About ViaFerrata.tech
A project born from a passion for the mountains and a concrete need for reliable information.
Project genesis
Start of data collection on Swiss via ferrata. The observation is simple: information is vague, scattered, often incomplete, and no tool offers a modern interactive map providing more than just points.
First public version as an interactive web map via MyMaps. Simple and quick to set up, but not very intuitive for users, with very limited personalisation and feature development possibilities. Regular updates based on feedback from just over 40,000 users.
Birth of ViaFerrata.tech: a dedicated web application, developed from scratch. It offers automatically generated detailed fact sheets from the database, a personalised interactive map based on MapLibre, and multilingual support.
First 360° images. A spherical camera climbs the route, frame after frame, and the result can be explored from the site as an immersive tour. You look around, judge the steepness, the nature of the rock, the holds and the exposure. The idea is to let everyone see what they are getting into and choose a route that matches their level.
The project
ViaFerrata.tech is a reference catalogue of via ferrata in Switzerland. Each fact sheet brings together many useful pieces of information as well as photos. The goal: to have in one place all the information needed to plan an outing with complete peace of mind.
ViaFerrata.tech is an independent project created and maintained by Quentin Deillon, based in Switzerland. The site is developed in spare time, with no advertising and no commercial purpose.
- Promote the practice of via ferrata in Switzerland
- Compile and share reliable, up-to-date information
- Raise awareness among practitioners about mountain safety
- Maintain and develop the ViaFerrata.tech platform
Donations via Ko-fi go directly to the maintenance and development of the site: hosting, domain name and development time. No profits are redistributed.
Why this project?
I always had difficulty finding reliable and complete information to prepare a via ferrata. Existing sites provided few details, interactive maps were sorely lacking in data, and no tool offered complete routes from a car park or public transport stop. I therefore began centralising my own information. What was meant to stay a private tool quickly became a real project, driven by the desire to share it.
Technical data calculation
Each via ferrata route is manually traced across Swiss territory, then draped over the swissALTI3D digital terrain model from the Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo). This model, derived from LiDAR surveys (airborne laser scanning that precisely measures the distance between an aircraft and the ground), describes the Swiss terrain with a grid precision of 2 metres.
From the altimetric profile thus calculated, the data needed to compute our technical figures are automatically extracted.
Verified data
Some fact sheets display a green «Verified» badge. This means the information has been checked on-site or confirmed by an official source (site manager, tourism office, climbing federation). Unverified fact sheets may contain inaccuracies - feel free to report them via the contact form.
Ferrata 360°
A via ferrata is hard to put into words. Words give the grade, the cable length, the height gain, and leave out what really decides: the colour of the rock in the early morning, the traverse that looks short on paper and long to the eye, the bridge you glimpse two bends before reaching it. Ferrata 360° keeps all that. A spherical camera climbed the line, frame after frame, and every image gives you the place as it is, with the void around and the sky above. You climb from viewpoint to viewpoint, from the start to the exit, and you know what you are getting into before you go.
The orange badge marks the via ferrata already photographed, on the fact sheet as on the map. The others will follow, outing after outing.
Today
The project continues to evolve. Photo gallery, Ferrata 360°, enriched interactive map, new fact sheets. ViaFerrata.tech grows with the community and stays 100% free and ad-free. If you want to contribute, support the project or suggest ideas, head to the Donate or Contact.