Item: Peer Ambassadors at Work: Modeling Good Decision-Making in "Aggro" Freeride Films
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Title: Peer Ambassadors at Work: Modeling Good Decision-Making in "Aggro" Freeride Films
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2018, Innsbruck, Austria
Authors:
- Bruce Edgerly [ Backcountry Access, Inc. ]
Date: 2018-10-07
Abstract: Aggressive freeride films from Teton Gravity Research, Matchstick Productions, and many others influence hundreds of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders every year. Rowdy big mountain athletes charge big lines, send big airs, and are sometimes shown outrunning avalanches. Does this "aggro" behavior send the right message to young, impressionable riders? Backcountry Access (BCA) performed a survey through its social media channels in 2018 to determine how freeride films affect the behavior of skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers. The results indicate that 51 percent of recreationists and 93 percent of professionals believe that freeride films affect the behavior of skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers in the backcountry. In fact, 31 percent of professionals confirmed that they have rescued individuals that said they were trying to imitate something they saw in a freeride film. And 94 percent of professionals agree that including avalanche safety content in freeride films would likely cause riders to modify their backcountry behavior. Based on these trends, BCA shifted its sponsorship budget in 2018 toward developing a series of videos that show the "other side" of freeride films, including the avalanche safety and decision-making process behind these aggressive segments. Entitled "Send and Return," the BCA three-part video series not only shows well-respected athletes riding aggressively, but also shows them evaluating avalanche conditions and planning their tours according to the avalanche conditions. In these films, the athletes demonstrate how to execute safe travel protocols including trailhead tests, traveling one at a time, performing snow stability tests, and communicating clearly about the trip plan. And after they are filmed "sending" radical lines in big mountain terrain, they are always shown safely returning at the end of the day. The "Send and Return" project enabled BCA to deploy its newly recruited roster of athletes and peer ambassadors to influence the target audience. This communication strategy grew out of BCA’s involvement with The Avalanche Project and a study commissioned by that organization that concluded that "peer to peer" communication is the most effective way to modify the behavior of young, aggressive riders. The BCA "Send and Return" video series debuts in the autumn of 2018 and will be distributed through various social media channels, via YouTube, and at www.backcountryaccess.com.
Object ID: ISSW2018_O17.5.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s):
Keywords: Avalanche safety, freeriding, freeskiing, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, backcountry, filmmaking, social media
Page Number(s): 1506-1510
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