Signposting and information

With the development of tourism in France, the mountain destination has become essential. In fact, France ranks third globally for skiing destinations. Therefore, mountain signage is crucial for ensuring the safety of hikers and skiers. It can take various forms, such as information signs, trail markers, or hazard indicators. Everyone is familiar with the direction indicators on mountain hiking trails that help follow the correct path. While GR trails are simply marked with red and white paint marks, did you know that volunteers maintain these long-distance hiking routes?

For resort signage, different types of signs aim to ensure skiers’ safety and inform them about dangers and regulations regarding ski slope traffic. Danger signs are easily recognizable with their yellow triangles, indicating the presence of a crossing or other hazards. There are also multifunctional information signs, ABS beacons, direction signs, safety nets, avalanche signs, and safety rules and instructions signs.

Innovations Serving Mountain Users’ Safety

The Mountain Planet trade show is the place to discover the latest technological innovations in information and signage, especially for ski resorts. The show takes place every two years in France, in Grenoble in the Alps. Because the mountain is an extensive territory subject to winter weather conditions, with steep geography, it is necessary to maximize the safety of vacationing tourists, as well as winter sports enthusiasts or hikers in all seasons.

Ski areas can install interactive information screens at strategic locations, on the slopes and in common areas. Updated in real time, they provide information on weather conditions, events, wait times at ski lifts, etc..

Mobile apps developed by ski resorts also provide visitors with real-time information on weather conditions, slopes, ski lifts, and ongoing and upcoming events. There are also GPS mobile solutions for orientation on ski areas, thus avoiding getting lost in ski resorts.

Piste management systems in large ski areas also allow tracking the condition of the slopes, snow density, and thus defining the maintenance to be planned.

RFID chip cards are often used to manage access to ski lifts, and even for tracking time spent on the slopes. They offer a contactless experience and more efficient management of skier flows.

Among the sectors of activity of the exhibitors present at the Mountain Planet trade show:

• Weather devices
• Transmission devices
• GPS
• Computing: telematics, databases, geographic information systems, electronic payment systems
• Radio communication
• Signage, screen printing, trail marking, lighting
• Weather stations
• Geographic information systems
• Panoramic boards and maps
• Telecommunications