There is a dilemma journalists face whenever there is a tragedy involving someone doing a so-called extreme sport.
We have to cover death as part of our jobs to inform and educate the public, but we don't want to exploit or sensationalize the death or make something rare seem more common than it is.
Another aspect of covering tragedies, like the death of the 22-year-old woman who died while highlining in Cheakamus Canyon, is that, often because the sport is more niche, it is a very tight-knit community that hasn't typically opened up to the public through the media or by other means.
This is certainly an issue with sports like BASE jumping, for example.
This creates a situation where a fatality occurs within a unique sport unfamiliar to much of the general public.
Once the story is public, inevitably, keyboard warriors pound out comments about the sport the person died during being "crazy" or foolhardy.
This pulls the community, which is already grieving, further within itself.
So, as media, we do and should try to inform readers about tragedies, while also grounding our language in reality.
According to the International Slackline Association (ISA), among a population of about 10,000 athletes, highlining has seen nine deaths over 15 years.
Based on available records, there hadn't been a highline athlete death in North America before the one in Squamish on Friday.
Beyond a social media post explaining what happened, there isn't an official report yet on what happened to the young woman, but there will be.
The ISO and the slackline community in general are very safety conscious and log all incidents, including near misses, so that others can learn from them.
We encourage readers to consider the impact on families and communities affected by such tragedies before posting comments.
Previously, when we wrote stories on Squamish slacklining and highlining, the sense of a community was what was mentioned most by those involved. It is a family of people who support, care, mentor and love one another. They will need each other more now.
A spokesperson for the BC Slackline & Highline Association told The Squamish Chief it did not want to comment on the recent death out of respect for the victim’s family, but did pass along a nod to those who went to the woman’s aid.
“Thank you to all first responders and members of the community who did everything they could to attend to our friend."
We share this sentiment and send along our condolences to all those suffering over the rare and shocking loss of one of their own.
