Risk perception for paragliding practitioners.

Abstract

As an adventure sport, paragliding exposes participants to different levels of life risk. However, the boundary between calculated risk and real risk is a subtle one, depending on the practitioner’s perception. Thus, this study aimed to analyze risk perception of 73 paragliding practitioners. The descriptive-exploratory study method was used. Data was col-lected via a questionnaire validated according to the Delphi technique. Variables were evaluated from a bipolar Likert type scale, ranging from 1 to 7. Paragliding pilots perceive risk as a genuine form of ludic adventure. When airborne, their per-ception of risk is related to their level of confidence in technique mastering and equipment quality. A selfish attitude was also observed: pilots are aware of their own risks but fail to realize the risk they can pose to others when rules are ignored.