Between the driving and skiing at Wanlong, there were numerous examples of what I call the “exponential risk-mix”. This is where design issues combined with human factors equals an exponentially elevated potential for catastrophe.
I started creating lists in my head to assess risk. Those who know me well know that I drive extremely fast. But for this journey, I slowed way down. Here’s the factors I considered…
* Random behavior of others on the road - bikes, cars, pedestrians
* Above average number of livestock grazing near the road.
* High center of gravity of my car
* Poor quality brakes that cause the car to drift
* Cheap rubber in the tires…they skid easily
* Seemingly thin paneling and body construction
* Tree-lined road
* No signage on roads
* Sheer drop-offs
* Lack of emergency services
* Lack of decent hospitals
* Lack of hospitals…period.
* Lack of public assistance (locals don’t typically get involved)
* Language barriers
These factors don’t just increase the odds of a wreck but they also increase the likelyhood that it will be much worse than would be expected. When pedestrians are struck by cars here, nobody goes near them. So unless you dig yourself out of the wreckage, you aren’t getting out. The cheap construction of the vehicle doesn’t exactly increase these odds of walking away from it. The only thing the thin steel doors do is negate the need for the jaws-o-life (how’s that for a silver lining?).
So, let’s say we DO pull ourselves out…then what? Call a Chinese speaking friend and have a local person describe where we are? Then wait for 4 hours for someone to arrive and 4 to return to Beijing? Even the most minor injury in 8 hours can become pretty serious.
The only time I’ve ever driven with a similar amount of stress was when I went over an unpaved mountain pass in rural colorado with an near-empty tank of gas, a snow storm coming in, and a 4 month-old Maddy in the back.
It’s like we have a “risk bucket” that we fill with risk factors. As it fills up our emotional state climbs the continuum of “feeling alive” to “excitement” to “thrilled” to “all-out adrenaline rush”. But once the bucket overflows, you have degrees of “anxiety” to “fear” to “mortal fear” - which is not so fun.
Living in Atlanta suburbs, my bucket was pretty dry. Mountain biking filled it to a level where things felt pretty good. I cold mix in some racing or epic adventures to hit the adrenaline highs then come back to a happy normal. My theory explains why don’t I mountain bike very much here. Because stepping off the plane in China, you are issued a couple liters of risk that you can’t get rid of until you leave. This additional weight is what makes one exhausted at the end of the day here. It’s what also makes this place exciting.
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