Practical tips for successful hiking

10 practical tips before setting off on a hike:

• Check the route description and the route (duration/km) to see if the itinerary is suited to your level. Our information sheets are listed by colour | Green: EASY | Blue: MEDIUM | Red: DIFFICULT | Black : VERY DIFFICULT.
• I plan to wear clothes that are suitable for hiking. 3 layers to keep you dry and warm: one layer to wick away perspiration, one layer to keep you warm and one layer to protect you from the wind or rain.
• Make sure you have suitable footwear for hiking.
• I take poles to help me on the way up and also to cushion my joints on the way down.
• I check the weather forecast for the day, so that I can plan my clothing and the length of my walk.
• If I’m going on my own, I’ll tell someone close to me.
• I pack a rucksack, and adjust the weight so that it’s not too heavy.
• I pack water: one litre of water per person for a two-hour walk, and more in hot weather. I don’t drink water from rivers and streams without filtering it with chemical filters. I pack food, cereal bars or biscuits to prevent fatigue.
• I protect myself from the sun: cap, sunglasses, sun cream.
• I pack a first-aid kit: survival blanket, bandages, blister plasters, sterile compresses, gauze, a roll of plasters, a few safety pins, disinfectant, scissors, splinter forceps, antivenom kit.

Emergency number: 112.

The 10 golden rules for walking:

• Respect wildlife, keep quiet and keep your distance from wild animals.
• I respect the flora, I don’t pick flowers.
• When I come across herds of cattle, I close the gates and fences.
• Keep my pet on a lead so as not to frighten off wild animals. Dogs are not allowed in the nature reserve (Réserve Naturelle de Passy).
• I use the marked paths, so I stay on them to avoid trampling fragile species.
• I keep my rubbish with me, I don’t leave it in nature.
• I don’t light fires or throw away cigarette ends.
• I don’t camp in the wild.
• To get to the hiking sites, I use the free shuttle buses that run during the day between Flaine and Les Carroz.
• I don’t swim in mountain lakes, and the same goes for my pet.

Our 5 recommendations for avoiding tick bites:

During a walk in our mountains, ticks can attach themselves to your skin, potentially infecting you with the Borrelia bacterium and thus transmitting Lyme disease. How can you avoid this risk?

• Wear light-coloured, covering clothing, a hat and closed shoes (socks will block the bottom of your trousers).
• Pack repellent, a tick remover and antiseptic disinfectant in your rucksack.
• I walk in the middle of paths, avoiding tall grass, low branches, ferns, etc.
• After leaving my rucksack on the ground, I check it before putting it back on my back.
• Several times a day, I do a quick 30-second inspection of my clothes to remove any ticks that may have latched on.