Dangers of Backcountry Skiing to Society and Individuals

Backcountry skiing is one of the most popular winter recreational activities in many parts of the globe. This activity has gained much popularity with many people taking waiting for winter to take part in the largely accepted practice across those countries that have long winters. There are many impacts of the activity not only to individuals and society but also to the economy and environment. Although environmental conservation campaigns have been on the rise, limited literature explains the impacts of this activity on the people and the environment. The activity is used as a recreational activity for most of the people, but recent calls have been made to have an environmental analysis of the effects of the activity to ensure that the negative impacts have been reduced across the globe. In some cases, the skiing takes place on mountains or the raised grounds in the countries. This paper argues that the benefits that come with the activity do not outweigh the impact it has on the individual and society. The following analysis considers the difference between resort and backcountry skiing, the current trends towards backcountry skiing and the effects it has on the environment. The impetus towards the activity will also be analyzed to appreciate the reasons for the popularity of the activity especially among the young people in the society.

Backcountry skiing is also known as off-piste especially in the European region. Off-piste means out of the area, which means that kind of skiing that, takes place in unmarked or unpatrolled areas outside of a resort. This is different from the resort skiing that is usually conducted on grooming to patrolled trails. The difference is that the backcountry skiing takes place in areas that are not managed regarding the snow density or avalanche. The implication is that backcountry skiing can be hazardous at times leading to many fatalities in the process. More skills are required when it comes to the backcountry skiing based on the average vertical elevation, the maximum slope that one hits in degrees, and the total vertical descent in meters. These unknown factors can lead to many issues if they are not managed well by the skiers.

Conversely, the resort skiing is managed at all times, which means that more information about the terrain is available and the skiers can access this information and use it in their planning activities. This makes the resort skiing one of the safest skiing practices in comparison with the rest of the activities that are done with little information and no planning before the activity. In a ski resort, marked paths are available, and there is the installation of the first aid facility that is used to handle the injury cases faced by some of the skiers. There is also the ski patrol that is used to rescue the injured skiers. The patrol is also used for rules enforcements, the closing of hazardous paths, removing dangerous participants from the area as well as marking the hazardous points. Therefore, the number of injuries that occur in resort skiing are fewer as compared to the backcountry skiing.

The current trend towards backcountry skiing is that the activity is on the rise across America and Europe. More people are taking part in this recreational activity today than was the case in the past. There is an increase in the sales of equipment, which an indication of the growing trend of background is skiing. The other trend has been the increase in educational practices where people are taught the best ways to practice backcountry skiing. People are taught the best ways to mitigate the mountain environment to reduce the number of injuries that occur during the activities. Businesses have previously recorded increases regarding sales for the equipment used in skiing. This shows that more people are taking part in the activity with the young people representing the largest number of those willing to take part in skiing (Falk and Vieru, 13).

Similarly, the number of resorts and places that allow skiers to practice are also on the rise, an indication that the winter sport is increasing in popularity not only in America but also in other places. With the rise in the number of competitions, experienced skiers battle it out for money and other prizes. The number of televised activities has also increased and indications that more people are taking part in the sport during winter. Consequently, some of the resorts have been involved in the creation of artificial snows with water and high-pressure air across the country. The practice is expensive, which is an indication that these resorts can earn enough money that can cater for the high expense in the creation of the artificial snow in different parts of the country. Artificial snow is created because climate change has led to different towns receiving shorter winters unlike previously when people skill for as long as they wished (Falk and Vieru 16).

The environment is negatively affected by the creation of the backcountry skiing terrains. As stated earlier, there is little research on backcountry skiing, which in return presents a big challenge to wildlife and land managers when it comes to the provision of access to the public lands. The more skiers there are, the more the terrain that is needed to facilitate such activities. As explained in the trend towards backcountry skiing, its use has risen and the skiers spread across the landscape in an attempt to carve out their stash of powder. Most of the backcountry skiers operate the same way as hikers where they climb the high mountains and descend on high speeds (Wrigley 5). The implication is that wildlife is severely affected by the skiing activities as their individual fitness and population dynamics are affected.

Animals can respond to a threat in at least three ways. One of these is avoidance, habituation, and attraction. The avoidance behavior is of importance when it comes to the recreational activities out in the mountains. The unpredictability of the backcountry skiing makes it a threat to wildlife especially if the number of skiers is high. The practice is, therefore, of importance based on the increasing popularity of the activity across the USA (Richard and Cote, 18).

Wildlife responds through the flight and may move for long distances depending on the species of the animal. For example, the hunted animals and the large ones have a tendency of moving for longer distances in case they are distracted in their normal terrains. The other response is the change in habitat (Wrigley 5). Therefore, if the animals are constantly disturbed, they will move to another habitat that may not be desirable but safer to increase the chances of survival. The change of habitat in most cases leads to a change in the feeding ecology (Richard and Cote, 18).

