Reader's Digest Reflection

May 2008 issue

Jump for your life

This article which I had chosen relates about a terrifying experience of a snowboarder named Tom Murphy.

Tom, in search of excitement, ignored warning notices and went off-piste on a mountain which was covered in thick snow. Soon, he found himself in an avalanche which carried him hundreds of yard away from his original position. Knowing that there was already no way he could go back, and spotting a road at the bottom of the valley, he decided to take the plunge and accelerated down the steep slopes of rocks and snow.

Tom then came to a ledge and slid to a halt, after much thought, he came to a final statement - It was to jump or to die. Tom chose to take the risk and jumped. He landed on a protruding rock and sustained serious injuries,Tom then struggled to get the attention of drivers down the road, but to no avail. Fortunately he managed to get in contact with his friend using his mobile phone and convinced his friend that he was not joking about being stuck on a mountain.

Soon after he was finally rescued. Tom realised that the reason why he had the courage to jump down the cliff was because he wanted to see his loved ones so badly at that very moment.
To jump down an extremely steep cliff and facing plenty of obstacles while accelerating down is sure horrifying and many would have lacked the courage to do that,I think it was very brave of him to do that despite knowing that he was likely to fall to death or sustain serious injuries. Fortunately lady luck was on his side, he survived the terrible fall and was soon rescued.It was his determination that saved him.

If I were him, I would have did the same, by jumping down the cliff I could quickly get help from the people if I manage to survive the fall since there is a road just down the valley. Staying put and waiting for help to come to me would just allow wild thoughts to run through my mind and make me feel as if I was waiting to freeze to death, furthermore, help may not be able to come in time as it was unlikely for people to track my footprints.

In the first place, Tom should not have ignored the warning notices and went off-piste just because it was more fun and exciting. He should have informed someone of his route or location before setting off and checked the weather and snow conditions before setting off , especially checking for avalanches.He should also have ask his friends for help through the mobile phone when he find himself lost in unfamiliar terrain.

After that frightening experience, I am sure that he would never dare to ignore any warning notices while snow boarding in the future.

ang jia pei