Item: THE PERSISTENCE OF SOCIAL HEURISTICS IN BACKCOUNTRY DECISION-MAKING: AN ANALYSIS OF RESORT-ADJACENT USERS
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Title: THE PERSISTENCE OF SOCIAL HEURISTICS IN BACKCOUNTRY DECISION-MAKING: AN ANALYSIS OF RESORT-ADJACENT USERS
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Duncan Knight [ Faculty of Science, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada ] [ Ski Patrol Department, Sun Peaks Resort LLP, Sun Peaks, BC, Canada ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Avalanche fatalities in recreational backcountry settings remain predominantly linked to human judgment errors rather than environmental unpredictability. As participation in lift-accessed backcountry terrain, commonly referred to as "slackcountry" or "sidecountry", continues to grow, Sun Peaks Resort on Tod Mountain in the interior of British Columbia offers a valuable context for examining the cognitive and social processes that shape risk perception at the resort boundary. This paper investigates how social heuristics, specifically social proof, familiarity bias, and social compliance, persist among skiers and snowboarders transitioning from managed resort environments into the adjacent uncontrolled backcountry. Data was collected using a descriptive cross-sectional survey (n = 67) distributed among users of the lift-accessed backcountry at Sun Peaks Resort, via online backcountry communities and physical signage at resort boundary access points. The survey captured demographic information, formal avalanche training levels (ranging from no training to professional certification), and responses to scenario-based decision-making questions designed to elicit heuristic patterns. Findings indicate that a majority of respondents reported elevated perceived safety when pre-existing ski tracks were present on a slope, regardless of whether they had consulted the official avalanche bulletin, a pattern consistent with the tracks heuristic and social proof. Critically, this tendency was observed across all training levels, including participants with recreational-level courses and professional-level certification, providing evidence for the Training Paradox, as this study terms it. Social compliance pressures, including reluctance to challenge group decisions, were similarly distributed across experience and training categories. The study treats the Boundary Paradox as an interpretive lens rather than a proven causal mechanism, given the absence of a comparative control group. These findings contribute to the literature on the human factor in avalanche safety and reinforce the need for avalanche education programs to address behavioral and social dimensions of decision-making alongside technical hazard knowledge.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P4.11.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790099262
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Duncan Knight
Keywords: Avalanche decision-making, social heuristics, social proof, backcountry skiing, risk perception, group dynamics.
Page Number(s): 543 - 549
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