Don’t get me wrong, I love the stuff too. There have been countless days of river running, road tripping, writing and editing Rapid magazine, that I would’ve shot Red Bull into my veins if it weren’t for the perfectly syrupy carbonation that I crave—a flavor as gratifying as the fire it lights in my brain.
But despite the caffeine boost that helps me catch eddies and spliced commas, I know the drink won’t really make me fly and, similarly, I know affixing a camera to my helmet won’t actually make me a hero.
Red Bull and GoPro, with their respective slogans, “Gives You Wings,” and “Be a Hero,” pump millions into marketing that helps push the limits of action sports. They do so by stimulating an unmatched level of stoke, in part by creating high-quality media content that features the extreme end of an already extreme sport. These big brands showcase athletes making the best three seconds of a move most of us shouldn’t try at home.
Sport cameras themselves, along with the accessories that mount them to you or your gear, are causing an accident spike in extreme adventure sports. For example, “the skydiving website Dropzone.com has documented at least 22 accidents, two of them fatal, attributable to the interference of a wearable camera with an essential piece of safety equipment,” Outside magazine reported in February. “Wearable cams have made it easier than ever to chase YouTube stardom—and to thwack yourself in the process.”
In 2012, Green Race god Pat Keller posted a public proclamation that went the whitewater version of viral, circulating the social media community and sparking impressively enlightened discussion for the realm of online comments.
“Fellow Huckers!,” his decree begins, “Allow me a moment to speak to you on a crucial point of the code.”
Keller urged boaters to find a balance between pushing the sport and respecting personal limits.
“I’m not sitting here and preaching that you shouldn’t do dumb things…it’s a big part of how we learn. But know that it is plenty okay to take your time, taking baby steps, to ensure that you’ve got that line.”
Redbull and GoPro’s marketing messages don’t exactly inspire the thoughtful reflection that may be required to judge what’s a good idea and what’s not.
To call out the companies themselves—or their daredevil slogans—would be too easy. They’re just going about their business of selling cola and cameras.
It’s our job to not take their marketing lines too literally, to avoid being swept up in the hype to the point that it affects our judgment. It’s in the hands of every weekend warrior, wannabe world-class, and even pro paddler to avoid that gut-ignoring leap that breaks Keller’s code.
Keller didn’t win the Green Race three times by hucking Gorilla on a caffeine- and fame-fueled whim.
“If you think, ‘it’ll be ok—I’ll probably make it,’ you set yourself up for a possible fail that could put your life, and especially those around you, in grave danger,” he wrote.
It took baby steps to be Pat Keller which, if filmed and set to a Dubstep track, would probably seem pretty lame. “Hard moves on easy whitewater. That is the path.”
This article first appeared in the Early Summer 2014 issue of Rapid Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
