A frame grab from a video shows Denis Burakov and Vladimir Shcherbakov about to roll downhill in a zorb — a giant, transparent plastic ball — at the Dombai ski resort in the rugged Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia.
The zorb bounced off its intended path and over a rocky ledge before disappearing down a gorge below Mount Mussa-Achitara.
The Emergencies Ministry said both men were ejected from the zorb as it tumbled and they landed on the snow about 30 feet apart after having rolled about a mile. Burakov suffered serious spinal injuries and died on the way to the hospital. Shcherbakov suffered a concussion and other injuries and remains hospitalized.
