ABSTRACT
In this chapter we explore the use of creative nonfiction as an alternative to more traditional strategies for writing up qualitative research in outdoor studies. We propose that it provides a mode of representation in which both the native’s point of view and the author’s theoretical lens can remain, but the complexities and inconsistencies of lived experiences, theoretical and conceptual contingencies, ethical imperatives, and issues of accessibility and diffusion can perhaps be better addressed than with traditional methods. We use our own story about the juxtaposition of parenting and ‘serious’ climbing to elucidate the ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ of creative nonfiction.
