The FIANET (International Federation of Lift Operators) recommends new standards for measuring the length of the ski pistes, after analyzing a damning report from Christoph Schrahe. The German cartographer claimed that some of Europe's biggest ski resorts indicate an exaggerated total length of pistes.
Schrahe measured the lengths down the middle of the pistes, following the twists and turns, using a digital mapping system. The values obtained were compared with the information provided by the annual guidebook, Where to Ski and Snowboard.
The results show that, on average, ski resorts exaggerate the total cumulated length of ski tracks by 34%. There is no consistency in the exaggeration. Some resorts claim much longer runs, other do not. The ski pistes of the Three Valeys Resort (France), often quoted as the biggest ski domain in the world, measure 493kms whereas the resort claims 600kms, an exaggeration of 22%. An even greater exaggeration was found in the Four Valleys resort, Switzerland: Schrahe measured 164kms and the resort claims 412kms.This is a 151% discrepancy or 248 kilometers of non-existent piste!
In September 2013, the FIANET held a conference in Prague (Czech Republic). Schrahe's methodology was evaluated, found to be accurate and approved as the standard by which all ski runs shall be measured. The President of the Federation, Pierre Lestas, stated that "the length of the ski piste is the actual length measured down the middle of the track and in case of bifurcations, only the effective length of branches is added."
The length of pistes is provided by resorts or the lift operators. Skiers base their resort selection choice on a number of factors; overall length of pistes is a high priority and valuable criteria for many skiers. By introducing a standard for the measurement of pistes, skiers will have good data to make their choice of ski resort.
