Powder snow is becoming an increasingly sought-after resource in the backcountiy areas
of British Columbia. This thesis focuses on conflicts between backcountiy skiing,
helicopter skiing, and snowmobiling in British Columbia, with particular emphasis on the
social-psychological causes of the conflicts. The relative susceptibility to conflict of each
activity is addressed through an examination of the literature on outdoor recreation
conflict, and a series of statements are developed which are aimed at identifying the socialpsychological
causes of conflict for each individual activity.
The statements developed out of the literature are applied to a case study based on
research done in the Revelstoke region of British Columbia. Surveys were distributed to
backcountiy skiers, helicopter skiers and snowmobilers and, in this thesis, the survey data
is presented and analysed with a view to developing an understanding of the differences
between the demographic profiles and attitudes of participants in each of the three winter
activities.
In the case of backcountiy skiing, helicopter skiing, and snowmobiling, it is evident that
there exists a sort of "hierarchy of conflict" with backcountiy skiing being much more
susceptible to conflict than either of the other activities. This difference in susceptibility is
explained through an examination of the qualities of each activity which make it more or
less susceptible to conflict, and it is demonstrated that the susceptibility to conflict of outdoor recreation activities can be predicted through the examination of a set of
particular characteristics inherent to each individual activity.
Finally, the policy governing commercial recreation in British Columbia is examined in
terms of its efficacy in identifying and preventing potential conflicts. Some suggestions
are made for improving policy and policy development. The conflicts between
backcountiy skiing, helicopter skiing, and snowmobiling can be seen as a microcosm of
the kinds of conflicts which arise between competing users of any natural resource. Some
of the findings of this thesis have very broad implications, including the demonstration of
the following: the apparent dichotomy between environmental impact and economic
interests; the globalisation of the economy; the importance of public participation in the
development of policy; the inadequacy of zoning as a means of conflict prevention; the
need for an evolution from a "frontier" mentality to future planning; the importance of
responsibilities, as well as rights; the need for more tools for managing conflicts. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/4140 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Cooper, Laurie Anne |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 8613689 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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