Aspect

In addition to contour lines, shading, steepness, and rock formations, the orientation of a slope plays a very significant role. Regardless whether you are a hiker or a cyclist wanting to know which tour will be more shady or where to find the perfect snow, the aspect is a decisive factor. The layer indicates in which cardinal direction a slope is oriented.

Included in: Pro

Legend

The aspect, also known as orientation, is the cardinal direction in which a slope falls. The four main colors represent the cardinal direction of the slope orientation, mixed colors the secondary cardinal directions. In the Alpine region, certain conditions can often be deduced from orientation. However, factors such as forest cover, current and past weather conditions, shadows from other mountains and the shape of the terrain also have an influence on the conditions.

2D view of the map with winter sports activities

Transparent

The slope has such a low slope angle that it is not possible to determine the aspect.

Blue: north-facing slopes

The least sunny slopes of the Alps in winter. Old snow often lasts the longest in north-facing slopes and north-oriented gullies and hollows, even into spring and summer.

Light gray: west-facing slopes

Slopes that get more sun in winter in the Alps towards the evening.

Orange: south-facing slopes

The sunniest slopes in the Alps during winter and spring. Here, the snow melts the fastest and these slopes are often the first to be bare.

Dark purple: east-facing slopes

Slopes that receive morning sun in the Alps during winter.

Availability of the aspect

The slope angle layer covers the Alpine region and is available on all maps (with the same data basis). The calculation is based on the highest-resolution data set we have for the respective region. Where the resolution of the elevation models is more accurate than 5m, the resolution is interpolated to 5m.

Where does the data come from?

We use digital terrain models for the alignment, from which we also generate shading, slope angle and contour lines. Depending on the country, we try to research the most suitable data and integrate it into the map. If the slope is below a certain threshold value, no alignment is displayed.

How to use the aspect layer

The aspect – also called orientation – has a direct impact on most routes in summer and winter. During a mountain hike in early summer, north-facing slopes can still be covered in snow. This can make the hike more demanding, especially for certain aspects and harder snow.

If you are doing a via ferrata or an Alpine climbing route, shadowy north- or west-facing walls or ridges can be a real lifesaver in summer. But in higher altitudes, when you are exposed to hash winds and cold shadows, you will cool down fairly quick.

During winter, skiing or snowshoeing trips heavily depend on the aspect. On steep south-facing slopes, where the sun's rays hit at a 90-degree angle, the snowpack becomes saturated more rapidly, especially during warm spring conditions, increasing the risk of wet-snow avalanches. On the other hand, shady north-facing slopes, even though they get little sun, are often more avalanche-prone in midwinter compared to south-facing slopes. The colder temperatures and changing snow conditions can create and preserve weak layers.

After clear radiation nights, snow on south-facing slopes is more stable and requires the right equipment (crampons, ice tools).

Overall, it is not possible to make general statements about which slope exposure is more dangerous. Therefore, it is important to carefully read the avalanche report before your tour and avoid the exposed areas mentioned in it as much as possible. On the Outdooractive map, the respective avalanche report is directly integrated for each region, allowing you to select a suitable tour based on the avalanche warning level and snow conditions. When traversing critical slopes, one should make deliberate decisions and generally adopt a more defensive stance.

For a route, the aspect can be set manually by the creator. This information on the aspect relates primarily to the critical slopes, walls or ridges that are climbed, skied or ascended during a tour.