Warning: Due of the outcome of this incident, this video may be disturbing for some viewers. According to reports, one man is dead and another in critical condition after a zorbing accident at a ski resort in Dombai, Russia, near the Georgian border. 27-year-old Denis Burakov and his friend, 33-year-old Vladimir Shcherbakov, were vacationing in celebration of the New Year when they decided to give the extreme activity a try. Traveling at high speeds, the ball carrying the two men flew over the track and fell into a gorge, free falling 812 feet. When rescuers arrived on the scene, both men were still alive, but in critical condition. Burakov later died in the ambulance. Shcherbakov suffered a concussion and bruising. Zorbing is the recreational sport of rolling downhill in a transparent plastic orb, made popular in New Zealand and Russia in the '70s. Zorbing now takes place around the world at commercial locations, where safety measures should be in place. Unfortunately in this case, the video appears to show that there was no net or other device to catch the orb at the bottom of the hill, causing the ball to roll out of control. Investigators are searching for three men who they believe were involved in the incident- they are believed to have been operating without a license. See the RTM hosts talk about this story here.
Report Abuse