Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal Volume 3 | Issue 1 Article 2 2015 Would You Survive? A Study of Outdoor Safety, Self-Reported Skill, and Life Satisfaction in Outdoor Sports Keith M. Heintzelman University of Northern Colorado, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, Business Commons, Education Commons, Life Sciences Commons, Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Heintzelman, Keith M. (2015) "Would You Survive? A Study of Outdoor Safety, Self-Reported Skill, and Life Satisfaction in Outdoor Sports," Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal: Vol. 3 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 This Research Article is brought to you for free and open access by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal. It has been accepted for inclusion in Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal by an authorized editor of Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal. Would You Survive? A Study of Outdoor Safety, Self-Reported Skill, and Life Satisfaction in Outdoor Sports Keywords outdoor sports, outdoor safety, outdoor skill, life satisfaction This research article is available in Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal: http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 Heintzelman: Outdoor Safety, Skill, & Satisfaction Would You Survive? A Study of Outdoor Safety, Self-Reported Skill, and Life Satisfaction in Outdoor Sports Currently, a record number of Americans are participating in outdoor sports and recreation. According to The Outdoor Foundation’s Outdoor Participation Report 2014, a national study conducted in 2013, 142.6 million participants engaged in at least one outdoor activity for a combined total of 12.1 billion outings. These participation rates were determined by involvement in at least one of forty two outdoor activities and sports identified by The Outdoor Foundation, which include: Adventure racing, backpacking, bicycling (BMX), bicycling (mountain/non-paved surface), bicycling (road/paved surface), bird watching, boardsailing/wind- surfing, car or backyard camping, RV camping, canoeing, climbing (sport/indoor/boulder), climbing (traditional/ice/ mountaineering), fly fishing, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, hiking, hunting (rifle), hunting (shotgun), hunting (handgun), hunting (bow), kayak fishing, kayaking (recreational), kayaking (sea/touring), kayaking (white water), rafting, running/jogging, sailing, scuba diving, skateboarding, skiing (alpine/downhill), skiing (crosscountry), skiing (freestyle), snorkeling, snowboarding, snowshoeing, stand-up paddling, surfing, telemarking (downhill), trail running, triathlon (non-traditional/off road), triathlon (traditional/road), wakeboarding and wildlife viewing (The Outdoor Foundation, 2014). Of these, the most popular outdoor sports and activities included running, biking, fishing, camping, and hiking. According to the Physical Activity Council’s 2014 Topline Report, racquet sports, outdoor sports, water sports, and fitness sports have continued at similar levels as previous years. They also found that the 13 to 17 age group continues to become more inactive as are the 25 to 34 year olds, with less of a drop in inactivity for the age groups older than 45. The 6 to 14 year olds enjoy team sports and are also involved in the outdoors as well as individual sports. Six to 12 year olds demonstrated an increased interest in camping while the 18-24 year olds demonstrated more interest in working out with weights or machines. For many adult age groups, swimming, fitness and outdoor activities, including cycling and trail running, rank highest for activity preferences (The Physical Activity Council, 2014). Given the continued and increased interest in outdoor sports among the age groups, it can be assumed that participation in the outdoors carries the potential for injury or serious harm to the participant and/or others. Outdoor Safety Knowledge With a little under half of the population participating in outdoor sports, it stands to reason that a proportion of these participants may find themselves in Published by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, 2015 1 Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 2 situations that require search and rescue (SAR) operations. According to Repanshek (2014), the number one activity that led to requests for search and rescue operations in the national park system was day hiking, for which 1,379 missions were conducted. Despite the perception of being a low risk outdoor activity, day hiking has surpassed all other activities, including high risk activities, in the number of injuries and SAR operations. In 2013, there were 2,348 search and rescue (SAR) missions conducted in