Introduction
Backcountry skiers and snowboarders are increasingly using avalanche airbags to improve
safety. New safety devices can cause risk compensation, the concept in which users
take more risks given the larger safety margin provided by the device. This may limit
overall benefits. We sought to elucidate attitudes toward risk-taking behaviors and
risk compensation in backcountry users relating to avalanche airbags.
Methods
A convenience sample of 144 backcountry skiers and snowboarders was surveyed after
a backcountry tour in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah and the Tetons of Wyoming during
the winter 2020–21 season. Demographic and experiential data were compared with risk
propensity scores and attitudes toward risk compensation. Respondents were stratified
into high-, medium-, and low-risk groupings based on risk propensity scores and whether
an airbag was carried.
Results
Thirty-two (22%) respondents carried an airbag. Airbag users were more likely to endorse
risk compensation behavior, ski terrain over 30 degrees, and fall into the high-risk
cohort. The high-risk cohort was also more likely to endorse risk compensation behavior
than medium- and low-risk individuals.
Conclusions
Risk compensation was more prevalent in 2 groups: 1) those carrying an airbag and
2) those falling within the high-risk cohort. Given the prevalence of avalanche airbags,
risk compensation should be considered alongside other human factors in avalanche
safety and education so that users can mitigate these effects. Although risk compensation
appears to be occurring, the magnitude of this effect remains unknown and likely does
not obviate the safety benefits of the airbag altogether.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 14, 2023
Accepted:
January 17,
2023
Received:
August 10,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2023 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
