Information about project titled 'Self-estimation of ability among skiers and snowboarders in alpine skiing resorts'
Self-estimation of ability among skiers and snowboarders in alpine skiing resorts
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Published |
| Project manager: | Steinar Sulheim |
| Supervisor(s): | Arne Ekeland, Roald Bahr |
Description
In epidemiologic studies examining potential risk factors for skiing injuries, it is relevant to know the ability of the skier or snowboarder. This is usually done through self-reporting based on a single question asking the skier to classify his ability in four categories.
However, although a number of different questions have been used, their ability to discriminate between better and less able skiers has not been studied.
The aim of this study was to therefore to validate five different questions designed to self-report skiing ability.
Method: Throughout the winter season of 2002, a random group of skiers in Norwegian alpine skiing resports were asked to classify their ability into four categories by completing a questionnaire with five different questions based on: Ability (expert, advanced, intermediate, beginner), piste difficulty (off-piste, black piste, red piste, blue piste/childrens piste), turning technique (alpine skis: carving/short turns, parallell turns, stem turns, plough; snowboard: carving/short turns, continuous turns, interrupted turns, sliding on the edge), skiing experience (>5 seasons, 3-5 seasons, 1-2 seasons, <1 season of skiing), and falling frequency (never, now and then, every day, every run).
After filling in the quesionnaire, the participants were asked to make a test run under observation to define his or her skill.
Observed and self-reported ability were compared using kappa analysis.