Beyond Conquest: Decolonizing Adventure Sports through Outdoor Counterstories

This paper explores decolonial outdoor counterstories written by minoritized adventure athletes, focusing particularly on Indigenous voices within the sports of rock climbing, (ski) mountaineering, highlining, and, marginally, white-water kayaking. Traditional adventure narratives have long been dom...

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Main Author: Denisa Krásná
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karolinum Press 2025-01-01
Series:Acta Universitatis Carolinae Studia Territorialia
Online Access:https://stuter.fsv.cuni.cz/stuter/article/view/919
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author Denisa Krásná
author_facet Denisa Krásná
author_sort Denisa Krásná
collection DOAJ
description This paper explores decolonial outdoor counterstories written by minoritized adventure athletes, focusing particularly on Indigenous voices within the sports of rock climbing, (ski) mountaineering, highlining, and, marginally, white-water kayaking. Traditional adventure narratives have long been dominated by white, masculine figures who glorify conquest, reinforcing patriarchal, colonial, and anthropocentric ideas that marginalize diverse perspectives and contribute to environmental degradation. In contrast, contemporary decolonial counterstories challenge these exclusionary notions, reclaiming outdoor spaces and redefining success not as domination, but as a deep connection with nature, community, and personal well-being. By presenting Indigenous and other marginalized perspectives, these narratives critique and subvert Western colonial ideologies, promoting a more inclusive and ecologically mindful approach to outdoor sports. This paper argues that these counterstories contribute to the creation of a collective decolonial outdoor counternarrative that could inspire pro-environmental actions among adventure athletes who experience climate anxiety. The analysis highlights how these athletes are not only reshaping the cultural landscape of outdoor sports but also advocating for a shift from competitive dominance to collaborative coexistence, thereby supporting a more equitable and sustainable interaction with the natural world.
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series Acta Universitatis Carolinae Studia Territorialia
spelling doaj-art-278695c70a624bb5b0d35b476f8cefe32025-01-05T14:46:16ZengKarolinum PressActa Universitatis Carolinae Studia Territorialia1213-44492336-32312025-01-012417910810.14712/23363231.2024.4Beyond Conquest: Decolonizing Adventure Sports through Outdoor CounterstoriesDenisa KrásnáThis paper explores decolonial outdoor counterstories written by minoritized adventure athletes, focusing particularly on Indigenous voices within the sports of rock climbing, (ski) mountaineering, highlining, and, marginally, white-water kayaking. Traditional adventure narratives have long been dominated by white, masculine figures who glorify conquest, reinforcing patriarchal, colonial, and anthropocentric ideas that marginalize diverse perspectives and contribute to environmental degradation. In contrast, contemporary decolonial counterstories challenge these exclusionary notions, reclaiming outdoor spaces and redefining success not as domination, but as a deep connection with nature, community, and personal well-being. By presenting Indigenous and other marginalized perspectives, these narratives critique and subvert Western colonial ideologies, promoting a more inclusive and ecologically mindful approach to outdoor sports. This paper argues that these counterstories contribute to the creation of a collective decolonial outdoor counternarrative that could inspire pro-environmental actions among adventure athletes who experience climate anxiety. The analysis highlights how these athletes are not only reshaping the cultural landscape of outdoor sports but also advocating for a shift from competitive dominance to collaborative coexistence, thereby supporting a more equitable and sustainable interaction with the natural world.https://stuter.fsv.cuni.cz/stuter/article/view/919
spellingShingle Denisa Krásná
Beyond Conquest: Decolonizing Adventure Sports through Outdoor Counterstories
Acta Universitatis Carolinae Studia Territorialia
title Beyond Conquest: Decolonizing Adventure Sports through Outdoor Counterstories
title_full Beyond Conquest: Decolonizing Adventure Sports through Outdoor Counterstories
title_fullStr Beyond Conquest: Decolonizing Adventure Sports through Outdoor Counterstories
title_full_unstemmed Beyond Conquest: Decolonizing Adventure Sports through Outdoor Counterstories
title_short Beyond Conquest: Decolonizing Adventure Sports through Outdoor Counterstories
title_sort beyond conquest decolonizing adventure sports through outdoor counterstories
url https://stuter.fsv.cuni.cz/stuter/article/view/919
work_keys_str_mv AT denisakrasna beyondconquestdecolonizingadventuresportsthroughoutdoorcounterstories