Thesis (M.A.(Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

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L'objet de ce travail est d'examiner l'appropriation locale d'un changement global d'imaginaire, qui transforme les montagnes, leur environnement et leurs sociétés en objets de désirs et de consommations touristiques. Cette étude s'inscrit dans le temps long (entre la fin du XVIIIe siècle et la fin du XXe) et s'appuie sur un espace pionnier du tourisme européen. La mise en tourisme d'éléments de l'environnement (paysages, eaux, biosphère, climat, neige) et de certains modes de vie, place quelques territoires de montagne au cœur d'un mouvement économique, social et culturel éminemment contemporain. Le tourisme, dont l'apparition est concomitante de l'industrialisation, s'impose comme une forme de compensation face aux « débordements » industriels et urbains, comme un complément indispensable de la modernisation. Il connaît des taux de croissance forts qui en font un secteur à part entière de l'économie contemporaine. À chaque moment de cette histoire, certaines régions des Pyrénées s'illustrent au meilleur niveau d'équipement et de réputation et permettent d'interroger sur le temps long les problématiques posées par l'aménagement en montagne. Dans ces Pyrénées, le secteur touristique se construit d'abord localement, au contact des désirs des visiteurs. L'intervention publique est déterminante : des communes aménagent et expérimentent des modes de gestion de biens productifs (thermes, casinos, stations de ski). Elles sont appuyées par les préfectures et les administrations déconcentrées. L'État en tant que tel n'intervient, lui, que tardivement. Cette étude comparative et transfrontalière permet sinon de mettre en lumière des facteurs qui influent sur la trajectoire des aires et stations touristiques, qu'il s'agisse de thermalisme, d'excursions en montagne ou de sports d'hiver. Un exemple, celui de la station en site vierge de Superbagnères, invite en particulier à reconsidérer l'histoire traditionnellement faite des aménagements touristiques hivernaux. Cette recherche tente par ailleurs d'appliquer le concept d'hétérotopie, cette utopie effectivement réalisée, au tourisme ; elle interroge pour ce faire le versant social de l'aménagement, qui doit assurer le bon ordre et la sécurité dans les stations. Les effets du tourisme sur l'environnement sont également abordés : très tôt, les urbanisations accroissent l'exposition aux risques naturels, artificialisent les sols, posent des problèmes d'assainissement, tandis que les excursions et les consommations diverses augmentent la pression sur la biosphère. Cette étude s'intéresse aussi au partage de l'espace et aux conflits d'usage avec l'industrie et l'agriculture ; elle met en avant leurs liens avec la protection de la nature. Elle restitue, enfin, l'importance de la frontière et de l'imaginaire géographique dans les trajectoires économiques et touristiques. / The aim of this work is to consider the local appropriation of a global change of imaginary, which transforms the mountains, their environment and their societies into objects of touristic desires and consumables since the eighteenth century. This study examines a long period of time (between the end of the 18th century and the end of the 20th century) and draws on a pioneering area regarding European tourism (French and Spanish Pyrenees). The touristic transformation of environmental elements (landscapes, waters, biosphere, climate, snow) and specific lifestyles puts some mountain spaces at the core of a highly contemporary economic, social and cultural movement. Tourism, which emergence coincides with industrialization, appears as a form of compensation for industrial and urban "overflows" and as an essential complement to modernization. Its strong growth rates make it a full-fledged sector of the contemporary economy. All along this history, some regions of the Pyrenees reach the best level of equipment and reputation.

Snowmobiling is one of the major outdoor winter sports in Cache County, Utah. Despite its popularity, it has run into several problems, among which the most noticeable is its conflict with other winter recreationists, namely, cross-country skiers and snowshoers. In order to resolve this conflict, one must first understand more about each group involved. As such, the purpose of this research was to obtain information on the snowmobiler in Cache County, Utah. Specifically, the objectives of the study were: (1) to identify the attitudes of the snowmobiler toward leisure and the environment; (2) to identify and compare occupations, SES, and social characteristics with studies in other regions; (3) to identify and compare aspects such as when, where, and why they go snowmobiling and the areas preferred by them with studies in other regions; and (4) to identify their other leisure-time activities. To collect the data, the names of the Cache County snowmobilers were obtained from tax assessment receipts at the Cache County Courthouse. From a total list of 501 names, a sample of 250 was selected by a simple random procedure. A questionnaire composed of Burdge's Leisure Orientation Scale, an environmental orientation scale, and usage, ownership, and demographic questions was sent to the sample population with a 59 percent usable return rate. The data was then analyzed by the following SPSS programs to meet the objective of the study: marginals, t-test, and chi square. Analysis of the data revealed the following major characteristics of the Cache County, Utah snowmobilers: (1) They are typically male, married with between three and four children per family, have a high school education or above, have a median income above the median income for Utah of $9,320.00, and hold either a blue- or white-collar occupation. (2) They hold a slight preservationist orientation toward the environment. (3) They have a moderately strong leisure orientation. (4) They snowmobile primarily on weekends with friends or family with the primary area of use being the Cache National Forest. (5) The main reason for buying or still owning a snowmobile was "snowmobiling for pleasure." Upon comparison with the findings of this research with studies conducted in other regions, the conclusion is reached that the Cache County, Utah snowmobilers are much like their counterparts in other regions of the country.

