Have you ever spent an involuntary night in the Peruvian wilderness without a tent on a sandbank in the river? The author of these lines has. Because he and his mates trusted a "children's map". A few lines and symbols, a pseudo-scale, no altitude information. What was meant to be a leisurely five kilometres turned into an ascent and descent into nowhere lasting several hours. Real topographical maps with details and facts are essential for orientation in the terrain. The minimum requirements are a reliable, large scale (1:25000), contour lines (with specified equidistance) and altitude information, a legend and a colour scheme or "shading" from which the nature of the terrain can be deduced. The biggest advantage of printed maps: the overview. Mobile phones or GPS devices tell you exactly where you are. But distances and what lies around you become a fiddly guessing game due to the mini display and the zoom factor. It is best to use a combination of analogue and electronic technology. Here we explain which paper and digital maps make sense for mountain bikers and why.
FREYTAG & BERNDT
The traditional Viennese company specialises in producing maps for the Alpine region, including Austria, Germany, South Tyrol and northern Italy. The outdoor maps, mostly at a scale of 1:50000, show themed sights, cycle paths and hiking trails. Many maps are supplied with an enclosed leisure guide. The colour scheme is intuitive and easy to read, and some of the map editions were launched in 2015.
8.99 euros, www.freytagberndt.de
PLUS Very detailed, clear map image, excellent coverage of Austria and the Alpine region
MINUS Few map editions at a scale of 1:30000 or larger
ALPENVEREIN
Hikes and ski tours are the main focus of the Alpine Club maps, but bikers also benefit from them. The maps of the Austrian and German Alpine Association contain many details on terrain and (mountain) huts - mostly at a scale of 1:25000. The map image is pleasantly restrained and easy to read. All maps are available on a USB stick for self-printing at an attractive total price. Cheaper for members. 9.80 euros, www.dav-shop.de
PLUS Many terrain details, current status of many editions (2012 and later), pleasant colour scheme
MINUS Normal, non-tear-resistant paper. Only for members at a favourable price.
STATE OFFICES FOR SURVEYING
If you need precise information within Germany, look for the maps of the relevant state surveying offices. In the sheet section overviews, you can immediately see the date of printing and therefore the up-to-dateness, as the state offices only update every six years using aerial photographs - but the data is absolutely accurate. The colour scheme differs from commercial manufacturers and may therefore be unfamiliar. 8.90 euros, e.g. www.ldbv.bayern.de
PLUS Very accurate on an aerial image basis, the whole of Germany is covered by the state surveying offices.
MINUS May have to be ordered, not always available from independent retailers.
COMPASS
Everyone has probably held a compass map in their hands. The familiar map image of the Innsbruck map house makes it easier to read, but there is often criticism of missing or no longer existing paths. The new tear- and waterproof coated material is extremely robust, but makes folding more difficult. Super coverage for the whole of Europe, large proportion of detailed scales of 1:35000 and larger. Often with hiking trail markings. 7.99 euros, www.kompass.de
PLUS Familiar map image, almost "indestructible" material, hiking trail markings included
MINUS Timeliness and completeness are often criticised.
SUPERTRAIL MAP
Purely specialised maps for mountain bikers that focus on the single trails in an area. The Swiss makers have published 52 maps to date, at a scale of 1:25000 and 1:50000, with different colour categories to highlight the difficulty of the trails. Detailed map image, at 1:50000 it gets a little tight to read. Naturally, the coverage is rather selective, further maps are being worked on. Unfortunately expensive. 16.95 euros, www.supertrail-map.com
PLUS Special information for mountain bikers with marked levels of difficulty
MINUS Only selective coverage in Europe, relatively high price as research-intensive
TABACCO
In Italy you can hardly get past the typical blue maps. Good, large 1:25000 scale, lots of useful details for alpinists and outdoor fans such as climbs, huts, cycle paths. Sometimes more difficult to interpret due to the wealth of detail. Excellent information for experienced map readers. Anyone who wants to plan and organise their own tours and frequently travels in the eastern Alps and South Tyrol should pick up the Tabacco sheets. 8.50 euros, www.tabaccoeditrice.it
PLUS High level of detail, designed for alpinists, excellent coverage for South Tyrol and Trentino
MINUS Unfortunately not very hard-wearing, as normal paper
SWISS TOPO MAPS
Every cartographer's dream job would probably be to work in Switzerland. Razor-sharp precision, attention to detail down to individual trees. The scale is consistently 1:25000 or 1:50000. Instead of the original maps from the Swiss Federal Office of Topography, the tourist maps from the same office are recommended - they also show hiking trails and ski tours. "For hikers, alpinists, planners, individualists and explorers." True.
Approx. 19 euros, www.swisstopo.ch
PLUS Precise, detailed, complete - clear, clean map image despite many details
MINUS It becomes expensive for longer route planning or larger areas.
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