Backcountry skiing is one of the activities that causes disturbances in various areas. For example, the black bears make one of the animal groups that change their habitat in the case of human disruption. Some management steps must be taken to reduce the effect that the skiers have on the wildlife and the feeding ecology (Fortin et al., 27). One of them has been the closure of the denning areas of the animals, especially during winter. The other step has been to regulate the size of land that is placed under skiing to minimize the human-wildlife interaction (Wrigley 8).

Most of the mountainous areas are being affected by climate change and having human disturbance is another major stressor that affects the populations in the mountain. Most of the wildlife is scared by the human activities and may migrate to other areas in search of safety and evade the disturbance (Landry, 20). There is also the damaging of the vegetation and the compacting of the soils that are used by the animals for various activities. This may lead to the reduction in the number of animals that are found in a certain region because of the decline in the safety of their habitat.

The creation of resorts on mountains leads to the attraction of many crows and the subsequent destruction of the habitat used by some species. This has happened in some countries such as Scotland where the Ptarmigans have reduced in numbers because of losing nests to the crows. An area may have the population of different animals reduces through either deaths or migration to other areas that are perceived as safer. Human interaction may make the animals fear and avoid being seen by hiding, which prevents them from having a normal feeding routine. This is evident in some locations where the hunted animals hide during the day and may not be able to feed in the right ways at night. The increasing number of people taking part in the backcountry skiing will escalate the issue further leading to many issues arising in a different habitat. Nature has a way of controlling itself, and human interaction does not do any good to nature and its self-management processes (Landry, 50).

The other impact on the environment is the deforestation and the change in land use. Most of the skiable terrains in North America are mainly found in the forested areas. As stated earlier, the number of resorts in the forested areas has been on the rise in the recent past as businesses attempt to satisfy the rising demand in the activity. Therefore, more forested areas are required for the skiers to get enough trails. Moreover, trees are more likely to cause harm to people in case they ski in such terrains. As a result, some of the trees are cut to have more land available. This goes against the recommendations by the environmental agencies that call for the planting of more trees to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The creation of a fragmented landscape that has a negative effect on the quality of habitats for thousands of birds and mammals. The habitat quality reduces because of wind, light, and disturbance levels that increase near the open slopes that are created by the organizers of the skiing events (Wobus et al., 12). The resorts are also expanding due to the demands, leading to more concerns over the effects of the activities on the habitats. The world is moving towards reducing global warming effects with one of the calls being to have more trees planted to absorb the excess carbon dioxide that is in the atmosphere. All species of animals play a major role in the environment, which means that steps should be taken to ensure that all the animals and plant species are protected against destruction. One of the proposed management steps has been to set out the areas that can be used for skiing and secure those areas where analysis shows a possible damage of the habitat and the subsequent effect on animals.

The other effect of the backcountry skiing on the environment is in regards to the use of water. The global climate change gas led to some of the areas receiving shorter winters. This infers the existence of more frequent thawing periods (Hopkins, Higham, and Becken, 449). The results are faced with the challenge of maintaining the services to their clients, who are increasing in the recent past because of the increased popularity of the sport (Wobus et al., 4). The implication is that the resorts have to ensure that there is the creation of the artificial snow to cover some of the slopes and the lift bases and lodges. Artificial snow is usually made from water and high-pressure air. The amount of water needed is high as the snow gun can consume about 100 gallons of water per minute. The water is pumped from the neighboring lakes, rivers, and ponds. The increasing demand for the sport will lead to an increased demand for water to make the artificial snow to ensure that the activities remain in operation with the hope of achieving a larger market share in the highly competitive tourism sector. There are resorts that can pull about 4200 gallons of water per minute used in making snow (Wobus et al., 2).

Skiing has become one of the top sports in the world with the cited reason being that everybody can do it. A Little practice can make new skiers get better, which makes the activity more popular among the young people. People are motivated to take part in skiing activities for some reasons. One of the reasons is to bond with family and friends. Skiing is a sport that is done in groups with many people doing it as a family and others as a group of friends. People do it for fun for the family (Major and McLeay, 56). People can do this activity and have fun in the process. Other exciting things are associated with skiing can serve as entrainment and a way of spending more time with the family members.

Skiing also allows people to meet new people and make new friends. Sharing a common interest is one of the popular ways to meet new people, and most of the skiers take this opportunity as they look to learn from those who have been in the sport for a longer period (Wobus et al., 2). Exploring new terrains is another reason that motivates people to take part in the sport. In most cases, people are not used to the mountainous areas. Therefore, the backcountry skiing provides them with an opportunity to get out of their terrain and explore other areas that are different. This has been found to be a source of excitement for many people in the society.

