Caleb Moore X Games Snowmobile Crash

As most of you know X Games ended last weekend, in fact it was the 17^th annual X Games showing the progression of snow sports to the fullest extent. Unfortunately, there was a horrific accident that occurred in the Snowmobile Freestyle competition on Thursday night. 

At 25 years of age Caleb Moore attempted a backflip, he under rotated the trick and caught his skis on the top of the landing. This sent Caleb straight off the sled and down onto the earth.  After spinning 360 degrees, the snowmobile came back down and landed on Caleb leaving him in the hands of the Aspen/Snowmass medical team. He was immediately taken off Buttermilk with what they diagnosed as a “concussion”, and headed straight for a medial center. After further review there were signs of bleeding around his heart and he was air lifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, CO. Moore was rushed into immediate surgery on Friday. A family member released that he had suffered a “brain complication.” 

Caleb Moore passed away today in the hospital, exact cause is still unknown. He was no stranger to motorized vehicles growing up. He raced ATV’s his entire childhood, then about 4 years ago he decided to take up snowmobiling. Both Caleb and his brother Colton entered X Games in 2010, with only about a month worth of practice under their belt. Caleb took bronze in freestyle that year and repeated that feat again in 2011 (also winning silver in Snowmobile Best Trick). In 2012, he went home with a bronze, while he watched his brother Colton take home gold. Colton had a close call of his own during an X Games Snowmobile Freestyle, but luckily he was able to walk away with just a separated pelvis. Caleb and Colton’s father, Wade Moore, stated Thursday night to The New York Times, “This is not new to us, you know it can happen anytime. We just hope it doesn’t tonight.” 

This is the first death in X Games history and it really is awful news to hear. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Moore family... It’s hard to prevent these things because of the constant progression of snow sports, but what steps can we take in the future to prevent such tragic events from happening?