their mandate. The engineer did try out the ride several times to understand the forces that would be