Around Mont Clapier in 3 days

Hello Ran54,
I think a pointless debate has just started. I’d like to point out, as I did to Gérard, that we’re talking about hiking here, not mountaineering. On the page I’m referring to, you should only take into account the section entitled ‘Hike Grading’.
I agree that the website draws on information from the CAS, and that mountaineering grades undoubtedly vary from country to country.
To bring this discussion to a close, here is a link to a CAF source on hiking difficulty ratings in France that I’ve just found
http://cafcannes.ffcam.fr/cotations-rando.html

What does this page say about the T3 grade? It is exactly the same, word for word and comma for comma, as the page I had been referring to until now. Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware of this page when I first started writing about hikes, so I couldn’t have drawn attention to the T3 grade.
One might now criticise me for the fact that this page is from the CAF Côte d’Azur – what about the other CAF branches?
Furthermore, for a section in Italy, such as the Refuge de Pagari to Castérino stage, should we refer to the CAF page or the CAI page?
In conclusion, from now on I’ll include a link to the CAF page.
I’ll make the necessary corrections on the relevant pages for this trek.
For my part, I think that if Visorando were to create a page on this subject, all the walks covered by these descriptions would be standardised.
As far as I’m concerned, the debate is closed.
Kind regards,
Dominique

Machine-translated

OK, that is indeed more elegant; I’ll correct it.

Machine-translated

Hello,

Let’s acknowledge that VR’s automatic recommendations are imperfect:

1. It considers distance and elevation gain separately (with separate thresholds). In practice, when assessing difficulty, we use charts that allow us to combine distance and elevation gain. Some also calculate the IBP index, promoted by the FFRP, which is based on the effort required for the route.
2. It obviously cannot take into account the specific difficulties of the terrain: steep slopes, exposed sections, lack of a path, etc.

The author must therefore maintain a critical perspective on any automatic recommendation and take into account distance, elevation gain and terrain conditions simultaneously. And, as you do, Dominique, it is necessary to provide a qualitative description of the difficulties the walker may encounter
.

Machine-translated

Hello, Gérard.
It’s quite difficult to express the classification of walks on Visorando.
A hike covering 20 km with no elevation gain is classified as ‘difficult’.
The third stage of this trek, ‘Refuge de Pagari – Castérino’, is rated as ‘medium difficulty’ according to Visorando’s criteria.
I can assure you that this has nothing to do with that assessment.
The page I’ve linked to is from a French hiking website, ‘www.rando-marche.fr/’.
I’m referring to the difficulty ratings for walking routes
T3 applies only to this paragraph; you just need to read the following text:
T3: Demanding mountain hike
The path is not necessarily visible throughout. Exposed sections may be equipped with ropes or chains. You may need to use your hands for balance. A few exposed sections with a risk of falling, scree slopes and rocky slopes with no clear path.
Requirements: Very sure-footed. Good trekking boots. Average navigational skills. Basic mountaineering experience desirable.

The other ratings do not specifically apply to walking routes.
It is true that the source is Swiss, but it is internationally recognised, including in France.

The text I have copied above corresponds perfectly to the requirements of the stages on this trek.

It seems to me that it is necessary to inform potential hikers about the nature of the hike’s difficulties before they commit to it. The Visorando classification, on the other hand, may be misleading.

Kind regards,
Dominique

Machine-translated