Other 2023 Projects

- Accidents in mountain sports

- Rope access technician study

- Caving self rescue tutorials

- Mountain training with the UIAA

- Vertical archaeology

- Rescuers Without Borders

- Canopy Watch International

- Climbing classes in Lebanon

- Mountaineering classes in Venezuela

The new orange lines propose optimized routes in order to avoid avalanche-prone terrain.

The Petzl Foundation provides

support for technical training,

encourages ef forts to disseminate

safety information, and contributes

to education and training on accident

prevention in the mountains and

vertical environments.

The Petzl Foundation

Accident Prevention

NEW WINTER ROUTES

ON THE GEOPORTAIL

FOR SAFER WINTER HIKING

Since autumn 2021, the Petzl Foundation

and the Skitourenguru.ch ski touring

itinerary-planning website have been

digitizing all the classic ski touring and

snowshoeing routes in the French Alps.

By November 2023, 3,000 itineraries were

published on Géoportail, created by

the IGN.

Nearly 4,000 routes have now been plotted

using a type of mapping software known as

a Geographic Information System (GIS).

The idea is to plot the safest routes,

avoiding terrain prone to avalanches

wherever possible. The digitized map

can display several layers of information,

enabling the user to steer clear of the most

hazardous areas. On a standard 1:25,000

IGN map, the system can overlay a slope

map, an Avalanche Terrain Hazard Map

(ATHM), a satellite photo of summer or

winter conditions, and collections of GPS

tracks logged by individuals during their

outings in order to document the actual

routes they took.

Some routes feature tricky sections where

there is a risk of slipping dangerously (risk

of impact or falling from a great height). An

algorithm is used to identify these sections.

They appear as a series of dots instead of a

solid line.

At f irst, new winter hiking routes (in orange)

will coexist with the old lines (in blue), then

they’ll gradually be replaced.

Skiers are encouraged to use the

orange lines and to plan their routes

with the Yéti and Skitourenguru.ch.

applications.

If you believe a route or a tricky section

is incorrect, you can f lag it by emailing

randohiver@fondation-petzl.org.

Access the routes on Géoportail*

*You can access this new collection

of routes on Géoportail by typing “rando

hiver” in the search bar, and on most web

or mobile mapping applications

(e.g. Skitourenguru.ch, Yéti, Iphigénie)

A project supported by the Petzl Foundation, along with the

IGN and Skitourenguru.ch.

Support: €48,000 in 2023