Safety in Avalanche Terrain: A mixed method study on how Norwegian backcountry skiers plan, conduct and evaluate trips

Abstract

Every year backcountry skiers are victims of avalanches, and human errors are recognized as one of the most important factors in explaining why these accidents happen. We used an embedded mixed method design, in which the qualitative data was given priority, in order to investigate how backcountry skiers plan, conduct and evaluate trips in avalanche terrain. In all, a sample of 23 backcountry skiers in Norway answered a short questionnaire before and after trips during the winter season 2018/19. A subsample of the participants (N = 8) were interviewed during the summer of 2019. The qualitative method had a phenomenological approach that utilized a descriptive design, and a thematic analysis was conducted on the written transcripts. Overall, our findings revealed a gap between what the participants planned to do and what they ended up doing on their trips. Such a gap is likely to be influenced by both external terrain factors regarding avalanche hazard, and by human factors. Knowledge and experience proved to be influential in how the participants planned and conducted trips. Answering questions before and after trips contributed to more reflection and learning from trips, as well as situation awareness while conducting trips in avalanche terrain. Our findings have implications for future risk reduction strategies and avalanche education and training.