The nature of adventure in soft adventure tourism

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of adventure in soft adventure tourism as experienced by tourists. A phenomenological approach was used in order to gain insight into the lived experiences of fifteen individuals who had been involved in dog sledding, back country skiing, or horse/trail riding adventure tourism experiences. Descriptive accounts of co-researchers' experiences were provided in the form of interviews and protocols (written accounts).;The sixteen themes which emerged from the experiences of the co-researchers include: the imaginative experience; hesitation and doubt; fear; novelty; freedom; exploration; challenge; the unexpected; personal risk; remoteness; experiencing nature; the learning experience; the social experience; the comparative experience; transformation; and living history (being with another time and place).;The study makes the argument that there exist significant opportunities to incorporate adventure education opportunities within the soft adventure tourism experience. Implications for marketing adventure tourism experiences are also discussed.