Tom Beery during Kristianstad University's "mountain course".
Can a 110-kilometer mountain hike attract new visitors to the Swedish mountains and will they then want to return? In a study, researchers Thomas Beery and Daniel Wolf-Watz show that one of Sweden's largest mountain events, the Fjällräven Classic, can have just that effect.
"Our study shows that a clear majority of participants are making their first visit to the Swedish mountains when they take part in the hike. And a full 86 percent say that they are likely to return and that the event contributes to this. It can be said that Fjällräven Classic serves as an introduction to the area and that its participants get a taste for that type of experience," says Daniel Wolf-Watz, researcher at ETOUR at Mid Sweden University.
Fjällräven Classic is a hiking event that runs from Nikkaluokta to Abisko in the northern mountains. It is not uncommon for up to 2,000 hikers from over 40 different nations to participate, making the hike one of Sweden's largest, annually recurring events in the Swedish mountains.
In connection with the 2017 event, a study was conducted by the tourism research institute ETOUR to increase knowledge about participant-based outdoor events in the mountains. In addition to an observation during the event itself, the study includes survey responses from 2,664 previous participants.
"From our observations and experiences, we knew that outdoor activities in the mountains have the potential to attract hikers without much experience. And that this can create challenges that can negatively affect the outdoor experience. It was therefore interesting to see how an event like this can create security and provide potentially positive mountain experiences. The results showed us that participants associate hiking with happiness and freedom," says Thomas Beery, senior lecturer in environmental education at Kristianstad University.
Fjällräven Classic has attracted more than 20,000 participants since its inception in 2005. The aim was then, as now, to inspire Swedes to discover their own mountain world through a mountain hike where you carry your own equipment, sleep in a tent and cook your own food. 24/7 manned checkpoints approximately every twenty kilometers with, among other things, medical personnel ensure that the encounter with nature is experienced as safe and secure.
– Nine out of ten participants also stated that the nature experience is the most important asset. They want to experience nature and Sweden's unique area. Almost all participants stated that they see the area as a landscape worth protecting and preserving, says Thomas Beery.
Text: Ronney Wickzell and Fabian Rimfors
Photo: Magnus Helgstrand
