ABSTRACT
Introduction Mountaineering, along with a range of traditional adventure activities, has become increasingly commodified as a product of the growing adventure tourism industry. In order to better understand these unique mountain-based tourism experiences, researchers may benefit from moving beyond traditional quantitative, market segmentation approaches. Employing psychological approaches, such as those examined in Chapter 9, may help illuminate how mountaineering tourism experiences can vary both from traditional consumer experiences, as well as from mountaineering recreation experiences. To this end, this chapter proposes alternative psychological concepts and evaluates them in the context of an autoethnographical case study of mountaineering tourism in Bolivia. It is hoped that this perspective may illuminate new ways of conceptualizing mountaineering tourism experiences. Specifically, the psychological framework of ‘reversal theory’ is used to explain: (a) paradoxical desires for risk and safety in adventure and mountaineer tourism and (b) emotional and motivational fluctuations experienced by mountaineer tourists. The importance of creating a ‘protective frame’ to ensure enjoyable experiences is explored, along with key factors that can influence this frame. Theoretical and practical implications for adventure and mountaineering tourism researchers and practitioners are discussed, as well as the potential for psychological frameworks and autoethnography to enhance tourism discourses.
