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Inhomogeneity of capacity requirements and their risks on commercially guided ski tours with leisure sport

orientated ski tour participants

Diplom-Sportwissenschaftlerin Nina Reichwein

Institute for sport scienceRuhr - University Bochum, Germany

International symposium "High altitude influence on human performance: science and praxis IV"

from 08.-13.09.2009Bohinjska Bela , Slowenia

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introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

Rising Popularity of ski touring in leisure sport sector

- 1,2 mio. hours (1980) → 20mio. hours (2006) (Zeigler, 2006)

-2006: 1mio. estimated ski touring people in leisure sport sector in european alps (Burtscher, 2006)

_______________________________________________________Nina Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela

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introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

Rising popularity of ski touring

Commercial mountain sport schools widen spectrum of ski

tour supplies

↓

2008: 95% of german commercial mountain

sport schools offer ski tours in european alps or even beyond

_______________________________________________________N. Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela/ Slowenia

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Organizer´s aim:

minimize safety risks during ski tour

↓homogenous group

composition

↓- detailed tour description on

organizer´s homepage

- verbally given tour information via telephone or

e-mail

Ski tour requirements

↓? Decision of

psychological & physiological

suitability to ski tour´s requirements… ¿

↓… is left up to leisure sport orientated competitioners

= frequently inexperienced laypersons

introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

_______________________________________________________N. Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela/ Slowenia

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Question:

Do the tour descriptions announced by the organizer present sufficient information in order to reduce the individual´s and the group´s safety risks by a selfreliant assessment of capacity?

introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

Aim of the study:

Assessment of the group-internal degree of inhomogeneity concerning the capacity during ascents of commercially guided ski tours.

_______________________________________________________N. Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela/ Slowenia

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introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

Three commercially guided ski tours: 1680 – 3180 masl

T1: n= 6

T2: n= 5

T3: n= 10

→

→

→

n1= 4 (3♀,1♂, age: 36 ♀,1♂, age: 36 ± 5,83, BMI: 23 ± 1,77)

n2= 4 (4♀, age: 35,5 ± 5, BMI: 22,6 ± 1,51)

n3= 4 (2♀,♀,2♂, ♂, age: 49 ± 8,37, BMI: 23,8 ± 2,14)

Physiological strain parameters:

- average heart rate

- lactate values

Subjectively perceived exertion level:

- modified RPE-scale 1-15

Degree of inhomogeneity:

Coefficient of variation V

_______________________________________________________N. Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela/ Slowenia

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Start

Ziel

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introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

 avg cardial strain inhomogeneity

avg metabolic strain inhomogeneity

T1 6,1% 42,6%

T2 4,5% 35,7%

T3 4,4% 46,7%

32,2% of all lactate values exceed 4mmol/l lactate threshold

  avg perceived exertion inhomogeneity

T1 23,4%

T2 12,4%

T3 23,0%

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Organizer´s aim:

minimize safety risks during ski tour

↓homogenous group

composition

↓- detailed tour description on

organizer´s homepage

- verbally given tour information via telephone or

e-mail

Ski tour requirements

↓? Decision of

psychological & physiological

suitability to ski tour´s requirements… ¿

↓… is left up to leisure sport orientated competitioners

= frequently inexperienced laypersons

introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

_______________________________________________________N. Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela/ Slowenia

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introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

State:

Group internal inhomogeneity under same conditions

Explanations:

-Participants made blatant misjudgement of their capacity requirements

- Pre-description of the tour does not last out a satisfactiory homogeneity of capacity within ski touring group

_______________________________________________________N. Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela/ Slowenia

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Suggested solutions

1) for responsible organizers/ mountain guides:

→ performance test under real conditions

→ tour adaption to current state of capacity afterwards

introduction, aim, material & methods, results, discussion, conclusion

2) appeal to participants:

→ truthful self-estimation of one´s state of capacity

→ avoidance of fake ambition at the interpretation of

tour description_______________________________________________________

N. Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela/ Slowenia

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Thank you for your attention!

_______________________________________________________N. Reichwein, Inhomogeneity during ski tour ascents, Bohinjska Bela/ Slowenia