Surgeon who suffered health issues turns to daredevil ski action on “impossible” mountain slopes—to relax.
From The Siberian Times: It is one of the world’s most dangerous places, with sheer drops, vertical slopes, and the constant risk of avalanche. Located on the eastern side of Belukha Mountain, Butylochka glacier—”The Bottle Neck,” in English—has been described as “impossible” to ski. Yet it is here, in the heart of this remote Siberian ice field, that one man incredibly came to relax.
At first glance, Dmitry Shchitov appears every bit the typical adrenaline junky, dicing with death on terrifying 80-degree slopes. But instead, he views his daredevil actions as nothing more than a hobby and a way to unwind from the pressures of the past.
Now 56 years old, he spent a decade working as an oncologist in Kemerovo, Russia, before suffering from stress and other health issues.
“When I was about 30, I got serious problems,” he said. “I had a lot of stress at work, which I helped to relieve by playing football. Whatever the weather, we played for several hours.
“But then I tore my meniscus, so I couldn’t play anymore and my health was getting worse and worse. I was so young, yet I was getting really sick. I had problems with my arms and legs, and at some point all these health issues got to me and I thought the time had come to change it all.”