the U.S. National Parks system, which is a decrease of 528 fewer missions than in 2012. These 2013 missions cost the national park system approximately $3.8 million, which is less than the $5.2 million in costs accrued for the 2012 rescues (Repanshek, 2014). Since a disproportionate amount of outdoor participation involves hiking, it would be reasonable to conclude that there would be a disproportionate number of injuries and SAR missions for hikers. However, there are numerous other outdoor activities, such as rock climbing, mountaineering or canyoneering that are notably more high-risk for participants. Yet participation in these activities has yielded far fewer SAR missions than for the day hikers (Repanshek, 2014). According to Heggie (2009), 48% of SAR missions in the national parks were in response to hiking (including day hikes and overnight hikes) followed by 21% from boating (including motorized and non-motorized crafts), and then swimming, and last, climbing. These four activities led to 75% of the total number of assistance missions in the national parks system. According to search and rescue data obtained by the National Park Service, the three most cited reasons for needing a SAR mission was due to “fatigue and physical condition”, “error in judgment” and “insufficient information for the trip” (Repanshek, 2014, p. 1). The Outdoor Foundation also found that 23% of 18-24 year-olds responded that they felt that they did not have enough knowledge to recreate in the outdoors (2013). It is clear that judgment and safety knowledge can be key to a satisfying outdoor experience. Outdoor Participation and Life Satisfaction In spite of the risks for injury in the outdoors, the associations between outdoor participation and satisfaction with life have been addressed in the literature using various indicators of well-being and happiness. For example, Marselle, Irvine, and Warber (2014) explored the relationship between well-being and taking group walks in natural settings and found that participants that were engaged in walking had significantly less depression and were better able to mitigate the effects of stress in their lives (see also Duval, 2011). Weng and YenCheng (2014) also demonstrated the positive effects of outdoor participation for reducing anxiety and increasing mental health. In a study of outdoor recreation, West and Merriam (2009) found that the family cohesiveness of participants was enhanced through outdoor participation http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 2 Heintzelman: Outdoor Safety, Skill, & Satisfaction with family members. In Manning’s (2011) definitive book on outdoor recreation satisfaction, the author devoted specific attention to the positive benefits of outdoor participation and satisfaction across a range of activities. In a study of the impacts of outdoor activities, Ardahan and Mert (2012) found that participants demonstrated “harmony in reaching goals, positive individual personality confidence in physical health, and positive social relationships” (p.888-889) from outdoor participation. In a study of mountaineers and rock climbers, Ardahan (2011b) also found that participants were motivated by a need for “physical and mental fitness, physical and mental rehabilitation, to be with friends, to achieve and compete with oneself and others, and finally to spend time with family” (p. 889). For this study, life satisfaction was assessed using the concept of socialpsychological prosperity as a measure of subjective well-being. According to Diener, Wirtz, Tov, Kim-Prieto, Choi, Oishi, & Biswas-Diener (2010) “prosperity” is derived from humanistic psychology theories that purport that “there are several universal human psychological needs, such as the need for competence, relatedness, and self-acceptance” p (144) (See also Dec & Ryan, 2000). They also framed life satisfaction in theories related to social and psychological capital as well as the capacity to support others by giving. Diener et al. (2010) developed the Flourishing Scale to measure a participant’s selfperceived success in “having supportive and rewarding relationships, contributing to the happiness of others, and being respected by others” and “having a purposeful and meaningful life” (p. 144). The Flourishing Scale also measures engagement in self chosen activities, self-respect, optimism, and feelings of competence within an 8-item summary measure. Purpose Given the number of injuries and fatalities that occur in outdoor participation each year, we considered it worthwhile to include a short test of outdoor safety knowledge of various dilemmas/scenarios for analysis as one of three primary variables. The other two primary variables included quantifications of life satisfaction (Flourishing Scale) and self-reported skill in various outdoor sports for correlation and mean differences testing. