Abstract
Recreational mountaineering is a complex pursuit that continues to evolve with respect to demographics, participant numbers, methods, equipment, and the nature of the experience sought. The activity often occurs in protected areas where agency managers are charged with the inherently conflicting mandate of protecting the natural environment and facilitating high quality recreational experiences. Effective management of such mountaineering environs is predicated on meaningful understanding of the users’ motivations, expectations and behaviours. This research explores the mountaineering experience through content analysis of mountaineering literature and key informant interviews to identify the critical factors that constitute optimal outcomes. These factors, the 7Cs of the Mountaineering Experience, provide the means to assess how management practices in the Canadian Rockies, Scottish Highlands and European Alps facilitate or hinder the mountaineering experience. Research results inform unique, visitor experience-based recommendations for improved management of mountaineering in the Canadian Mountain National Parks.
