A hiking map that measures risk, not romance

Switzerland’s hiking habit has a familiar public image: tidy signs, sturdy boots and the comforting belief that a marked trail is somehow a guarantee. The statistics are less flattering. According to the Swiss Accident Prevention Council, 55 people die on average each year in hiking falls, usually after tumbling in steep terrain. More than 40,000 people are injured while hiking every year. Nature, as ever, does not care much for brochures.

That is why the BFU, together with the Swiss Alpine Club and Swiss Hiking Trails, is developing a digital map tool with a traffic-light system. The idea is simple enough to survive contact with reality: the map will show how exposed a trail is, using colours from green to red to indicate how steep the ground drops away immediately beside the path. Green stands for flat terrain, red for particularly exposed sections. Susanne Baumann, the BFU’s hiking expert, says the aim is to help walkers choose routes that match their abilities. A basic version of the map is planned for 2027.

The need for such a tool is not hard to find. Robert Andenmatten, a helicopter pilot with Air Zermatt for 35 years, says his team is increasingly called out in summer for hiking accidents, especially in Valais. He reports many foot injuries, often because people head out with poor footwear, sometimes even with high heels. Social media also plays its part: Instagram and TikTok draw inexperienced hikers with spectacular pictures.

Baumann makes a similar point, though with less drama and more sense. She says the assumption is that more and more people with little alpine experience are out on the trails. At the same time, she rejects the idea that hiking itself is some reckless pursuit. The sport is popular, which is precisely why the number of accidents is so high. Popularity, in other words, is not the same thing as competence.

The Alpstein shows the problem in concentrated form. The region is one of the most popular hiking areas in Switzerland, and the SAC describes it as a hotspot for accidents. It is easy to reach, the gondola to Ebenalp is crowded, and Emanuel Gmünder says the main issue is that some visitors simply overestimate themselves. This year, volunteers such as him are working as rangers for the first time, warning hikers about dangers along the way.

Gmünder’s examples are not subtle. He recalls a hiker who once turned up with a rolling suitcase, a detail that says enough about the state of mountain judgement without further commentary. On a September hiking day, he also has to tell a group of young men to stay on the path after they stray into steep ground. One admits he underestimated the route; another says he should have worn proper hiking boots.

The new map is meant to help people assess exposure before they set off. Baumann is testing it on the steep trail from Interlaken to the Harder, where the terrain falls away sharply and the map layer turns orange to red. The project is still in its final development phase, and the base version is due in 2027. That is not exactly a technological revolution, but it may still save a few people from learning the hard way that a mountain path is not a theme park.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com