Join us free of charge for the
6th Annual Adventure Risk
Research Symposium 2024, as part of the Wilderness Risk Management Conference
Online and Salt Lake City, Utah
Co-Chairs: Dr Jeff Jackson and Dr
Clare Dallat
Tuesday October 15, 2024: 3:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
https://algonquincollege.zoom.us/j/93752081776?pwd=zPxXWE1ALmLCRni58mLjfPAZJYrsyo.1 Meeting ID: 937 5208 1776: Password: 043631
Towards a Wildfire Danger Rating System for
Outdoor Adventure Programs
Brendan Madden, Outward Bound Canada; WRMC
Steering Committee
Danger rating scales are a common tool in outdoor risk management. For
example, in North America, avalanche forecasters use a scale that grades the
avalanche hazard from low to extreme for individual geographic locations.
Outdoor adventure programs (OAPs) operating in avalanche terrain will have
designed operational policies and parameters for different points on the scale.
In other words, the organizations will adjust their behaviour in a systematic
manner, according to the gradations of the scale. In sharp contrast, OAPs
operating in areas with wildfire risk lack this clarity. While a very similar
scale of low to extreme is maintained by wildfire managers, there is not the
same clear understanding of what to do, or how to change behaviour, at the
different points of the scale. This represents a serious gap in understanding
and operational response for the OAP sector. As the wildfire risk continues to
rise, the OAP sector’s risk exposure will increase at a similar pace. This
paper explores this practice gap and possible solutions.
Adventuring on Thin Ice:
Perceptions, Adaptations, and Adaptive Capacity of Canadian Mountaineers in the
Face of Climate Change
Brooklyn Rushton, MCC (Master of Climate
Change), PhD Candidate, Department of Geography & Environmental
Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University
Mountain ecosystems globally are highly
susceptible to climate change, posing significant challenges to tourism and
recreation activities, such as mountaineering. Despite the increasing impacts
of climate change on mountaineering documented globally, limited research has
been conducted in a Canadian context. Employing an online survey distributed
via the Alpine Club of Canada, this study examined mountaineers’ perceptions of
climate change and behavioural adaptations. Results
from over 250 respondents indicated that climbers are highly concerned about
climate change, have observed a decrease in the beauty of the mountain
landscape and an increase in the severity of mountain hazards, and are
motivated to feel connected to an environment that may not exist in the future.
Results also revealed that climbers are already adapting to climate change
impacts, with most adopting spending additional time on trip preparedness,
planning, and training. Climbers have also adopted substitution behaviours to
change when, where, and if they engaged in mountaineering pursuits to minimize
exposure to climate change-related hazards. Overall, while mountaineers are
adapting, there remain concerns over the sustainability of mountaineering
amidst accelerating climate-induced ecosystem changes in mountain environments.
The loss of access to meaningful life experiences in the mountains identified
by respondents is of particular concern and demands future research.
Climate
Change Impacts Upon Outdoor Organizations in 2023
Dr Jeff Jackson, Algonquin
College, Canada & Stuart Slay M.S., Slay Risk Solutions
This research investigated the impact that climate change
was having upon outdoor recreation and tourism operations in 2023. Respondents
from 127 outdoor organizations completed an online survey assessing the impacts
of climate change and severe weather. Findings indicated that climate change is
having moderate to serious impacts upon outdoor operations: extreme heat and
air quality were of primary concern, with storm event flooding, wildfire,
snowpack, and changes in range of disease carrying insects’ being top concerns.
Less than half of operations have established criteria to aid in decision
making, yet most had to revise operational plans in 2023 due to extreme
weather. There was pervasive uncertainty regarding decisions involving extreme
heat and air quality, and uncertainty regarding trusted sources for guidance,
and the many overlapping or contradictory jurisdictional recommendations.
Enhancing
Decision Support in the Outdoor Sector: The National Centre for Outdoor Risk
and Readiness Australian Weather Survey
Dr Loren
Miller and Nicola Hansen, National Centre for Outdoor Risk and Readiness
Australia & Outward Bound Australia
This presentation discusses findings from
the National Centre for Outdoor Risk and Readiness Australian Weather Survey,
conducted in collaboration with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The study
explored the resource needs, professional development gaps, and the reliance on
weather services for safety management within the outdoor sector in Australia.
Key findings indicate significant challenges and existing gaps in training,
with recommendations focusing on enhancing weather safety practices through informed
and tailored interventions.
Gender Differences in
Adolescents’ Help-Seeking Behaviours and Intentions for Psychosocial Problems
in Led Outdoor Activities
Jolene A. Cox1, Melissa
M. Trapp1,2, and Scott McLean1
1Centre for Human Factors and
Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia
2School of Health, University of the
Sunshine Coast, Australia
Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable
period for psychosocial problems (difficulties in areas of personal and social
functioning) to manifest. Experiences of psychosocial problems can lead to not
only transient emotional distress but also more severe mental health issues
that persist into adulthood. However, many adolescents who experience
psychosocial problems do not often seek help. The present study investigated
adolescents’ help-seeking behaviours and intentions for psychosocial problems
in led outdoor activity (LOA)—in which thousands of adolescents participate
annually. Existing data (psychosocial incident reports involving 174
adolescents) from the ‘Understanding and Preventing Led Outdoor Accidents Data
System’ (UPLOADS) was analysed to investigate adolescents’ help-seeking
behaviours. Additional survey data (from 22 adolescent participants) was
collected and analysed to investigate adolescents’ help-seeking intentions. The
results indicate that in LOAs, more female adolescents actively sought help for
a psychosocial problem compared to male adolescents, but more male adolescents
were observed to have experienced a psychosocial problem compared to
female adolescents. There were no gender differences in help-seeking
intentions. It is recommended that the LOA sector develop gender-specific
strategies to encourage adolescents’ help-seeking behaviours. Additionally,
future research is needed to better understand adolescents’ help-seeking
behaviours in the LOA setting.