- 1 week ago
When glory and gravity collide... Join us as we explore the most catastrophic wipeouts on the Olympic slopes! From split-second mistakes to career-defining falls, these winter athletes experienced the agony of defeat in the most dramatic fashion. Which crash do you think had the biggest impact on Olympic history?
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00:00That was such a devastating moment.
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the most catastrophic ski and snowboarding crashes
00:07that happened at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics,
00:09either from the falls themselves or from the context behind them.
00:13I think another surgery is inevitable.
00:16Avery Crumet, the 2026 Winter Olympics Milano Cortina.
00:20One of the youngest athletes at the 2026 Games at the age of 17,
00:25Crumet, while born in Canada, switched allegiances a couple of years earlier
00:28to represent the U.S. at Milano Cortina.
00:31After comfortably making it through qualification in the women's slope-style free-skiing event,
00:35the final started well with her first run, slightly dropping in her second.
00:39Yet in the third run, disaster struck for Crumet.
00:42Within seconds of starting, she slipped on the first rail and collided with it,
00:46causing one of her skis to fall off.
00:48With a score of .86 in the run, Crumet finished the final in last place.
00:53However, with age on her side, she'll hopefully come back strong in 2030.
00:57Tyler Walker, the 2014 Winter Paralympics, Sochi.
01:01In 2014, Walker competed in the sitting class for the Alpine Skiing Men's Downhill event
01:07in his debut Winter Paralympics.
01:09What can Walker do?
01:12However, there were issues with the course, causing many people to crash,
01:17resulting in only 12 of 22 racers finishing the race.
01:20Unfortunately, Walker wasn't one of them.
01:22After starting well, Walker struck a bump that launched him into the air,
01:26causing him to slam into the ground brutally as his equipment sprayed all around him.
01:31While it was uncomfortable viewing, as the U.S. athlete lay motionless for a moment
01:35and needed a helicopter to be taken for treatment, Walker didn't suffer any fractures.
01:39However, he didn't remember the incident.
01:42In 2018, he returned to the Winter Paralympics, securing two silver medals.
01:47He really closed the gap towards the end as well, 0.73.
01:52Christopher Del Bosco, the 2018 Winter Olympics, Pyeongchang.
01:56After going to rehab following substance issues and fracturing his neck in an attack,
02:00Del Bosco rose in competitive skiing to take five medals at the Winter X Games,
02:05including two golds, and became world champion.
02:08Oh, Canada!
02:09The sweep is on!
02:11In 2018, he represented Canada in the Freestyle Skiing Men's Ski Cross.
02:16However, it eventually all went wrong.
02:19In the final jump, Del Bosco lost his balance in the air,
02:22causing him to crash heavily on the cold surface, making him unable to finish.
02:27After being stretchered off, it was discovered that he had suffered four broken ribs,
02:31a bruised lung, and a fractured pelvis.
02:33You have to be ready for anything.
02:35Thankfully, Del Bosco recovered and returned to competing professionally,
02:38even switching to represent the U.S.
02:41Mercedes Nickel, the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi.
02:44A regular on the podium at the FIS Snowboard World Cup,
02:48Canadian snowboarder Nickel was looking to finally do the same at the Winter Olympics in 2014.
02:53I put my snowboard down, I do up my bindings, this is going to be my last practice run.
02:58However, during a practice run for the women's halfpipe,
03:01she clipped the edge, causing her to land headfirst.
03:04When her coach checked on her, Nickel reportedly yelled insults at him,
03:07which was uncharacteristic of her.
03:09The fall had resulted in a severe concussion.
03:12Despite that, Nickel still competed.
03:14However, she was unable to progress from the qualification.
03:18The seriousness of the concussion became clear as Nickel couldn't snowboard for two years
03:22and needed to relearn to talk and walk.
03:25I was so slowed down that a walk that would usually take me 10 minutes when I was healthy
03:31now took me over an hour.
03:34After returning for the 2018 Olympics, Nickel retired to focus on her mental health and athlete advocacy.
03:41Please believe in yourself.
03:44Anything is possible.
03:52With six world titles, two Olympic golds and one silver medal, Schifrin went into the 2022 Winter Games
03:59with high expectations from fans of getting at least three gold medals in the six events she was participating in.
04:05In this exact moment, I'm feeling not too bad.
04:09Yeah, no, it's a little bit ups and downs with the excitement.
04:13And then obviously there's always a little bit of nerves that play a role heading into the Olympics.
04:18However, that unfortunately was not the case for the U.S. skier.
04:22When defending her gold medal from 2018 in the alpine skiing women's giant slalom,
04:27Schifrin, during her first run, slipped at the fifth gate.
04:30Days later, likely with that disappointment on her mind,
04:33she stumbled during her first run in the slalom, ruling her out again.
04:37You don't get to arrive at the Olympics with expectations set
04:44and then have those expectations met.
04:48Finally, during the slalom portion of the combined event,
04:50she started strongly before slipping once again.
04:53As a result, Schifrin left the Games without a medal for the first time.
04:57To this day, still trying to understand certain pieces of Beijing
05:03entirely outside of results and performance.
05:06And I've learned so much about myself in that process.
05:10Sean White, the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi.
