Please complete a short survey to help with a new research project into fear and anxiety around skiing and snowboarding.
Following on from snowsports safety related work on an Illustrated FIS Code and recently launching The Slow Ski Challenge I’m excited to announce a new project: Project Fear.
Dr Carol Porter and I have worked together to develop an online survey to help understand and address this potentially debilitating barrier to snowsports enjoyment.
To launch the project I joined Dr Carol Porter, SnowSport England Coach, at the Ladies Morning Ski session at @thehill snowsport venue in Rossendale, Lancashire, England on Friday (19th April).
I created Ski A to Z – Illustrated Introduction to Skiing to help to remove the information barrier to skiing. Fear can also be a barrier to participation in snowsports, so I hope that this new project can help us to understand fears around skiing and snowboarding so that solutions can be sought from both coaches and the snowsports industry.
Dr Carol Porter explains the Project Fear methodology, “Supported by both The Hill and SnowSport England, initially we are looking for individuals to fill in a short questionnaire about their skiing/boarding experiences. From there we will establish a focus group for 1-2-1 interviews (in person or online, whichever is more convenient) from which interventions can be suggested and tried out, with our support.”
Carol continues, “Eventually, anonymised case studies will be written, and the findings presented to SnowSport England for the wider benefit of women in snowsports.”
At the Ladies ‘Me-Time’ ski session at The Hill on Friday, after observing a new intake of women trying their very first ski lessons, there were conversations with them and experienced skiers. Concerns were mentioned on a range of topics including changing snow conditions, chairlift dismounts and fear of out of control skiers or boarders.
A comment from one of the new learners was, “It is both terrifying and exciting at the same time.”
The survey is open to everyone and will just take two or three minutes to complete. The survey can be completed at this link.
Thank you for completing the survey. Please help by sharing this with family and friends in snowsport, to enable as much data and information as possible to be gathered.
How the project came about
After developing illustrations around ski fear in early 2024 I asked through social media what fears people experienced around snowsports. The responses arrived thick and fast and prompted the idea of a project, based on qualitative data, to understand and to try to alleviate this potential barrier to snowsports enjoyment.
All of the responses to these enquiries on social media were from women, so whilst visiting The Hill to see the women’s ski programme I mentioned the project idea to the session organiser Dr Carol Porter. Carol had mentioned the women’s ski development programme at the The Hill’s 50th Anniversary event in June 2023.
Whilst visiting the ski slope to see the Ladies’ ski session earlier this year, I explained to Carol that I felt there was work to do around ski fear. This led to discussions during which we determined a mutual interest in helping people enjoy snowsports without fear being an issue. We agreed to work together to develop the project.
Here’s the survey link.
Thanks so much. Please follow my blog to see updates as this project develops.
Click on these links for more information about Snowsport England and The Hill.
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