Title: Customer behavior and brand preferences in a snowboard shop Objectives: The main aim of this thesis is to find out what are customers during their purchase of winter sports clothes and equipment influenced by and what are their decisions based on. Another task is revealing what brands in the Snowboardel shop belong to the most known and preferred ones. Methods: In this thesis there is used the method of iterrogation and the method of analysis. The iterrogative method was used to collect the information essential for the research. Afterwards were these information analysed to find out the internal relations and its causes. Results: The research revealed that customers are during their purchase mainly influenced by the quality, design and price of the winter sports products. They also usually think their purchase thoroughly out. Among brands the big and well-known world snowboarding brands are usually most known and preferred. Keywords: Customer behavior, brand, winter sports equipment, customer preferences

Objective Small chemical hand and foot warmers are used by many winter sport athletes and other outdoor enthusiasts. The purpose of this study was to characterize the thermal behaviors of 14 commercially available hand and foot warmers. Methods Both types of warmers were instrumented with a fast-responding thermistor. One of each pair of warmers was placed in a boot or glove. Temperature was recorded in a data logger for a period of hours to more than a day until the heat output of the devices ceased and returned to room temperature. Thermal behaviors were characterized and graphed, including peak temperature, time to peak temperature, and duration of temperature greater than 30°C. Reliability was determined by comparing thermal behavior of 2 hand or foot warmers of the same type and from the same manufacturer. Comparisons were also made between package claims and measured behaviors. Results Measured outcomes were most noteworthy in their variability within and between manufacturers and types of warmers. A strong correlation was found between the masses of the warmers and their duration of heat production. Conclusions Although there is a paucity of research information on these types of warmers, this experiment showed that some of the devices exceeded packaging claims while others fell short; that the thermal behavior over time of the devices was variable; and that there appears to be a simple but strong relationship between the mass of the devices and the duration of their heat production.

Climate change has been referred to as the ‘greatest challenge to the sustainability of the global tourism industry in the 21st century’ (UNWTO-UNEP-WMO, 2008). As a result, climate change is one of the most widely discussed environmental and sustainable development topics today. The winter tourism industry has been repeatedly identified as being vulnerable to climate change. The implications for winter tourism include a lack of snow in winter sport destinations, increased snowmaking and operational costs, shorter winter sports season, decreased visitation, and the potential for a loss of ski area operations. The intent of this study was to understand the adaptive behaviours of skiers/snowboarders taken in response to climate conditions. More specifically the objectives of this research were: to examine how skiers/snowboarders have responded to changing snow conditions in the past as well as how they may react in the future, to understand the role of substitution (time, place, activity) within specific behavioural responses to both past and future snow conditions, and to examine the extent to which activity commitment and place loyalty influence climate-induced behavioural change. Skier/snowboarder surveys were distributed at seven resorts in the New England states of Vermont and New Hampshire during the winter months of February and March 2010. A total of 572 surveys was collected and analyzed. The research findings revealed that skiers and snowboarders in New England are very loyal to their preferred winter resorts and are extremely loyal to the New England region. Only a small percentage of respondents said that they would travel outside New England to find better snow conditions. The level of a skier’s/snowboarder’s involvement in the sport, as well as their level of destination loyalty were also found to be important determinants of substitution behaviors. As climate change causes more significant changes to the mountain landscape and snow conditions, understanding how different tourist segments react to climate change and related environmental change is important for various tourism stakeholders: ski resort managers, nearby communities and also states that are dependent on this winter tourism revenue.

Climate change has been referred to as the ‘greatest challenge to the sustainability of the global tourism industry in the 21st century’ (UNWTO-UNEP-WMO, 2008). As a result, climate change is one of the most widely discussed environmental and sustainable development topics today. The winter tourism industry has been repeatedly identified as being vulnerable to climate change. The implications for winter tourism include a lack of snow in winter sport destinations, increased snowmaking and operational costs, shorter winter sports season, decreased visitation, and the potential for a loss of ski area operations. The intent of this study was to understand the adaptive behaviours of skiers/snowboarders taken in response to climate conditions. More specifically the objectives of this research were: to examine how skiers/snowboarders have responded to changing snow conditions in the past as well as how they may react in the future, to understand the role of substitution (time, place, activity) within specific behavioural responses to both past and future snow conditions, and to examine the extent to which activity commitment and place loyalty influence climate-induced behavioural change. Skier/snowboarder surveys were distributed at seven resorts in the New England states of Vermont and New Hampshire during the winter months of February and March 2010. A total of 572 surveys was collected and analyzed. The research findings revealed that skiers and snowboarders in New England are very loyal to their preferred winter resorts and are extremely loyal to the New England region. Only a small percentage of respondents said that they would travel outside New England to find better snow conditions. The level of a skier’s/snowboarder’s involvement in the sport, as well as their level of destination loyalty were also found to be important determinants of substitution behaviors. As climate change causes more significant changes to the mountain landscape and snow conditions, understanding how different tourist segments react to climate change and related environmental change is important for various tourism stakeholders: ski resort managers, nearby communities and also states that are dependent on this winter tourism revenue.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wyoming, 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Dec. 1, 2008). An interdisciplinary thesis in Sociology and Environment & Natural Resources. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-86).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-78). Also available on the World Wide Web.