Current avalanche research pays surprisingly little attention to the human factor. So-called "soft facts" such as group dynamics in freeriding or ski touring are hardly studied scientifically. Benjamin Zweifel from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF is one of the few people to focus on this aspect of avalanche research. In this context, he is also supervising Nicholas Wolken's diploma thesis together with Dr. Reinhard Tschiesner from the University of Bolzano. Nicholas was confronted with the choice of his thesis topic last spring after an incredibly exciting and beautiful trip to Alaska. As a passionate freerider, he naturally wanted to expand his knowledge of the dangers in the mountains, and as a psychology student he is particularly interested in the human factor. So he decided to deal with the interface between psychology and freeriding in his thesis. "I think psychology and in particular its statistics is a great tool to better understand our perception, decisions and actions in the mountains" says Nicholas.
The questionnaire available at this link is intended to measure the influence of various factors on our risk perception and decision-making. The questionnaire contains a few questions about avalanche situations (would you ski this slope?), which encourage you to question your own risk management. We at PowderGuide would be delighted if as many members of the PowderGuide community as possible would complete the questionnaire. We hope to be able to support Nicholas in this way and are already looking forward to the results of his work.
