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I can't remember this being covered elsewhere, and I know it's another "is it on topic" question - but would we cover questions about off-roading on topic, say on quad bikes or 4x4s? I'd argue that they were on topic as long as they didn't get into the technical details of the vehicles, but I'm wondering what others think.

It would certainly open up another realm of possible questions that could be asked, but some have argued that activities that don't rely on your own power shouldn't be considered on topic here, and there is the argument that 4x4s kind of go against the "leave no trace" motto that many hold to.

FWIW, I think it's a broad enough category to perhaps have its own site, and so have created a proposal - though whether it lives or not remains to be seen, and if it does it'll likely be a long time coming!

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  • 1
    REALLY good question... I'd support 4x4 questions in a very broad sense, but at the same time, I'm not sure if GO's scope is humans and the outdoors, or if we should include stuff like 4x4...
    – studiohack Mod
    Commented Apr 24, 2012 at 15:36
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    @studiohack I'm much in the same boat, I wouldn't make a strong case either way - an interesting one to discuss!
    – berry120
    Commented Apr 24, 2012 at 15:48
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    Absolutely - do we include mountain biking? Where should that line be :-)
    – Rory Alsop Mod
    Commented May 4, 2012 at 20:55
  • @RoryAlsop Just to check was that absolutely as in a good question, or it's absolutely on topic?
    – berry120
    Commented May 4, 2012 at 23:29
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    :-) Apologies for my late night lack of clarity - I meant it is a good question.
    – Rory Alsop Mod
    Commented May 5, 2012 at 11:43
  • I've gone ahead and asked a related question - we'll see how many people answer or complain...!
    – berry120
    Commented May 9, 2012 at 16:20
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    I suppose that if we allow 4x4, we'd also need to allow motorcycling, ATVs, helicopters, boats, sailing, and so on, at least provided they aren't asking technical questions about the vehicles.
    – Greg.Ley
    Commented May 14, 2012 at 16:05
  • @Greg.Ley Agreed, I think these probably should be on topic.
    – berry120
    Commented May 14, 2012 at 17:24
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    Perhaps the name should be changed for this group. Outdoor motor sports tend to have a disjoint community from self-propelled sports. My temptation would be to split motor sports (4x4, quads, snowmobiles, power boats) off into their own separate group.
    – Sherwood Botsford
    Commented Apr 1, 2013 at 14:36

1 Answer 1

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In my opinion: Yes. Long answer follows.

I take the liberty to interpret the question a bit wider and consider any motorised transportation, as Greg.Ley mentioned.

For inspiration, I had a look at the list of categories on the great wikiloc trail website. This is a website about GPS trails. Most of those would classify as outdoor. I have pasted the list below. I have marked all motorised methods in italics, and all methods I consider off-topic between parenthesis. I also added some comments here and there.

I don't know their exact definitions (what's the difference between ATV and offroading, or between their three motorcycle categories?), but I propose to include off-road motorised transport except for trains (which I think doesn't belong on wikiloc either). Even if it's not my hobby to go by snowmobile or ATV and prefer not to see any form of motorised transportation in nature, the reality is that those exist, people use them, and when they do, they also camp, cook, have emergency kits, etc.

  • Accessible — outdoor in a wheelchair?
  • Alpine skiing
  • ATV
  • Back country skiing
  • Ballooning
  • Barefoot
  • Bicycle touring
  • Canicross
  • Canyoneering
  • car — can be almost off-road, e.g. what about someone venturing to the forestry roads of the Kola peninsula?
  • Caving
  • Cross country skiing
  • Cycling
  • Diving
  • Dog sledging
  • enduro
  • Flying
  • for blind — experience smells and sounds?
  • (Golf — why is this even on wikiloc?)
  • Hang gliding
  • Hiking
  • Horseback riding
  • Ice climbing
  • inline skating
  • Kayaking - Canoeing
  • kickbike
  • kiteboarding
  • kite skiing
  • Longboarding
  • motorcycle trials — not sure about this one
  • Motorcycling
  • Mountain biking
  • Mountaineering
  • Mountain unicycling
  • multisport — Don't know what this is
  • nordic walking
  • Offroading
  • orienteering
  • Paragliding
  • Rock climbing
  • Roller skiing
  • rowing
  • Running
  • Sailing
  • Skating
  • sledge
  • Snowboarding
  • Snowmobiling
  • Snowshoeing
  • Stand up paddle (SUP)
  • swimming
  • Trail bike
  • Trail running
  • (Train — why is this even on wikiloc?)
  • via ferrata
  • Walking
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  • Hi gerrit! I hadn't seen this list. I was able to get to it more quickly by this. To clarify, since there aren't parenthesis, does that mean you consider ballooning on topic, as long as it relates to specific trails? Is that also true of barefooting? Or is this just a list you published to support the idea of including motorized sports. I'm confused! I wouldn't have brought it up but this post is now being referenced by a newer one, so a new group of people will be looking at it. If this comment is off-topic, let me know and I'll delete it. Thanks!
    – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
    Commented May 17, 2017 at 23:34
  • @Sue I emphasised the motorised activities, and put the ones that I would consider off-topic between parenthesis. It's also not quite complete. For example, draisine is not there.
    – gerrit
    Commented May 17, 2017 at 23:58
  • Okay, so in that case, would you consider draisine off-topic because the vehicles are on train tracks?
    – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 1:37
  • @Sue To clarify: I would consider exploring The Great Outdoors by draisine on-topic.
    – gerrit
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 13:17

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