Mountaineers' Risk Perception in Outdoor-Adventure Sports: A Study of Sex and Sports Experience

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine mountaineers' (expert, less-experienced, nonparticipant) risk perception in 19 outdoor-adventure sports related to their sex and sports experience. A total of 299 experienced mountaineers (90 women, 209 men), 321 less-experienced mountaineers (110 women, 211 men) and 193 volunteers nonparticipants in sport (95 women and 98 men) took part. Data were collected with items on a Likert-type 5-point scale. Test-retest over 15 days ranged from .64–86. A two-way variance analysis of sex × group showed that men's mean risk perception was lower than that of women for orienteering, mountain biking, rowing, surfing, sailing, nordic skiing, tour skiing, snowboarding, parachuting, and cliff jumping. Also, experienced mountaineers' mean risk perception was lower than that of those less experienced.

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