Hiking the Via Alpina - Scale of difficulty for hiking trails
The Swiss Alpine Club has published in april 2002 a new scale of difficulty for mountain hiking.
The new scale offers a good understandable classification for hiking trails.
Original article: The Alps, issue april 2002, SAC launches new scale of difficulty for hiking
| T1 «Hiking» | |
| Trail: | Trail well cleared |
| Terrain: | Area flat or slightly sloped, no falling hazard |
| Marking: | If marked in accordance with SAW-standards: yellow |
| Requirements: | Also for trainers suitable Orientation unproblematic, also without map possible |
| T2 «Mountain hiking» | |
| Trail: | Trail with continuous line and balanced ascent |
| Terrain: | Terrain partial steep, falling hazard not impossible |
| Marking: | If marked: white-red-white |
| Requirements: | A little sure-footed Hiking shoes recommended Basic sense of direction |
| T3 «Demanding mountain hiking» | |
| Trail: | Aground a track almost still existing, exposed sites may be secured with ropes or chains, possible needs to use hands for balance |
| Terrain: | Partly exposed sites with falling hazard, scree, pathless jagged rocks |
| Marking: | If marked: white-red-white |
| Requirements: | Well sure-footed Good hiking shoes Medium sense of direction Basic alpine experience |
| T4 «Alpine hiking» | |
| Trail: | Some tracks may be slightly abandoned, route partly pathless, in spots needs to use hands to get ahead |
| Terrain: | Terrain already quite exposed, precarious grassy acclivity, jagged rocks, facile snow-free glaciers |
| Marking: | If marked: white-blue-white |
| Requirements: | Familiarity with exposed terrain Solid hiking shoes Certain appraisement of terrain and good ability for direction Alpine experience |
| T5 «Demanding alpine hiking» | |
| Trail: | Often pathless, single plainly climbing up to second grade |
| Terrain: | Exposed, demanding terrain, jagged rocks, few dangerous glacier and névé |
| Marking: | If marked: white-blue-white |
| Requirements: | Mountaineering boot Safe appraisement of terrain and very good ability for direction Good alpine experience and elementary knowledge of handling with ice axe and rope |
| T6 «Difficult alpine hiking» | |
| Trail: | Mostly pathless, climbing up to second grade |
| Terrain: | Often very exposed, precarious jagged rocks, glacier with danger to slip and fall |
| Marking: | Mostly not marked |
| Requirements: | Excellent ability for direction Matured alpine experience and familiarity knowledge of handling with technical alpine tools |
Source: SAC - CAS