When Bad Things Happen to Rad People
A glossary of extreme-sports calamities
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Rag doll (n) A fall in which your arms and legs flail about uncontrollably.
Scorpion (n) A somersaulting fall in which your legs bend up toward the back of your head.
Tomahawk (n) Similar to a scorpion, but with the rider’s pack becoming the fulcrum point.
Pitch-pole (n) A particularly scary sailboat flip in which the bow submerges and the stern comes up and over the top.
Starfish (n) A fall in which the skier, snowboarder, or bike rider’s body cartwheels out of control, arms and legs drawn outward by centrifugal force.
Femur-in (adv) To land so hard while skiing or parachuting that your thighbones snap and auger into the ground.
