A new report looking at the prevalence of spinal cord injuries from mountain biking in B.C. found more than a third of those injuries over a 14-year span occurred in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.
The findings come from a University of British Columbia (UBC) study, published this month in Neurotrauma Reports, that analyzed 58 spinal cord injuries sustained while mountain biking in the province between 2008 and 2022. Twenty-one individuals, or 36 per cent, were injured in Whistler, the epicentre of downhill biking in B.C., and home to North America’s largest bike park.
In lieu of an interview, Whistler Blackcomb, operators of the local bike park, sent a statement shortly before Pique's press deadline. "The safety of our guests is our top priority, no matter the season or sport. Our Whistler Mountain Bike Park is no exception and our Patrol, mountain operations, bike school and trail crews work hard to deliver a world-class experience founded on safety."
In an email, Dr. Fern von der Porten, emergency physician medical director of the Whistler Health Care Centre, expressed gratitude for the research of lead author Dr. Brian Kwon and his team. “My hope is that we can take this further to provide education to the riders in our community and use this opportunity to learn more about how we can reduce risk by studying equipment, trail design, and rider factors such as fatigue,” she added.
The UBC study paints a picture of a growing sport with an extremely high level of inherent risk, especially when compared to other high-contact sports. The injury rate from mountain biking in B.C. is seven times higher than skiing and snowboarding. Over the same 14-year span the study looked at, there were three spinal cord injuries recorded in B.C. from ice hockey, a sport considerably more popular than mountain biking. In some years, the number of mountain-biking injuries in B.C. was comparable to—or higher than—those stemming from amateur football across the entire U.S., a country where more than 1.1 million people play the sport at the high school or college level.
“It’s a high number of spinal cord injuries, and one of the big issues is just how catastrophic these injuries are,” said Kwon, a professor of orthopaedics and Canada research chair in spinal cord injury at UBC. “Given the high number of injuries relative to skiing, ice hockey and American football … the question becomes: what is an acceptable number of people to be paralyzed from mountain biking?”
Of the 58 injuries recorded, 27 were motor-complete spinal cord injuries, while 31 were incomplete spinal cord injuries in which the individuals maintained some level of motor function.
Beyond the “almost unquantifiable human cost” of these injuries, Kwon said there are significant impacts to B.C.’s health-care system. Collectively, the injuries cost an estimated $194.5 million, once health-care, rehabilitation, patient expenses, and other costs such as productivity loss were factored in.
Although the study didn’t drill down into the specifics of each injury, a majority of them—77.5 per cent—involved the rider going over their handlebars, while 12.1 per cent involved a collision. Another 8.8 per cent were injured by other means. Most riders—86.3 per cent—were wearing a helmet when they were injured, while 9.1 per cent wore both a helmet and body protection. Those injured were overwhelmingly male, at 93 per cent, with an average age of 35.5.
“While we don’t have a lot of granular detail about the context of these accidents, what is clear is it’s a range of expertise,” Kwon said. “We saw some very experienced riders. We don’t perceive it’s necessarily people doing big air, 40-foot jumps. There are some of those, but typically it’s people coming down at speed and they hit something and go over their handlebars.”
Given the increasing popularity of the sport, Martin Littlejohn, executive director of the Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association, said it’s imperative the biking community have a conversation about personal risk assessment, particularly with the rise of mountain biking influencers on social media.
“Those are all highly trained pro athletes, and I think there’s a bit of a disconnect between them and your average rider who sees those things that look cool and amazing on social media but don’t align with their actual skill level,” he said. “It definitely has to evoke some kind of response from the mountain biking community, or at least organizations like ours that have a chance to get some awareness out there and help people put things in perspective for their own safety’s sake.”
Skill level is of course only one part of the equation. Trail layout, bike design, and protective gear are other possible factors, and ones that park managers and bike manufacturers are incentivized to take seriously, Littlejohn said. He is also hopeful new trail standards being developed will lend further consistency to trail ratings across B.C. once rolled out in 2025. “That should help to some degree with safety,” said Littlejohn. “A blue trail in Whistler should reflect a blue trail somewhere in the Okanagan.”
In its statement, Whistler Blackcomb noted how its progressive trail design "caters to beginners through advanced riders," and urged riders to familiarize themselves with its Bike Park Orientation Guide, which includes an ability level guide and a trail progression scale that lays out a recommended route, beyond the standard green circle, blue square, black diamond classifications. WB also has bike guides stationed in different areas to offer guidance to guests on the appropriate trails for their ability.
"Over the years, we've worked hard to improve the riding experience for our guests, making safety enhancements annually," the statement continued.
Kwon said the study should galvanize the biking community and wider industry in B.C.
“This wasn’t meant to say, ‘Oh, people shouldn’t be mountain biking.’ I don’t think that’s a message that would be effective,” he said. “We need to have the people who are really close to the knowledge—the mountain bike community, the people at bike parks, the people in government—to be at the table.
“If B.C. is going to be the mecca of mountain biking, then we should also be known for promoting the best practices for safety.”