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore the associations between outdoor safety knowledge, outdoor sports skill, and life satisfaction among outdoor sport participants. This investigation was guided by five research questions: RQ1: What is the relationship between outdoor safety knowledge and overall outdoor sport skills? RQ2: What is the relationship between participant life satisfaction and overall levels of skill in outdoor sports? RQ3: Life satisfaction is most associated with skill levels in which specific type of outdoor sport? Published by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, 2015 3 Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 2 RQ4: Are there difference in outdoor safety knowledge and overall outdoor sports skill between females and males? RQ5: Are there differences in outdoor safety knowledge between urban and rural places of upbringing and by levels of education? Methods Participants An online snowball sample was conducted by creating a link to the survey instrument using the software Qualtrics, which is a university sponsored software for faculty and student research. The study invitation and link to the questionnaire was made available from October 22, 2014 to November 4, 2014. An author posted the link to his personal page on Facebook, on the online forum for MountainBuzz.com, and on the following Facebook Groups: Caving Has No Limits, BSAClimbing, Alpine Campus, Outdoor Education, Colorado Mountain College, Yampa Valley/Colorado Alpine Campus Alums, Boy Scouts of America National Camp School, Canyoneering, and Canyonners of Facebook. On October 26, it was posted to the online forums on Mountainproject.com and Bogley.com and the following Facebook groups: Wood Badge – Inland Northwest Council, Gonzaga Climbing, and Collegiate Climbing Series – Rocky Mountain Region. In all, 298 respondents participated in this study, but 79 questionnaires were excluded from analysis for incomplete items in any of the three primary variables (outdoor safety knowledge, self-reported skill in outdoor sports, and life satisfaction indicators). The remaining (n=219) participants were analyzed. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 74 years. Of the 219 participants, 26.9% were female and 69.4% were male. Respondents who grew up in a rural setting (44.4%) were in similar proportion to the 44.8% who grew up in an urban setting including the thirteen respondents that they were from outside the United States. Of the respondents, 53.5% indicated they possessed a bachelors or graduate degree and a combined 30.3% indicated they had some college or an associates/technical degree, and 4.1% indicated having a high school diploma. The majority (33.6 %) of the sample earned $50,000-$99,999 a year, followed by 18% that earned $25,000 – $49,999 and less than $24,999 (also at 18%) and 17.4% earned more than $100,000 a year. Overall, the sample indicated the most outdoor skill in the order of camping, hiking, and backpacking with the least reported skill in watersports and hunting/fishing sports. Measures The instrument for this study was a 35-item questionnaire assessing outdoor safety knowledge, self-reported levels of skill in outdoor sports, and life satisfaction (Flourishing Scale) indicators. To test outdoor safety knowledge, a 10 item multiple choice outdoor safety quiz (14 points total for multiple correct answers) was developed to test safety knowledge (Cronbach’s Alpha = .60) http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 4 Heintzelman: Outdoor Safety, Skill, & Satisfaction relative to realistic outdoor scenarios. See Table 1 for Outdoor Safety Knowledge Test Items. These items were developed from existing measures used by Boy Scouts of America paddle craft safety course and from an online quiz designed by Backpacker Magazine. To assess outdoor sport skills, participants self-reported their level of skill in eleven categories of outdoor sports (Cronbach’s Alpha = .79). These eleven categories were determined by reducing the 42 most common outdoor activities (The Outdoor Foundation, 2014) into related outdoor sport types that included: hunting/fishing sports, paddle sports, water sports (boardsailing, windsurfing, waterskiing, wakeboarding…), in-water sports (swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling…) running sports, snow sports, climbing sports, cycling sports, backpacking, camping, and hiking categories. Each was assessed on a seven point semantic differential scale (no skill/expert skill) as a measure of self-reported level of skill. In order to measure life satisfaction, the 8-item Flourishing Scale (Diener et al. 2010) was used (Cronbach’s Alpha = .93) with a six point