Articles | Volume 26, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1537-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1537-2026
Research article
 | 
25 Mar 2026
Research article |  | 25 Mar 2026

Tracking the slopes: a spatio-temporal prediction model for backcountry skiing activity in the Swiss Alps using user-generated content

Leonie Schäfer, Frank Techel, Günter Schmudlach, and Ross S. Purves

Model code and software

Gitlab Repository Leonie Schäfer https://gitlab.uzh.ch/geocomp/backcountry-skiing-acitivity

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Short summary
Backcountry skiing is a popular form of recreation in Switzerland and worldwide, despite numerous avalanche accidents and fatalities that are recorded each year. There is a need for spatially explicit information on backcountry usage for effective risk estimations and avalanche forecast verification. We used GPS tracks and online engagement data to model and predict daily backcountry skiing base rates in the Swiss Alps based on a set of snow, weather, temporal and environmental variables.
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