Risk in Outdoor Activities: The Perception, The Appeal, The Reality‪.‬

Abstract The existence of risk is a readily accepted in many outdoor and experiential programs. This paper seeks to explore, to raise questions and to encourage discussion about what may influence our perceptions of risk, the reasons why people may pursue risk and lastly what the real level of physical risk is within outdoor programs. The first two questions give rise to further questions about how we define risk and thus, how best to assess and manage risk. The latter point is covered through an analysis of the available accident and incident data which highlights the need for a more extensive and coordinated effort to clearly identify the real level of physical risk involved in outdoor programs.