Perhaps the most significant factor in the development of adventure
tourism is the extent to which one really engages in adventure. Price
(1978) suggests that “adventure by numbers” cannot exist, as adventure
is broadly accepted to be about uncertainty of outcome (Miles and
Priest 1999). He argues that any outdoor recreation undertaking that
is planned cannot be an adventure. Yet this is precisely how adventure
tourism is marketed. There exists something of a paradox whereby the
more detailed, planned, and logistically smooth an itinerary becomes
the more removed the experience is from the notion of adventure.
Three key factors have facilitated the emergence of adventure tourism,
and these, in turn, impact mountaineering. These factors are a deferring
of control to experts, a proliferation of promotional media including
brochures, and the application of technology in adventurous settings.
These factors have combined to create a cushioning zone
between the normal, home, and urban location of everyday life and
the extraordinary experience of an adventure holiday. This idea is
illuminated in Figure