More precise information to make hiking in the mountains safer
Published: Tuesday, May 28th 2024, 15:21
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Hikers should be able to better prepare for their excursions with new information on the dangers and necessary techniques on a particular route. The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) has developed a new method for assessing hiking trails.
In the method devised by the Swiss Hiking Trail Association and the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, trained people walk the trails and assess the criteria of "danger" and "technique" along a route, as the BFU announced on Tuesday.
Hazardousness refers to the risk of falling. The technical requirements include how uneven a path is or how high the steps are. This means that technically experienced people who are not free from giddiness can choose hikes that lead along challenging but not overly exposed paths, wrote the BFU.
Interested parties will be able to access detailed information on the routes in an app for cell phones or on a website, as an AAIB spokesperson told the Keystone-SDA news agency on request. No details were given as to when the new information will be available.
Careful planning is essential for a safe mountain hike, as many accidents happen because hikers overestimate their abilities or misjudge the risks, wrote the BFU.
Every year, around 50 people are killed in hiking or mountain hiking accidents in Switzerland - more than in any other sport. According to the BFU, there are also around 37,000 injuries per year. Hiking is one of the most popular sports in Switzerland. Almost 60 percent of the Swiss resident population aged 15 and over hike regularly.
©Keystone/SDA
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