Likert-type scale for agreement or disagreement with the item statements. The following Flourishing Scale items were used for this study: I lead a purposeful and meaningful life. My social relationships are supportive and rewarding. I am engaged and interested in my daily activities. I actively contribute to the happiness and well-being of others. I am competent and capable in the activities that are important to me. I am a good person and live a good life. I am optimistic about my future. People respect me (p.154-155). Last, there were six demographic questions on the questionnaire related to participant’s level of education, household income, gender, age, area of childhood upbringing (rural or urban), and their location based on ZIP Code. Data Analysis In order to answer the first three research questions, a series of Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed using the three continuous variables of outdoor safety knowledge (14 possible points from 10 items), self-reported outdoor sports skill (7 point scale) and life satisfaction from the Flourishing Scale (6 point scale) items. To determine which sport skill level is most associated with life satisfaction, the mean scores for skill in each type of sport were used for assessment of the correlation matrix for significant (p < .05) associations. For the fourth and fifth research questions, a series of t-tests were conducted using outdoor safety knowledge and outdoor sport skill as the continuous test variables Published by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, 2015 5 Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 2 with the categorical variables of gender (female or male) and place of upbringing (urban or rural). Last, in order to determine differences in outdoor safety knowledge by the six levels of education, the data was split by level of education and the mean outdoor safety knowledge (test) scores for each level were computed and assessed by visual inspection and reported in a figure. Results Correlation Testing In order to assess the relationship between outdoor safety knowledge and overall levels of skill in outdoor sports, a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was computed. There was a significant positive correlation between the two variables, r = 0.177, n =219, p = 0.009. There was a positive but weak relationship between a respondent’s outdoor safety knowledge and skill level in outdoor sports. Overall, this revealed that increases in outdoor sport skills were significantly but weakly correlated with increases in outdoor safety knowledge scores. For the second research question, to assess the relationship between user’s life satisfaction and overall levels of skill in outdoor sports, a Pearson productmoment correlation coefficient was computed. There was a significant positive correlation between the two variables, r = 0.266, n =215, p = 0.000. Overall, there was a near moderate correlation between a participant’s life satisfaction scores and overall self-reported levels of outdoor sport skill. This revealed that increases in outdoor sport skill is significantly associated with increases in life satisfaction. In order to determine which specific outdoor sport skill levels were most associated with life satisfaction, a Pearson correlation was computed using the continuous variable of life satisfaction and the eleven continuous variables of sport specific level of skill. The results revealed that increased skill levels in backpacking (r=.207) and snowsports (r=.176) were significantly (p < .01) associated with life satisfaction scores while the remaining nine outdoor sport skill levels were not significantly related to life satisfaction. See Table 2 for Life Satisfaction Correlations with Skill Levels in Specific Outdoor Sports. These results indicated that increases in skills in backpacking and snowsports, two of the eleven types of outdoor sports, were most related to increases in life satisfaction. Means Testing For the fourth research question an independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare outdoor safety knowledge scores and outdoor sport skill scores between females and males. There was a significant difference in the safety knowledge scores between females (M= 8.97, SD= 1.71) and males (M= 9.55, SD= 1.68); t (209) = -2.25, p = 0.03 although the difference was slight. There was a significant difference between the outdoor sport skill scores for females (M= 3.52, SD= 1.05) and males (M= 4.37, SD= .84); t (209) =-6.12, p = 0.02 but not a large mean difference. These results suggest that there was a minimal yet http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 6 Heintzelman: Outdoor Safety, Skill, & Satisfaction significant difference in safety knowledge scores between the genders