UKH

Hi All.

I am after some help/advice. I am making a free online guide to ski touring in the Écrins, Briançon and Queyras region.  I have made a free app via ferrata guide, and was planning to do this as an app but it is just going to be too big.

The site is very nearly ready and I am just looking for some input on how people would like to be able to find the style of route within the guide book. There are a few sites that offer guides to walking/skiing climbing etc and the search features can be quite complicated.

I am trying to make it simple (as it can be).

My plan is that on the guidebook page there is a list of all routes with a photo, making it easy for general browsing. You then click on a route and you get all the details, and you can select routes by area.

Above the routes is a series of play lists these are a blog/lists of routes that fit in a certain category.  For this I am thinking of using the headings guidebook use, such as: 

Grade (easiest to hardest)

Height gain (lowest to highest)

Aspect (grouped by North, East, South and West)

Alphabetical 

Once you click on a playlist you will get routes sorted by or in order of the title of the play list.

What I am wondering is are there any other key groups/playlist’s that people would like to be able to search by for example:

Couloirs

Introduction tours 

Tree skiing

Below 30˚

30˚ - 40˚

steep skiing 

So, the question is what headings would people like to search under?

Thanks Rob

sounds interesting, will it include any routes not covered by existing French guidebooks for the areas ?

When using printed guidebooks I find a map of the area with the individual routes roughly indicated a good starting point when included. CamptoCamp have a similar function, eg https://www.camptocamp.org/routes?act=skitouring&q=Ecrins

Hi Rob. 
Those filters sound good. 
Have you seen the app Tourenatlas? I know that it’s a website now that you’re doing but it’s pretty handy to use and the filters are super simple. 
Hope to see you soon!

Jenny

Hi Doug,

Not sure weather it will cover much outside the existing scope of french guidebooks, but it will be in English and French.

Its a bit of a local project that will have guides for via ferrata, ski touring, walking and a bunch of other outdoor sports. each season me and a few other locals will add more routes as we do them, so over time it will grow. It will probably never get as definitive as toponeige for example, what we want is to able to showcase this area and have a online tool that helps people planning there adventures here, maybe as a tool working with french guides and local maps etc.

On each route there will be a link to map with the route on it, at them moment it will be a 3rd party site as i don't have the time or funds to work embedding it in my site.

also a link to parking which will take you to google maps, so you can get a good over all picture of the location plus directions to drive there.

I like the camp to camp search with the slide bars, that might be a bit advanced for my site on version one, but could be something to work towards.

how the snow with you, its been a great start to the season here, really good snow untill a few days ago it got warm and heavy, but more forecast for the weekend.

cheers

Hi Jenny, 

just downloaded it for a look, I am looking for my site to be really mobile friendly, as I see people using it on mobiles while here on holiday.

let me know when you coming out, cheers

Had a couple of good days out in early November but then had to go back to Paris for a while after my father-in-law died. As of yet I don't have any local contacts for touring so have been pottering about on nordic gear, often using the local alpine pistes which have been groomed even though the lifts don't open until the 20 something. Didn't realise I was so unfit

If you want someone to proof read or comment on your site before it goes 'live' I'll be stuck in Paris again over Christmas

Thanks for the offer of feedback on the site before it goes live, I will send you a link when its nearly there.

It's a bit far round to Vallouise and Briançon etc, but you would be welcome to join us for a tour, I will let you know if we come touring more round you neck of the woods as well.

Cheers Rob

 I've PM'd you,  let me know if you need a hand