Nordic Slow Adventure: Explorations in Time and Nature

Abstract

The potentially paradoxical concept of "slow adventure" is offered here as having a particularly North European potential and a peculiarly Nordic orientation towards outdoor tourism activity. An overview of the relationship between the slow movements and the frenetically paced, technologically wired lived experience of hypermodernity is considered in the light of the rise of the adventure tourism "industry". We contrast the slow movement principles with mainstream, risk managed and rationalised "fast" adventure tourism products, which focus predominantly on thrill and rush. The concept of slow adventure, as distinct from slow tourism or slow travel per se is then further developed to include time, passage, comfort and nature, aligned with Scandinavian concepts of friluftsliv, as determining elements in what have become highly regarded tourist experiences. We conclude that there cannot be an essentialist separation of "slow" and "fast" adventure (or travel, or tourism, or food . . . ) per se. Rather, that these qualitative aspects of self-supported adventurous journeys illustrate significant, and hitherto largely ignored aspects in the analysis of adventure tourism, and point toward opportunities for well-trained outdoor professionals who can make the most of the Nordic great outdoors for small numbers of clients, enabling inclusive, environmentally responsible, high-value, place-specific experiences, all year round.

Broadening the scope of resources in nature: an explorative study of nature-based tourism firms

“…In the same tradition, nature itself plays a key role, providing a vast backdrop of large landscapes, as well as pristine natural qualities, such as wilderness and unique biotopes, as expressed in the nature and landscapes component. The introduction of modern, fast, and technical activities has complemented the inactive observation of nature, and our results confirm that human senses and the freedom to navigate nature are critical in the NBT experience (Agapito et al, 2013;Gelter, 2007;Varley & Semple, 2015). The component phenomena and species related directly to the specific tangible and intangible base of many NBT products, such as northern lights safaris and hunting and fishing.…”

“…This survey shows, however, that resources with sensory qualities were important to all firms, regardless of activity type. The freedom to navigate nature and simultaneously explore the immateriality of sights and silence has always been vital to Nordic NBT (Varley & Semple, 2015). In the same tradition, nature itself plays a key role, providing a vast backdrop of large landscapes, as well as pristine natural qualities, such as wilderness and unique biotopes, as expressed in the nature and landscapes component.…”

Hospitality in wild places

“…Likewise, the emergence of a group of Nordic and Northern scholars writing about outdoor experience, leisure and tourism in a deeply phenomenological way has shifted focus and therefore contributed to an increased awareness that there is more to the adventure tourist experience than simply seeking thrill, spectacular 'scream-n-go' experiences in the outdoors (Rantala, Valtonen and Markuksela 2011;Rokenes, Schumann and Rose, 2015;Valkonen, 2009;Varley and Semple 2015). It was thus as a response to the search for rush, speed and leisure activities with commodified thrill that Varley and Semple (2015) introduced the concept of 'slow adventure' with the focus on extension of time, comfort and convenience while pursuing journeys in the outdoors. The idea of 'slow' adventure is rooted in the Nordic philosophy of friluftsliv as the basic and simple activity of just being, or dwelling, in nature for extended periods of time, which allows for generation of rich experiences, deep appreciation of and spiritual immersion in the natural environment through engaging in simple outdoor activities.…”

“…The idea of 'slow' adventure is rooted in the Nordic philosophy of friluftsliv as the basic and simple activity of just being, or dwelling, in nature for extended periods of time, which allows for generation of rich experiences, deep appreciation of and spiritual immersion in the natural environment through engaging in simple outdoor activities. Varley and Semple's (2015) conceptual article suggests four critical elements of slow adventure: time, nature, passage and comfort. Time is manifested in a natural awareness of its passing during outdoor journeys; nature refers to the natural setting and our effortful access to it; passage, both physical and spiritual, is the navigation through time, space and the self; and comfort implies being at ease with the unusual challenges throughout the journey, and might include reconnection with the place, and even with ourselves and with others.…”

Rural Tourism: Insights from the North Atlantic

“…The reader who find this interesting is recommended to continue with Nordic slow adventure: Explorations in time and nature (Varley & Semple, 2015), which is a theoretical discussion of some implications of the concept of friluftsliv, literally meaning outdoor life, for research and development of sustained tourist experiences in nature. They discuss current forms of adventure tourism against the backdrop of accelerating, technology-driven "hypermodern" life and some of the cash-rich, timepoor market segments who pay for such convenient adventure tourism experiences.…”