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Just done a half days uplift in Finale advertised from 9 till 12.30-1 with 6-9 shuttles group dependant. On run 1 someone breaks a wrist. Which puts a good hour and a half into our time waiting for ambulance etc. So in all we did 4 runs, only 3 miles of trails before the long coaster into town added a few mi. and we're back on the van bang on 12.30. My question being, should the shuttle company have rolled over the time and finished later or is it a case of suck it up? One of us is siding that things happen and one is in the extra time camp.
What was the delay - casualty on track or uplift driver waiting with casualty? I assume the casualty was alone (no pals to wait with them?).
In both cases it seems that the casualty could have either been helped off the track, or taken to car-park or roadside in considerably shorter time...
Bit unfortunate with the injury. But if the van was free I would have given you a couple of extra runs. Even if I had to work through lunch.
I'd probably say s*** happens. Having been the bloke who ruined the morning by braking his arm before.
Depends though, if it's a guided group with a van then I'd say you just have a bit of tough luck, you've paid for so many hours of the guides time, and he/she has to do what's best for the group.
If it was an uplift service then the van would be doing runs every X-minutes for whoever is still riding an it's down to the individual circumstances who has to stay with the injured rider, it'd be shitty and dangerous to leave him alone but if he had mates with him I'd expect them to stay with him an others carry on unless you had more first aid training than they did and could offer more help.
It was a guided group. I decided to last man down and thankfully I saw him go down in front of me. Otherwise who knows how long he'd be waiting. The guide seemed to have no clue with first aid. Didn't attempt a sling DIY etc.
The delay was us sitting around waiting for the ambulance when he was with a group of 4 friends who eventually went with him.
i'd say suck it up princess, the welfare of someone with a broken wrist is more important than you riding your bicycle, and the guide made the right call in making the whole group wait for the ambulance rather than leave him there, even with someone else/one of his friends in attendance
also something about empathy maybe
I'd agree with suck it up. It's a fairly rare occurrence. I'm more annoyed with waiting for people getting punctures running poor quality equipment.
A broken wrist is painful but not life threatening. I've self evacuated with much worse. Providing the casualty was in a safe place with friends, and somewhere the ambulance could find him, not sure why the rest if the group couldn't have carried on.
But I can see why the guide wanted to see him into the ambulance. It's done now just look forward to the next trip.
Why would you need an ambulance to come to your location for a broken wrist?
That did cross my mind but without taking the uplift vehicle out of the equation it appeared the only option. He walked a mile to the road. Then everyone just sat and waited. I said shit happens and I'd have told everyone to crack on (had I been Italian) but the German guy was most put out that he'd paid for 6 uplifts and got 4
The guide seemed to have no clue with first aid
with which outfit was this?
we were in Finale last year and i wasn't that impressed with the level of professionalism of the guide.
i used to guide in the alps with groups of 4-10 riders and still occasionally drive the luggage from A-B. the safety of guests was always paramount. first aid refresher course each year. we were taught to always select a "last man", someone who was fit, had a phone (with guides number), innertube and a pump.
in Finale the guide seemed to see each run as a training run and was off into the distance and you'd see him again waiting nonchalantly at the bottom. very little concern shown for the guests.
doubt i'll ride with them again. also found their trails to be a bit samey and short.
Surely sorting out the casualty should be the top priority. Also ambulances for a broken wrist?
Suck it up is my view. Even with punctures and mechanicals it is part of riding in a group.
As it was guided, not uplifted as I first assumed - just one of those things.
I'm in the suck it up camp. At the point someone is injured badly enough that they can't continue, I'd hope that if the boot was on the other foot, people would put safety of a rider over a lost run.
taxi25 - Member
A broken wrist is painful but not life threatening. I've self evacuated with much worse. Providing the casualty was in a safe place with friends, and somewhere the ambulance could find him, not sure why the rest if the group couldn't have carried on.
This.
Boo Hoo, big deal. It's the risk you take as an adult for pratting about on a bike like a child, when you should know better. Broken wrist, nothing serious, everyone else should just crack on.
Duty of care for the guide, he has to ensure all clients are safe and under care. Simple as that, sucks that you lost time but if it were you what would you want? Be abandoned to make it down on your own or actually be assisted by the guide?
Also bear in mind the broken wrist might have only been the obvious injury, lots else could have been done too