and there was a slightly greater difference in the amount of self-reported skill between the genders of which males indicated having more self-reported skill than females. For the fifth research question an independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare safety knowledge scores between rural and urban places of upbringing. There was an insignificant difference in the knowledge scores for rural (M=9.5, SD= 1.6) and urban (M= 9.6, SD= 1.8) places of upbringing; t (211) =1.23, p = 0.329, since the mean scores were nearly identical. A visual inspection of the mean scores for safety knowledge by level of education also revealed minimal differences overall. The greatest disparity in safety knowledge was most evidenced between those with bachelor’s degree (M = 9.8) and those with some college (M = 8.9). See Figure 1 for Outdoor Safety Knowledge Scores by Level of Education. Results Summary The results indicated that there was a significant yet weak relationship between outdoor safety knowledge and self-reported outdoor sport skill. Similarly, the highly significant (p<.000) and near moderate relationship between life satisfaction and overall outdoor sport skill (backpacking and snow sports), confirmed the commonly understood relationship between activity in the outdoors and leading a satisfied life. Last, this research demonstrated that there was a slight difference in safety knowledge scores between males and females and no difference between urban and rural upbringings. A slightly larger difference between groups was that males reported higher levels of outdoor sport skill than females. The differences in safety knowledge by level of education revealed that those with bachelor degrees scored the highest on the test and those with some college the lowest, although this difference was small. Conclusions Discussion The purpose of this research was to explore the associations between outdoor safety knowledge, outdoor sports skill, and life satisfaction among outdoor sport participants. The authors anticipated an association between knowledge and skill given the logical overlap of the two variables and was able to determine that the relationship was far from strong. This study also confirmed the relationship between outdoor activity and leading a satisfied life. For example, Steele (2014) also demonstrated that individuals who participate in outdoor walking had higher life satisfaction and less depression than those that did not. This study also confirmed previous research by Adahan & Mert (2012) who demonstrated an association between positive experiences in outdoor activity and prolonged life satisfaction. More precisely, this research supported previous studies that found that trekking (similar to backpacking in this study) provided the Published by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, 2015 7 Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 2 participants with high levels of life satisfaction relative to other pursuits (Ardahan, 2011a). While there was a minimal gender difference in outdoor safety knowledge scores, males also indicated higher self-reported scores for outdoor sport skills than females. While males on average may participate with greater frequency in outdoor sports than females (The Outdoor Foundation, 2014), this difference was not found in notably higher safety knowledge scores in various outdoor scenarios. Furthermore, of the total number of National Park Service search and rescue missions, 60.2% were for males (Heggie, 2009), with the highest frequency (20.3%) occurring in the 20 - 29 age range. This may be explained by a tendency for male respondents to overestimate skills or over report their skills in survey research. Yet if males that participate in the outdoors do possess more skill on average than females, and perhaps put themselves in more high risk adventure situations on average than females, it could be reasoned that the majority of rescues would be for males. It is understood in the literature that women are also more constrained in their leisure opportunities than males (Harrington & Dawson, 1995; Jackson & Henderson, 1995). One explanation is that women share a majority of household responsibilities (Ardahan, 2011a) and may differ in their preferences for outdoor sport participation. According to Ibrahim and Cordes (2002), outdoor sports are largely male dominated industries but the gap is closing with higher female participation rates. Despite the gap, Ardahan (2011a) found that once women were involved in the outdoors they reported a higher life satisfaction than their male counterparts. A visual comparison of safety knowledge scores by level of education revealed that respondents who completed a high school or college degree scored the highest in the