Key:sac_scale
 sac_scale
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A difficulty rating scheme for hiking trails 
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| Group: Properties |
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Status: approved
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This is part of a classification scheme for hiking trails, this key describes attributes regarding difficulty.
It is based on the Klassifikation des Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) (de) since there is no internationally standardized classification schema.
All properties that deal with trail visibility and orientation have been extracted to a separate key trail_visibility=*
Consider using this for any paths that are not easily walkable. If in doubt about exact difficulty err on the safe side and add a fixme with explanation. This is because highway=path is used from anything from urban paved footways to difficult mountain paths and in case of missing data about difficulty routers/maps could direct unprepared hikers to difficult terrain.
Содержание
Applies to
Suggestions, not part of the original voted proposal
- It is suggested not to use this tag on paths not used for hiking or climbing.
- Be aware that many renders show all paths (even Via Ferrata/Klettersteige) as dashed line. Consider an appropriate name for the way.
- Tracks can carry a sac_scale=* tag if they are hiking trails/paths that are wide enough to carry a vehicle, if commonly (dual-)used for hiking or marked with hiking signs (Alpenverein, tourist authority). Generally the sac_scale=* of a track should be hiking or rarely mountain_hiking (if hazardous/slippery, map navigation required, etc.)
General Notes
As this is a more or less direct translation from the Swiss Alpine Clubs hiking difficulty assessment, this is generally suited for mountainous areas. For non-mountainous regions, other difficulties and requirements are present and therefore other scales should be used. E.g A way in a forest that is difficult to walk because of muddy ground and trees or bushes making walking difficult does not classify for T2. Other keys need to be used to describe its condition.
Most hiking trails that are found in maps fall into the T1 and T2 category. In low mountain ranges ways are often T1.
Often mappers in OSM have mapped T1 or T2 trails as T4 therefore some more notes to help understand what the below words mean.
Alpine: Alpine areas are posing the hiker greater difficulties. Exposed sites, boulders and debris, remoteness, high altitude, the possibility of rapid weather changes and often pathless routes that may change depending on conditions and time of the year are all factors that make up alpine regions. Note that just because a way is at high altitude but well maintained (e.g. cablecar nearby that carries tourist up to the Gornergrat ) means that even though a way is in alpine surroundings, the way itself should not be classified T4-T6. In alpine areas dangers such as avalanches, crevasses, falling rocks or ice mean that the difficulty of a way is not the way alone, but also the requirement to know how to handle such situations.
Mountaineering Boot: Mountaineering boots are much heavier and stiffer than the popular and lighter trekking or hiking boots. The have a thicker rubber sole and are torsionally stiffer. They are not only compatible with crampons but are stiff enough to make it comfortable to walk for hours with crampons (Trekking boots on the other hand require strap-on crampons). They enable the hiker to kick steps into hard snow. They often consist of an outer and a liner which can be taken out for drying. 1
Values
The illustration images have been provided by Marco Volken, member of the SAC trail classification working group.
| Tag | SAC Scale | Trail | Terrain | Requirements | Illustration |
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| sac_scale=hiking | T1 yellow | Trail well cleared | Area flat or slightly sloped, no fall hazard | None |  |
| sac_scale=mountain_hiking | T2 red | Trail with continuous line and balanced ascent | Terrain partially steep, fall hazard possible |
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| sac_scale=demanding_mountain_hiking | T3 red | exposed sites may be secured with ropes or chains, possible need to use hands for balance | Partly exposed sites with fall hazard, scree, pathless jagged rocks |
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| sac_scale=alpine_hiking | T4 blue | sometimes need for hand use to get ahead | Terrain quite exposed, precarious grassy acclivities, jagged rocks, facile snow-free glaciers |
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| sac_scale=demanding_alpine_hiking | T5 blue | single plainly climbing up to second grade | Exposed, demanding terrain, jagged rocks, few dangerous glacier and névé |
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| sac_scale=difficult_alpine_hiking | T6 blue | climbing up to second grade | Often very exposed, precarious jagged rocks, glacier with danger to slip and fall |
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Rendering
| Tag | SAC Scale (as seen on ground signs) | Alpine Paper Maps (Austria) |
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| sac_scale=hiking | T1 yellow | solid red |
| sac_scale=mountain_hiking | T2 red | dashed red |
| sac_scale=demanding_mountain_hiking | T3 red | dashed red |
| sac_scale=alpine_hiking | T4 blue | dotted red |
| sac_scale=demanding_alpine_hiking | T5 blue | dotted red |
| sac_scale=difficult_alpine_hiking | T6 blue | dotted red |
Controversy
Based on the guidelines of Verifiability some people find this tag lacking of verifiablity. Please have a look at the discussion page at Talk:Proposed_features/Hiking and make up your own mind. As always on OSM you are free to use the keys you like in the way you like! You can use the talk page for suggesting improvement.
Many mappers think that the more difficult SAC levels violate common sense expectation of a "highway=path". This key should not serve as an example for the introduction of similar keys, see also troll tag.
Reasons to use it
- Especially for mountain trails, it is crucial to know whether a trail can be done in sneakers or whether you need an ice axe and climbing irons.
- Since Google Maps and the like are pretty unusable for hiking (because they denote only very few trails), this is a region where OSM can be of great value soon and for a long time.
- Many mountaineers already utilize GPSs. It would be great to win as many of them as possible as contributors to OSM.
See Also
- Hiking
- Hiking Maps to see how this tag is rendered by OSM hiking maps
- safety measures on hiking trails
- Proposed features/via ferrata
- JOSM Mappaint style
- Consider using incline=up/down to specify the direction of the way up or down the mountain.
- mtb:scale=* - a classification scheme for mountain bike trails
- Approved proposal for this tag
