Tornado Chasing: The Ultimate Risk Tourism

Parks & Recreation, Sept, 2000 by Robert S. Bristow, Heather Cantillon

Storm Chasing Tour Groups

Regardless of its scientific roots, storm chasing has become more and more popular, creating a new hobby. Since it is not a pastime that one can pick up very easily, there are experts willing to let you join their storm chasing expeditions. For individuals interested in this extracurricular pursuit, their best bet is to join one of these groups.

Often, the tour operators consist of expert storm chasers who don't mind having a novice along for the ride as they roam the territory of Tornado Alley in search of a storm. Six companies cater to storm chasers in the United States. Table 1 lists these six companies and their Web sites.

TABLE 1. STORM CHASING GROUPS TO CONTACT ON THE WEB

Cloud 9 Tours                   http://www.pair.com/storms/

Silver Lining Tours             http://silverlining.pair.com/

Storm Chasing Adventure Tours   http://www.storm-chaser.com

Tornado Alley Safari Tours      http://www.pair.com/talley/
                                tours.html

Tornado Research and Defense
Development (TRADD)             http://www.abilene.com/tradd

Widespread Weather Services     http://www.widespread.com

These tour groups have different packages to offer, with a range of prices, tour lengths, and requirements. The peak tornado season is during the late spring and early summer. Tours range in cost from $900 to $2750 (a cost per day breakdown is provided to standardize the expense of chasing tornadoes) and duration is between 5-14 days. TRADD offered the shortest of the six tour options, and Widespread is the only group to offer a choice of one or two week packages. Widespread offers the most chances for people to take a tour, which would cater to varying schedules of tourists. Tornado Alley Safari offers the fewest tours, with only two per season.

Based on information from the authors' survey and the organizations' Web sites, tours tend to offer similar amenities. Airfare to their base cities is not included in their tour prices. Some companies' fees cover snacks, drinks, and meals while others do not. Both Widespread and Cloud 9 include a video of the experience in their prices, and Tornado Alley Safari includes chase training in its tour. (Most of the other tours are assumed to provide training as well, given the nature of the tour.)

Generally, the tours cater to small groups. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that people are transported in vans with equipment and luggage. Also, each tour group has a small staff, typically only three people, and can only carry as many people as are available to drive. This limits the number of tourists, since they share space with scientific equipment in the vans.

Tourists typically are either out-of-state residents or live outside the United States; undoubtedly because residents in and near Tornado Alley are accustomed to the sight of tornadoes and are probably not thrilled at the prospect of chasing the beast that could destroy their houses!

All tour groups require that clients be at least 18 years old, and since storm chasing has a high element of danger--even life threatening--waivers must be signed.