Tourism is a result of people wanting to take part in activities that are different from those they are used to and see new sceneries that are different from the ones that they are used to. In such a case, backcountry skiing allows people to be able to get out from their day-to-day routines and be in a place where they can connect with nature. People look forward to learning and experience something new every time that they are on the mountain not only from their activities but also from the experiences of other people (Major and McLeay, 56).

Skiing is also a beneficial exercise to many people and has been cited as one of the contributors to a healthy mind. Skiing can work the core muscle groups that are found in the body, where a person learns how to improve his or her balance, posture and the overall body strength. Most people view this as a perfect way to exercise their bodies during winter. They can get a first-rate body workout as they take part in skiing (Major and McLeay, 59). The practice is something that people do not do on a daily basis, which increases the chances of having enjoyment. The fact that it is exerting to almost everyone taking part in it means that more people are motivated to buy the equipment and take part in the sport as a physical exercise at a time when other activities are not favorable due to the adverse weather conditions.

Some people take part in the activity because of the influence of their peers. The curiosity makes them take part in the sport as seen among teenagers between fourteen and eighteen years of age (Major and McLeay, 61). This has been found to be one of the main reasons for the increased participation. With the establishment of the social media networks, more people can share their experiences, which leads to more people taking part because of the curiosity that comes with seeing another person taking part in the sport. However, there are concerns about the injuries that might occur in the process and how they may affect a person. Backcountry skiing is usually hazardous because of an avalanche. There is an average of one death per month in the USA with many injuries taking part in the process. Exhaustion and weather have also acted as demotivators for people to take part in the sport. There have also been calls to have the sport regulated and only limited to some areas to reduce the number of injuries that take place. Those who fear skiing cite the fatalities and the risk of injury as the reasons for their lack of participation (Faltus et al., 498)

The equipment used for the backcountry skiing is different from those that are used in other types of skiing. Backcountry skiing is not motorized, and skiers have to walk up the mountain then slide at high-speed downhill. The equipment that skiers use are different and facilitate for all the actions involved in climbing the mountain. Backcountry skiing requires maps and compasses for navigation as the trails are not marked. They also require having sun protection in the form of sunscreen, lip balm as well as the sunglasses. They are also required to have the first aid kits that allow them to take care of themselves in case they face an injury, or any other person is injured. They also require fire starters when they need to warm something. Repair tools are important to repair the needed items that may be damaged in the course of the practice. These are some of the things that resort skiing do not require as the trails are patrolled to ensure that everyone is safe and that fewer injuries occur.

Nutrition and hydration are also important as people may move too far places and may require reenergizing their bodies for the sake of having more energy. Fatigue and exhaustion have been cited as one of the main reasons why fatalities occur. The weather is also one of the main concerns when people are planning for the backcountry skiing. The implication is that the skiers must have an emergency shelter that is in the form of a tent, tarp or a reflective blanket that can allow the skiers to shelter themselves against the adverse weather conditions that are likely to occur during winter.

One of the essential equipment in backcountry skiing is the beacon. The equipment is essential in case one is traveling and skiing in a terrain that has an avalanche. A beacon is also known as an avalanche transceiver. This tool is used to locate someone when he or she is caught up in the avalanche. The recent past has seen an improvement in the quality of the equipment that is created by most of the companies. The beacon is essential especially when one is caught up in the bad weather and eventually is caught in an avalanche. The probe and the shovel are also important for the skiers. The probe is mainly used by people to determine the location of the body when one has been buried in an avalanche, and none of his body parts is visible on the surface. The shovel is also important and used in conjunction with them a shovel and the probe. The shovel is used to dig a person out of the snow when he or she has been held in an avalanche.

The type of ski that someone selects determines the skin that one buys. Much education has emerged in the recent past to help people make the right choice of equipment to ensure that they can have the best experience. In backcountry skiing, all the selection is left upon the skier to do, which means that a simple mistake might land him or her into problems. The equipment selected should be light able to protect the users whenever adversaries that might occur. Backcountry skiing is unpredictable and usually leads to various issues that can only be eradicated through a proper selection of equipment.

In resort skiing, the participants have the necessary guidance when it comes to the skiing, the clothing system, and the necessary equipment. For example, resort skiers do not require having the first aid kits as the trails are patrolled and all injuries managed by a team on site. On the contrary, the terrain in backcountry skiing is not patrolled, and everything is left upon the skier to manage. This makes the backcountry skiing more difficult and demanding as compared to the resort skiing option.