MOUNTAIN CHARTER
Mountain charter
BEST PRACTICE GUIDE
Mountain charter
The mountains are an incredible playground, both in summer and winter. To enjoy it to the full, together we must adopt the best practices that contribute to its preservation and protection. Here’s a mountain charter to keep in mind at all times!
Charte montagne
To preserve mountains, we all need to behave responsibly. To help you understand how you can contribute, the French hiking federation (La Fédération Française de Randonnée) has drafted with the OFB (French biodiversity office), a mountain charter comprising 12 rules for adopt the best behaviour:
To preserve vulnerable natural areas, some of them are protected by regulations. Before setting off, we can all find out about them. We should always find out if we’re in a national park or nature reserve and what restrictions apply.
What’s more, if you like to go mountain with your dog, it may not be possible everywhere. By finding out beforehand, you can avoid any surprises.
For safety reasons, but also to avoid stepping on fragile species, we must avoid taking shortcuts. Let’s try to stay on the paths!
Let’s adapt our behavior to respect and help preserve environments and species.
Without knowing it, we can harm biodiversity by bringing seeds or germs from other natural environments into the soil stuck to our soles. To avoid this, we simply need to clean our soles regularly, especially after a stay abroad!
The mountains are the result of pastoralism. Before being a playground for us, the mountain was a working ground for shepherds and their flocks, as well as a habitat for wild flora and fauna.
If you see a gate or a fence, you are on private property. To respect each other’s space, let’s systematically close the gates and fences we cross after our passage.
We strongly advise you to keep your dog on a leash: to not disturb or stress wild or farmed animals. Indeed, the energy expenditure generated by fleeing can be substantial and sometimes crucial. Our companions are perceived as predators.
Beware too of herding dogs, commonly known in french as “patou” (shepherd dog). Their mission is to protect their flock from dangers and predators, such as wolves. When you enter a protection zone, you’re considered a threat to them.
Here’s some advice if you have to cross a park guarded by a shepherd dog:
- Warn him of your presence by making noise so as not to startle him (talking/singing).
- Never pass between the dog and its herd, but rather around them.
- Let him come towards you so that he can identify you (smell), and don’t be brusque in your movements.
- Don’t panic: dogs can sense your fear. Talk to him calmly to build up his confidence when he approaches you.
- Avoid passing by with your pet dog.
- If you’re on a bike or trail, slow down and get off your bike just long enough to cross.
The mountains are an unspoilt territory, yet every year, tons of litter are collected. Mountain litter has a direct impact on ecosystems and biodiversity. Abandoned garbage affects local flora and fauna, but also water resources and the experience of other visitors.
“The best waste is the waste we don’t produce”.
So let’s choose the products we use. Systematically, collect our waste. Let’s take our packaging and garbage with us: there will always be places to throw it away in the valleys!
REFUGE TIPS: it can be difficult to bring garbage back. If you have a bit of space, you can offer to help transport some packaging. 💪🏻
A few guidelines:
- A handkerchief: pollution > 3 months.
- A cigarette butt: pollution > 1 to 5 years.
- A fruit peel: pollution > 3 months to 2 years. Note that they also have a negative impact on the habits and health of animal species.
- A plastic can or bottle: pollution > 100 to 500 years.
Today, a wide range of activities take place in the mountains: climbing, hiking, paragliding, trail running, mountain biking and much more! Sharing space has become essential.
HIKING TIPS: it’s common practice to let those going uphill pass. When we pass people on trail or mountain bike, let’s slow down if we don’t have visibility.
We all love the mountains, and even if we all practice them differently!
The mountains are a place where humans and wildlife live together. To better spot wild animals, but also to maintain a good cohabitation between mountaineers, let’s be discrete.
By keeping a low profile when snowshoeing, skiing or hiking, we increase our chances of seeing wildlife!
If you’d like to know where birds are most sensitive at certain times of the year (for example, when they’re nesting), there’s a national scheme called biodiv’sports which you can consult freely to find out where the “quiet zones” are.
It’s also important not to interact with wildlife. Touching or feeding them can be harmful.
Lighting a fire can disturb wildlife. The smoke and smell frighten the animals, which draw on their resources to flee. Animals come out when humans are no longer around. The longer we are out at night, the shorter the time available for wildlife.
If it spreads, it becomes a real danger for hikers and wildlife alike.
Note that bivouacking can be regulated. Regulations vary from one place to another. You may have to set your tent at sunset and to taking down it before 9am. You can find out more at your local town hall or on Internet.
A defective sign, a pollution problem, a need for safety measures.? Let’s all play our part in ensuring the quality of the sites where we enjoy our mountain activities. To do this, we can report any anomaly on the french website sentinelles.sportsdenature.fr.
Transport is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Let’s carpool or use public transport to get to the mountains whenever possible.
Why not consider a ski touring trip with an electric motorcycle approach? Join a climbing site on an e-bike? Or include train, bus or hitchhiking stops in our trek? A new opportunity for adventure!
Let’s be civic-minded when we arrive at the parking areas at the start of our mountain itineraries! If the parking lot is full, is it really a good idea to force your way in? Is it really a good idea to risk ending your day in the mountains with an altercation, a damaged car or even an impounded vehicle? Let’s stay on the roads open to vehicles and park in the spaces provided.
To complete these rules, we also advise you to always be prepared and equipped. Not only to guarantee your own safety, but also to avoid compromising that of others. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask a professional for advice.
It’s also important to know yourself: your abilities and your limits. Often, a lack of physical or logistical preparation, a wrong decision or unnecessary risk-taking can have serious consequences. Let’s all play our part and take responsibility, by becoming informed practitioners able of behaving in the best possible way.
It’s the outdoor spaces and especially the desire to share them that led us to create the agency in 2019.
Our primary goal is to help you make the most of the extraordinary experience the mountains have to offer. Whether you’re looking to recharge your batteries or challenge yourself physically, we’ve got an activity just for you!
With passion, sharing and confidence 🏔️