Managing land use conflict among recreational trail users: A sustainability study of cross-country skiers and fat bikers

Abstract

An interdisciplinary approach that incorporates tourism/recreation management and conflict resolution strategies has been used to analyze sources of conflict between cross-country skiers and fat bikers in Alberta (AB) and British Columbia (BC), Canada. This research defines applicable solutions for cross-country ski facility managers to reduce conflict while integrating the use of fat bikes into their trail systems. A community based participatory framework was used to develop interview questions for facility managers at three unique facilities in Western Canada. Feedback from the interviews was integrated into the creation of two trail user surveys, one for cross-country skiers and another for fat bikers. The surveys were sent out via social media to fat bike and cross-country ski clubs in Western Canada. In total there were 233 survey respondents. It was found that fat biking can be integrated successfully into cross-country ski facilities while maintaining and providing exceptional experiences for both users. This can be achieved by implementing certain managerial strategies that include effective communication and education of the trail users, designing and building user specific trails, and maximising the capacity of the facility and the available resources.