sample. Perhaps this can be explained by a sense of persistence in learning and achievement through goal accomplishment, which could also be reflected in a sense of safety awareness. Notably, respondents with “some college” scored the lowest on safety knowledge. Similarly, Waterman (1994) wrote of 20 year-old student Gretta Berglund, who took a wilderness educators course in Wyoming and then set out for adventure in Denali National Park and disappeared. Waterman argued that the reason Berglund became lost in Denali was that she became overconfident from her one college course, which provided her with “just enough knowledge to kill herself” (p. 183). Thus it is recommended that outdoor sports enthusiasts also generate sufficient, if not substantial, amounts of safety knowledge, along with requisite skill in the sport, so as to minimize search and rescue scenarios and maximize quality of life. http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 8 Heintzelman: Outdoor Safety, Skill, & Satisfaction References Ardahan, F. (2011a). Examining relation between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction on the example of outdoor sports participants. In 9th International Sport Economy and Management congress, 12–15th Oct 2011, Izmir, Turkey. Ardahan, F. (2011b). The profile of the Turkish mountaineers and rock climbers: the reasons and the carried benefits for attending outdoor sports and life satisfaction level. In 8th International Conference Sport and Quality of Life/2011, 10–11 Nov 2011, Congress Centre-Brno/Czech Republic. Ardahan, F., & Mert, M. (2012), Impacts of Outdoor Activities, Demographic Variables and Emotional Intelligence on Life Satisfaction: An Econometric Application of a Case in Turkey. Social Indicators Research, 113(3), 887-901. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78. Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., Oishi, S., & BiswasDiener, R. (2010). New measures of well-being: Flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research, 97(2), 143-156. Duvall, J. (2011). Enhancing the benefits of outdoor walking with cognitive engagement strategies. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(l), 2735. doi:10.1016/J.Jenvp.2010.09.003 Harrington, M., & Dawson, D. (1995). Who has it best? Women’s labor force participation, perceptions of leisure and constraints to leisure. Journal of Leisure Research, 27, 4–25. Heggie, T. W. (2009, September). Dead Men Walking: Search and Rescue in US National Parks. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 20(3), 244-249. Ibrahim, H., & Cordes, K. A. (2002). Outdoor recreation, enrichment for a lifetime (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing. Manning, R. (2011). Studies in Outdoor Recreation: Search and Research for Satisfaction, Third Edition. Oregon State University Press. Marselle R., Irvine N., and Warber L. (2014, September). Examining Group Walks in Nature and Multiple Aspects of Well-Being: A Large-Scale Study. Ecopsychology, 6(3), 134-147. McMahan, K. K. (2011). Studies in outdoor recreation: Search and research for satisfaction, third edition. Journal of Leisure Research, 43(4), 589-591. Published by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, 2015 9 Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 2 Repanshek, K. (2014, 6 29). Search-And-Rescue Missions Cost National Park Service Nearly $4 Million In 2013. Retrieved from http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2014/06/search-and-rescuemissions-cost-national-park-service-nearly-4-million-201325282 The Outdoor Foundation. (2013). Outdoor Participation Report. Boulder, CO: The Outdoor Foundation. http://www.outdoorfoundation.org/pdf/ResearchParticipation2013.pdf The Outdoor Foundation. (2014). Participation Topline Report. Washington DC: The Outdoor Foundation. http://www.outdoorfoundation.org/pdf/ResearchParticipation2014Topline. pdf The Phsyical Activity Council. (2014). Topline Report. http://physicalactivitycouncil.com/PDFs/current.pdf Waterman, J. (1994). In the Shadow of Denali: Life and Death on Alakska's Mt. McKinley's. Guilford: Lyons Press. Weng, P., & Chiang, Y. (2014). Psychological restoration through indoor and outdoor leisure activities. Journal of Leisure Research, 46(2), 203-217. West, P. C., & Merriam, L. C., J. (2009). Outdoor recreation and family cohesiveness: A research approach. Journal of Leisure Research, 41(3), 351-359. http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 10 Heintzelman: Outdoor Safety, Skill, & Satisfaction Table 1 Outdoor Safety Knowledge Items Items 1-5 You have a cell phone and five bars. Which of the following are legitimate reasons to call for rescue? (Choose all that apply) A) You’re lost on day 2 of a 5-day backpack. B) *You fell 15 feet, got knocked