Abstract
This book is a compilation of activities defined as Nature Challenge Activities (NCA), which are any leisure whose central action is focused on meeting the natural test presented by a particular environ. Each chapter is a broad compendium of activities occurring in the given element. The authors incorporate little critical commentary on said leisure activities beyond a conclusion to each chapter in which the ramifications for environmental sustainability are explored. The natural elements included in the text are air, water, land, flora and fauna, and ice and snow. NCAs are classified by the predominate element in which they occur, the argument is made that the aesthetics of the given element constitute a main reason for why the individual selects the given serious leisure pursuit, and each chapter follows a similar outline. After a brief introduction to the element, each activity is given a multiple page overview incorporating the history, a basic explanation of the physical mechanics, equipment needs, popularity in westernized countries and a general estimate of costs associated with long-term participation in the leisure activity. Extensive quotes from participants of the activities provide context and perspective, especially for the reader who may have not participated in the leisure sport.
Lee Davidson and Robert Stebbins explicitly state they are working to strengthen the concept of serious leisure and to provide theoretical sophistication to the outdoor experiences leisure studies literature. The authors are straight-forward with the data collection methodology they utilize, which is “exclusively of the library variety” (p. 24) as they chronicle a representative, not exhaustive, sample of NCAs. By focusing on the aesthetic experiences of leisure participants and by comprehensively chronicling the remarkable expansion in popularity of these activities, they offer the reader a useful compendium of NCAs. In addition, they provide a theoretically important contribution to the field of leisure studies which is exclusively explored in the opening and closing chapters. Overall, this text is useful as a reference guide for those interested in outdoor sports as a sociological or psychological study object and for those curious to know, say, every sport people do in the snow.