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https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-18874| Publication type: | Article in scientific journal |
| Type of review: | Peer review (publication) |
| Title: | Do avalanche airbags lead to riskier choices among backcountry and out-of-bounds skiers? |
| Authors: | Haegeli, Pascal Rupf, Reto Karlen, Barbara |
| et. al: | No |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jort.2019.100270 10.21256/zhaw-18874 |
| Published in: | Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
| Volume(Issue): | 32 |
| Issue: | 100270 |
| Issue Date: | 18-Nov-2019 |
| Publisher / Ed. Institution: | Elsevier |
| ISSN: | 2213-0780 |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | Free riding; Winter sports; Recreation; Discrete choice experiment; Safety equipment; Motivation |
| Subject (DDC): | 150: Psychology 700: The arts and entertainment |
| Abstract: | While the effectiveness of airbags for reducing mortality in avalanche involvements has been examined in various studies, the question of whether the added safety benefit might lead to increased risk-taking – a phenomenon referred to as risk compensation or risk homeostasis – has only been tackled by a few researchers. Building on the existing research on airbags, risk compensation, and stated terrain preferences in winter backcountry recreation, we conducted an extensive online survey including a discrete choice experiment to approach the topic of avalanche airbags and risk compensation from multiple perspectives. Our study sample consists of 163 airbag owners and 243 non-owners mainly from Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. The analyses of the survey responses provide both indirect and direct evidence that risk compensation in response to avalanche airbags is likely within at least certain segments of the recreational backcountry and out-of-bounds skiing population. Initial indirect evidence on risk compensation is provided by examining participants’ responses to airbag attitude and use questions using the framework of Hedlund (2000). The stated terrain preferences in our discrete choice experiment with and without airbags indicate that non-owners of airbags might make more aggressive terrain choices when they are given an airbag, whereas the preference patterns of owners did not change when the airbag was taken away from them. Finally, our analysis of avalanche involvement rates with and without airbags offers the most direct evidence that more thrill-seeking backcountry users are taking higher risks when equipped with airbags. The paper concludes with a discussion that highlights that the potential for risk compensation is not a strong argument against the use of avalanche airbags. |
| URI: | https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/18874 |
| Fulltext version: | Published version |
| License (according to publishing contract): | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0: Attribution - Non commercial - No derivatives 4.0 International |
| Departement: | Life Sciences and Facility Management |
| Organisational Unit: | Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR) |
| Appears in collections: | Publikationen Life Sciences und Facility Management |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haegeli_Rupf_Karlen_2019_Airbag_Risk.pdf | 917.78 kB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |
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Haegeli, P., Rupf, R., & Karlen, B. (2019). Do avalanche airbags lead to riskier choices among backcountry and out-of-bounds skiers? Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 32(100270). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2019.100270
Haegeli, P., Rupf, R. and Karlen, B. (2019) ‘Do avalanche airbags lead to riskier choices among backcountry and out-of-bounds skiers?’, Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 32(100270). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2019.100270.
P. Haegeli, R. Rupf, and B. Karlen, “Do avalanche airbags lead to riskier choices among backcountry and out-of-bounds skiers?,” Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, vol. 32, no. 100270, Nov. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.jort.2019.100270.
HAEGELI, Pascal, Reto RUPF und Barbara KARLEN, 2019. Do avalanche airbags lead to riskier choices among backcountry and out-of-bounds skiers? Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. 18 November 2019. Bd. 32, Nr. 100270. DOI 10.1016/j.jort.2019.100270
Haegeli, Pascal, Reto Rupf, and Barbara Karlen. 2019. “Do Avalanche Airbags Lead to Riskier Choices among Backcountry and Out-of-Bounds Skiers?” Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 32 (100270). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2019.100270.
Haegeli, Pascal, et al. “Do Avalanche Airbags Lead to Riskier Choices among Backcountry and Out-of-Bounds Skiers?” Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, vol. 32, no. 100270, Nov. 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2019.100270.
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