Citation

Attarian A. Wilderness Environ. Med. 2002; 13(4): 238-244.

Affiliation

Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8004, USA. aram_attarian@ncsu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12510779

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Rock climbing is a challenging and demanding sport that requires specialized equipment and training. One significant area of training involves being familiar with first aid and rescue skills. This study reports climbers' self-perceptions of their first aid, safety, and rescue skill competencies. Actual technical skills were not measured. METHODS: Data were collected through a World Wide Web (WWW)-based questionnaire administered over a 15-month period. The questionnaire requested information on respondents' climbing history, first aid training, personal safety practices, and partner and self-rescue skills. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-one climbers completed the Web-based survey. Findings showed that the majority of climbers reported receiving some form of first aid training, were attentive to personal safety practices, and perceived themselves to be confident in partner and self-rescue techniques. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the results obtained in this study, it appears that training and specialized skills are considered by rock climbers to be important components of managing risk.

Language: en