HEADING OFF DISASTER

Like the beer commercials that end with a plea to drink responsibly, sponsors of the X Games punctuated the extreme-sports event of speed and wild jumps with a sobering note: Trying the death-defying jumps, flips and spins televised at the X Games could be hazardous to your health.

The message was delivered by Dr. John R. Tongue, now known on some slopes as Dr. Killjoy, an Oregon orthopedic surgeon who was flown into to the Aspen, Colo., event headquarters two weeks ago and made available along with the high-flying stars to X Games reporters.

Jeep, a sponsor of this event, apparently wanted to tie in the safety pitch with assurances to Jeep buyers that their rugged all-wheel-drive vehicles can get you safely to the slopes and back home. In between is another matter.

Dr. Tongue’s offered this educated advice:

•When falling, don’t use your hand as a cushion. Instead, put your hand in a fist and bring it toward your body. That way, you won’t break your fingers or your wrist.

•Wear a helmet.

Even then, winter slopes sports will be good for the livelihoods of orthopedists. One in 30 people injure themselves enough on the slopes to require an emergency room visit, Tongue said. He’s seen them all: sprains, dislocations, fractures, torn ligaments.

Right on cue, during an on-the-slope interview, two big men lug an injured skier on their shoulders down from the mountain. “I’ve skied 50 years injury-free,” Tongue says in a proud tone.

The crowd cheered as Simon Dumont nails a 1260 (three-and-a-half revolutions of the body in the air) up on the pipe.

“It’s thrilling stuff,” Tongue says of the acrobatic moves. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this. But you have to be physically fit and train to do those kinds of high-risk sports.”

The doc offered a story about skiing with his son, who was 16 at the time 11 years ago. Son asked dad to follow him off a jump, with the following rationale: You probably won’t fall, and even if you fall, you probably wouldn’t get hurt.

“That about sums up a lot of the strategic thinking of his generation,” Tongue says.

(Outdoors editor Rich Landers and Boaz Herzog of The Oregonian contributed to this story.)