North America’s first officially designated backcountry ski area, the Hankin-Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area (Hankin) in northern British Columbia, offers mountain communities seeking alternative recreational amenities an interesting model to emulate. The aim of the research is to explore backcountry ski area design by assessing the quality of both the ski area design elements and the ski experience at Hankin. A case study and a questionnaire were used to gather information about the ski experience and site design. Analysis explores the desired ski experience reported in the questionnaires and the preferred ski area design elements obtained from the case study, direct observations and the questionnaires. Conclusions suggest ski area design elements affect the quality of the ski experience and that backcountry skiers desire a wilderness experience. Findings can be used to inform the design of these unique wilderness recreation areas and expand upon the current knowledge of ski area design.

Title: Experience and risk sensation in ski touring Objectives: Main goal of this thesis is the analysis of experience and risk sensation of people practicing ski touring. To discover how athletes perceive these conditions and fears during the given activity, how does it influence their behavior and what are they doing to minimize the risks. Methods: All the data presented in the empirical part of this thesis were collected through semi-structured interview and a questionnaire with closed questions. There were 44 participants in the study between the age of 20 and 51. The data obtained through an online questionnaire were evaluated using Microsoft Office Excel 2010. The outcome values were entered into a clear table and further used for a more detailed analysis. The interviews were recorded using a tape recorder. The audio recordings were transcribed into a text version. After that the document was evaluated and rephrased into a more comprehensible form and divided into categories using coding method, which helped simplify the text manipulation. Results: The results of our work show that ski touring is a very emotional activity. Ski tourists experience many emotional, aesthetic and socially cultural experiences. Furthermore, the respondents also experience the state of optimum flow, which becomes...

This project investigates the merging of performance apparel from mountain biking and ski touring, based on the emerging trend in combining mountain biking and ski touring as sports. Designing apparel for a combination of sports could contribute to a sustainable change in the outdoor industry by affecting the design thinking, demand and consumerism. All the garments are developed based on the female body and needs. This is shown through both commercial pieces and experimental pieces, with garment shapes that are both similar and not so similar to existing garments. Material placement is based on movement and thermoregulatory responses of the female athlete and plays an important part to achieve both expression and function in the garments. The methodology is explained through five parts; field testing, sketching, prototyping, experimenting and evaluation, which are used both numerical and independently of each other. This resulted in a collection of seven outfits where three of these are produced and the remaining four are illustrated through development, sketches and technical descriptions. Results show suggestions of how a combination between sports could be developed and used. It also shows potential to be developed even further into other various directions.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether ski tourers in the Swedish mountains have enough knowledge and experience to perform the activity safely. Adventure oriented activities that demands equipment has over the last years increased among outdoor practitioners in Sweden. Because of the growth, ski touring equipment have had a rapid development and made the activity more accessible. In the northern parts of Sweden a survey- and a field study, were examine risk behavior, avalanche equipment and techbindings. The results shows that ski touring has increased over the last years and that the activity is mainly performed by young men that are experienced downhill skiers. According to the result men seems to have a higher risk acceptance and many off-piste skiers are prepared to take risks to get good skiing/ski touring. Nearly everyone from the study are carrying avalanche equipment, but it seems like some are not sufficiently prepared in case of an accident. The results also indicates that some ski tourers dis-trust the retention function of techbindings and some manually lock out the release mechanism of the binding exposing themselves to a high risk of lower leg injury.

This thesis is focused on aspects of mountains activities as a ski touring, hiking and mountaineering. This field of sports are associated with the risk of altitude sickness. The thesis examines key parameters that contribute to the emergence of altitude sickness. The other examinees parameters are weather conditions, influence of high altitude, physical training and physiological manifestations of individual person. The aim of this thesis was find out which sports are the most affected by high altitude sickness. And what are the most common symptoms of altitude sickness. It was based on the literature and questionnaire.