out, and then woke up woozy and confused. C) Your hiking companion dislocated his shoulder. It’s back in now, and pretty sore, but it works OK. D) *Just before dark, your 6-year-old brother wandered away from camp. You can’t find him, and rain has started falling. E) *Your new boyfriend was showing off when he pitched over a cliff with a full pack. He’s conscious, but his lower leg is crooked and he’s squealing in pain. Halfway into a weeklong hike in Glacier National Park, you and your buddy have lost the trail. What’s your next move? A) Shortcut cross-country back toward the path, to avoid wasting daylight. B) *Retrace your steps to your last known landmark. C) Stop, pitch your tent, and start signaling for help. D) Climb to the top of the highest nearby peak to get a better view While crossing a class III pass, you encounter a cliff that requires sketchier rockclimbing moves than you expected. Still, you’ve been doing this stuff for a decade. What now? A) *Look for a route that avoids the hazard, or turn back. B) Buck up and climb on, Dean. Two minutes, and you’ll be in the clear. C) Make a cell call to your spouse and tell her what you’re going to try. D) Rig a safety line with tent cord or your bear-bagging rope. Which of the following is not a safety concern on a river? A) A strong current B) *A rip current C) A strainer D) A low head dam If a capsized boater is unavoidably swept into a strainer, the swimmer should A) Dive underwater to pass beneath Published by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, 2015 11 Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 2 B) Fend off the object while floating feet-first C) *Assume a head first position and try to climb up onto the object D) Swim upstream to ferry around the object Table 1 (Continued) Items 6-10 Your youth group just summited Mt. Marcy, and some of the kids are descending faster than others. As leader, should you round them up? A) Nah, relax and enjoy the hike. The kids might get spread out, but all they have to do is drop back down the same way they came. Besides, you have an adult with a two-way radio sweeping the trail. B) Sort of. Split the adult chaperones to form two distinct hiking groups. C) Yes, by telling the slow kids to cut the switchbacks so they can keep up. D) *Yes. Keep everybody together. That’s the deal and you told them so at the start. Blood is pumping from your thumb after your salami knife slipped. Which of these procedures is not a recommended geyser-stopper? A) Apply a bandage. B) Apply direct pressure on the wound. C) *Apply a tourniquet. D) Hold your thumb up in the air high above your heart You’re at the trailhead, and the box for self-registration is empty. You haven’t told anyone where you’re going or how long you’ll be gone. Walk on? (Choose 2) A) Sure. John Muir never had anyone tracking him. B) *Yep, but leave a note on your dashboard with your trip plan and expected return, and pack your cell phone. C) *Not so fast. Visit or call the nearest ranger station first to report your expected route and return date. D) Yes, with caution. As a veteran hiker, you can count on years of backcountry experience. If you don’t get careless, you’ll be fine http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 12 Heintzelman: Outdoor Safety, Skill, & Satisfaction The most common causes of wilderness fatality are: (Choose 2) A) Flash flood B) Avalanche C) Hypothermia D) Bear attack E) Wasp or bee sting F) *Falls G) *Drowning H) Suicide Hypothermia can be a risk in temps above 55°F A) *True ____ B) False____ * Correct Quiz Answers Published by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, 2015 13 Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 2 Table 2 Life Satisfaction Correlations with Skill Levels in Specific Outdoor Sports Factors (1) (9) (10) (11) (12) 1. Life satisfaction 1.00 2. Hunting / fishing .04 1.00 3. Paddle sports .10 4. Water-sports .07 5. In-water sports .00 6. Running .00 .14* 7. Snow sports .18** .14* 8. Camping .06 .23** 9. Backpacking .20** 10. Hiking / walking .08 .08 11. Cycling .05 .18** 1.00 12. Climbing sports .08 -.05 .41** 1.00 (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) .25** 1.00 .31** .37** 1.00 .17* .25** .43** 1.00 .01 .01 .10 1.00 .36** .24** .09 .21** 1.00 .25** .21** .24** .16* .38** 1.00 .07 .23** .16* .23** .26** .53** .61** 1.00 .30** .09 .14* .28** .49** .60** .77** 1.00 .26** .22** .22** .30** .45** .31** .43** .43** .00 .11 .20** .33** .35** .19** .53** .41** Note: *Statistically significant at p<0.05; **Statistically significant at p<0.01 http://skyline.bigskyconf.com/journal/vol3/iss1/2 14 Heintzelman: Outdoor Safety, Skill, & Satisfaction Published by Skyline - The Big Sky Undergraduate Journal, 2015 15
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