Item: A ROUTING ALGORITHM FOR BACKCOUNTRY SKI TOURS
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Title: A ROUTING ALGORITHM FOR BACKCOUNTRY SKI TOURS
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2024, Tromsø, Norway
Authors:
- Guenter Schmudlach [ Skitourenguru GmbH, Zürich, Switzerland ]
- Andreas Eisenhut [ Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), Bern, Switzerland ]
Date: 2024-09-23
Abstract: For over a decade skitourenguru.com has been assigning daily avalanche risk scores to thousands of backcountry ski tours in the alpine region. These ratings are based on the "Quantitative Reduction Method" (QRM) and on "Screening the Likelihood of Avalanches on Backcountry Ski tours" (SLABS). Both methods combine information from the avalanche forecast and the terrain to a risk score. The standard routes made available on Skitourenguru are edited and reviewed by experts in Geographical Information Systems. End users have frequently wished to draw their own routes and have them rated afterwards. However, routes drawn by end users often lack the necessary quality. Therefore we developed a routing algorithm that not only adjusts existing routes but also generates new routes from a given start to a given end point. This algorithm is based on cost optimization (Dijkstra) through a cost surface. The cost surface is dependent on slope angle, curvature, forestation and other criteria such as roads, paths, rivers, bridges, lakes or information about ski routes and tracks. The optimization algorithm is implemented with the GRASS tool r.walk. For Switzerland, the feature has been available on skitourenguru.com/rating-view since December 2023. Users can either prospectively draw a route on a map or retrospectively upload a GPX file. Subsequently the route is adjusted by the algorithm and the avalanche risk score is calculated based on an avalanche forecast chosen by the user. The feature was immediately embraced by the backcountry skiing community in Switzerland. In the winter of 2023/2024, users rated more than 50.000 routes. Starting from December 2024, this feature will become available for the entire alpine region. Given its playful nature, we are confident that this feature can make a significant contribution to "avalanche education and learning." In this contribution we present the feature, give an insight to the routing algorithm, explain its purposes, discuss its limits and give an outlook to the future.
Object ID: ISSW2024_O11.9.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Guenter Schmudlach
Keywords: Backcountry ski touring, Routing algorithm, Avalanche risk, Skitourenguru
Page Number(s): 1489 - 1495
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