05:13One of the greatest snowboarders ever,
05:16White was looking to extend his rule in the men's halfpipe event
05:19by taking gold for the third consecutive time,
05:21extending his incredible record.
05:23You think we're going to see triples in Russia?
05:26Of course, yeah. Which one?
05:29A secret one that we haven't seen yet.
05:31Oh. You're talking pipe or slope?
05:33Either.
05:34Oh man, we'll have to see.
05:36However, after injuring his wrist during practice for the slope style,
05:40causing him to pull out of that event,
05:41it only got worse for him as he struck the edge with his board.
05:45As a result, White's halfpipe result was degraded, putting him fourth overall.
05:55After coming back strong in 2018 by becoming the oldest to win halfpipe goal,
06:00in 2022, White wanted to go out on top before retiring.
06:04After a strong first and second run, it looked possible.
06:07However, on the third, White slipped on a landing,
06:10causing him to finish fourth once again.
06:13Honestly, I'm so happy with my decision.
06:15I'm feeling really great about it.
06:17Nina O'Brien, the 2022 Winter Olympics Beijing.
06:20A rising star in alpine skiing,
06:23O'Brien's season standings had been on the rise coming into the 2022 Winter Olympics.
06:28I'm an eight-time national champion.
06:31Representing the U.S. in the women's giant slalom,
06:33her first run went well, placing her sixth in the overall rankings.
06:37However, disaster struck in the second run.
06:40Right before the finish line,
06:41O'Brien lost her balance after clipping a gate,
06:44causing her leg to bend awkwardly as she crashed.
06:47When we talked, I mean, just the first question,
06:50when you're a ski racer and you dream of the Olympics,
06:54this isn't the way a dream would go.
06:56Nope.
06:58The medical team reacted quickly to treat her.
07:01The skier was taken in for surgery to repair the compound fracture of two of her leg bones,
07:05and she had suffered a partially torn MCL.
07:08After recovery and rehab, O'Brien returned to the slopes,
07:12even taking part in the women's team combined event at the 2026 Games.
07:16This is something that I've wanted since four years ago when I got injured in Beijing.
07:21Hermann Mayer, the 1998 Winter Olympics Nagano.
07:25Making his Olympic debut in 1998,
07:28Mayer's first event was in the alpine skiing men's downhill.
07:31With an explosive start, the Austrian lost his balance during a turn.
07:35This morphed a mediocre issue into a catastrophe when he immediately met a jump.
07:39In an infamous clip, Mayer turned awkwardly,
07:42landing hard on the ground as his momentum threw him into the multiple barriers.
07:47Incredibly, he was fine.
07:49Turning the devastating incident into an amazing comeback story,
07:52days later, Mayer would go on to win two gold medals in the giant slalom and Super G events.
07:57However, had he not crashed on the downhill,
08:00he could have joined a handful of athletes to win three golds at a single Winter Olympics.
08:05Lindsay Vaughn, the 2026 Winter Olympics Milano Cortina.
08:09In 2019, after a career of breaking records and winning Olympic and world medals,
08:15Vaughn announced her retirement from skiing.
08:17I'm actually really looking forward to not having a plan,
08:21not have everything scheduled in my life.
08:23Following a knee replacement, the U.S. legend returned to competition in 2024.
08:28Yet with the 2026 Games being her last,
08:31Vaughn's chances were seemingly crushed when, at the World Cup,
08:35she crashed and ruptured her ACL.
08:37However, showing an incredible resolve,
08:39she went ahead with competing in the alpine skiing women's downhill event at her last Olympics.
08:44But I haven't cried.
08:46I have not deviated from my plan.
08:49I have been determined.
08:5113 seconds into a run, Vaughn's arm clipped a gate as she was in the air,
08:55putting her off balance as she fell heavily to the snow.
08:58After being airlifted to the hospital,
09:00it was confirmed that she had broken her leg,
09:02requiring multiple surgeries to fix the damage.
09:04She's apparently in good hands and has both the U.S. Olympic ski team there
09:09and the surgeons in Italy that are constantly monitoring her.
09:13And, you know, like I said, prayers for a speedy recovery.
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09:32Lindsay Jacob Ellis, the 2006 Winter Olympics, Turin
09:35After taking gold for the Women's Snowboard Cross event at the 2005 World Championships,
09:40Jacob Ellis was one of the favorites to replicate the feat at her Olympic debut at the 2006 Games.
09:46I was built up to be America's sweetheart.
09:49Leading comfortably near the end of the race,
09:51the snowboarder was already seeing her name in the headlines.
09:54With one of the final jumps, she did a method grab to showboat and celebrate her win.
09:59However, Jacob Ellis slipped the landing,
10:02allowing second-place Tanya Frieden to sweep in for gold.
10:05The American had to settle for silver.
10:07I seemed almost excited to pull me down
10:09and make me feel that.
10:11Despite the international humiliation that followed,
10:14Jacob Ellis incredibly picked herself up and won various competitions.
10:17Lindsay Jacob Ellis claims gold again at Aspen, but a great run.
10:22At the 2022 Olympics,
10:24she finally got not one, but two golds
10:26at the Women's and Mixed Team Snowboard Cross events.
10:29Are skiing and snowboarding the most dangerous sports at the Winter Olympics,
10:33or is another event far more hazardous?
10:35Let us know in the comments.
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