Ski Atlas of the Alps ¶

As a ski enthusiast, I have repeatedly accessed and studied ski area maps, as provided by various resorts, in order to plan my downhills or to understand the features of the various resorts. Maps have always fascinated me, in the rich, clear and immersive manner in which they provide various levels of information. So, when the time came to decide on an MYP (Middle Year Project) topic in high school, I looked for a project on mapping. I resorted to researching online and asking experienced professionals in the field. I learned that GIS is the technology used to create maps and I quickly combined this with my love for skiing. At this point, I had only a general idea of the content I wanted to create. However, a GIS professional told me about a website that collects geographical data about ski resorts, including pistes and lift facilities, rich with data like areas, lengths, types, etc. So, I decided to create a ski map atlas, showing resort details.

Research ¶

Initially, I tried to learn as much as I can about GIS technology. Learning what GIS is, data formats, projections, tools, symbols was very demanding, but also absolutely fascinating. I then looked for suitable software options. Discovering QGIS was a milestone for me and I quickly decided to use it for my work, since it combined everything I needed. Learning how to use it was also a huge step, I used available tutorials and asked for guidance from professionals. The data website that I used is www.opensnowmap.org, an impressive work! This site holds and presents ski facilities’ data and offers them for download in geojson format. So, now I had both the tools and the data.

Project work ¶

I downloaded the data and started exploring their nature. I concluded that I could create a map atlas of resorts, every map presenting a separate resort. To complete the map, I would present them with statistical data about the resort facilities. This would also require some spreadsheet work, to create statistics from the data. This planning and testing consumed a great deal of my project work and was very demanding, however things were made easier by using QGIS, with its friendly GUI and its abundance of tools. The full world dataset is very large, and I quickly realized that I would have to reduce my geographical extent of work. I chose the Alps area and decided to pick the largest 100 resorts, using the total ski pistes’ length as my criterion.

The major tasks in my work were:

Research for software, data, tools
Geographical data manipulation with QGIS
Managing descriptive data, in order to create statistics
Designing the presentation of the maps and data
Automated creation of multiple maps, including the statistical data
Creating a single map atlas file, including text and instructions
Combining everything into a publication file

alps_ski_atlas_1

QGIS working setup ¶

alps_ski_atlas_2

The Layout setup for the atlas ¶

alps_ski_atlas_3

My Inspiration ¶

My statement in the final outcome of my work sums up my inspiration and my work: “The Alps, renowned for their breathtaking scenery and extensive skiing opportunities, have long been a magnet for winter sports enthusiasts. Understanding the spatial distribution, characteristics, and accessibility of ski areas within this mountainous region requires a nuanced approach to data collection and mapping symbols, colors, and labels were employed to represent various attributes, such as difficulty levels of slopes, amenities, and the size of ski areas.

Being so amazed by the beauty and the unique shapes of the Mountains in the Alps, I created this book, which like the subtitle says, includes maps of the Top 100 biggest Ski Areas in the Alps. The book, not only contains the maps of these top 100 Ski areas, but it also contains some statistical data on each of the Ski Areas. Statistical data consist of the length, the maximum height, as well as the amount of runs and lifts that the Ski Area has. To create these maps, I researched and found information in different sources on the internet, and also learned how to use QGIS at a certain level. The biggest part of the book is created with QGIS, so learning how to use it is of utmost importance.

As a result, this book was created, to work as a guide for each and every individual that might sometime need it, and help with presenting some of the most interesting and wonderful information about the Largest Ski areas in Europe.”

Download the Atlas ¶

The Atlas is available at the following link (72MB). Please, download and have a look! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gt6UcbxMwFQpFqsge7IGNGbP8RiPEYES/view?usp=sharing

Authors ¶

My name is Nikos Michas, I am a final year high school student (2025-26). I live in Athens, Greece. I love technology, machines, computers, games. I love nature, sports music, as much as maths and physics. I inspire to become an engineer.