Map and compass: navigate as Switzerland teaches

How do I read a Swiss national map?

According to J+S, the 1:25,000 national map has «the most detail for mountain tours»; 1:50,000 «offers good overview, sufficient for hikes and bike tours». Mathematically: 1:25,000 means 1 cm = 250 m, 1:50,000 means 1 cm = 500 m.

Contour lines: the vertical distance is called equidistance. J+S word for word: «1:25,000 lowland and Jura: 10 m, mountains: 20 m. Rock: the 100 m index curves are solid. 1:50,000 whole Switzerland: 20 m.»

The most important trap, J+S word for word: «In the mountains, the same slope on the 1:25,000 map compared to the 1:50,000 map looks much flatter!» – because both there have 20 m equidistance, but the 1:50,000 shows the curves on half the space.

The map does not lie, but it smooths. J+S: «The map shows an average slope inclination», «Between contour lines there can be short, steeper or flatter sections», «Small vertical rock bands may be hard to recognise».

Currency: J+S: «Every map is brought up to date every 6 years.» The publication year appears on the cover, the status of the revision at the bottom left inside. «The landscape changes constantly.»

Signature traps, all word for word from J+S: «Stream: line width is no indication of water volume!» · «Dry watercourse: in snowmelt or thunderstorms sometimes impassable!» · «Open forest: tree rings are a land symbol, they do not stand for individual trees.» · «Scrub: usually less than 3 m high, often poorly or not passable.» · «Path trace: often only markings visible.» · «High-voltage line: not a path, often audible.»

How do I navigate with the map while hiking?

These eight steps are the continuous orientation cycle of the official J+S note – what you do repeatedly throughout the entire tour, not only when something goes wrong.

1. Fold the map «so that the location and the next section are on top»
2. Rotate the map so it matches the terrain – this is orienting it in its practical form
3. Track your location continuously – «with your thumb on it»
4. Learn the next section: landmarks and time (distance and altitude difference)
5. Constantly compare actual with expected: «Continuously compare the reality (actual) with what is expected according to the map (expected).»
6. When deviations occur, stop, orient yourself, possibly return to the last known point
7. Deploy instruments before you no longer see – especially the compass
8. Pay attention to the time, «before you overshoot the target»

The 3-point rule: transfer direction from map to terrain

Swiss teaching does not know the terms «triangulation», «back-resection» and «march digit». The official J+S note uses 3-point rule, azimuth and route sketch. Those who use German terms are not on the wrong track – but they are not Swiss terminology and not officially recommended.

1. Place compass on the map in the desired direction
2. Rotate the housing until the south-north lines are parallel to those on the map – if necessary, read the azimuth
3. Remove the compass and rotate until the red part of the needle settles between the marks

Compass, azimuth and the matter of declination

J+S explicitly dampens expectations: «Do not expect great accuracy. Use distances as short as possible, aim on lines and possibly deliberately «wrong».» And: «On the map, estimate azimuths first (for example, southwest = 135°), then measure with the compass.»

Compass rules, J+S: «Keep iron parts as far away as possible (including the avalanche beacon).» · «Cord points towards the body or starting point.» · Pay attention to the degree division: «360°, 6400 mills or 400 gon». · «In the hut, possibly create a route sketch with distances and azimuths of the sections.»

Declination: in Switzerland, the magnetic declination is now around 3 to 4 degrees east and continues to increase (around +0.1 to +0.2 degrees per year). The old rule of thumb «around 2 degrees in Switzerland, negligible» is outdated – historically the declination was west (CAS 1914: Geneva 11.3 degrees west) and has moved through zero to the east. The current value for your location is provided by the swisstopo declination calculator.

Honestly: the official J+S note does not mention declination with a single word, although it teaches azimuths – Swiss mountain sport teaching apparently considers the correction negligible in practice. For normal hiking it is. For azimuth navigation over longer distances in fog or open terrain it becomes measurable at 3 to 4 degrees.

For beginners: ignore the declination and instead practice rotating the map. The 3 to 4 degrees are the least of your problems as long as the map is upside down.

Expert tip: in fog, aim deliberately «wrong» – aim next to the target so that when you reach a line (stream, path, ridge) you know which way to turn. J+S mentions exactly this.

What is the difference between LV95 and LV03?

LV03 (CH1903) is the land survey from 1903, fundamental point: old Bern Observatory (600,000 / 200,000). LV95 (CH1903+) is satellite surveying, established 1988–1995, fundamental point Zimmerwald geostation. Bern zero point LV95: E 2,600,000 / N 1,200,000. LV95 «came into force in early 2017» (swisstopo).

The digit rule: a 7th digit was added to the 6-digit coordinate. swisstopo word for word: «In the north-south direction it is a 1, in the west-east direction a 2.» So: LV95 is 7-digit, LV03 is 6-digit. This tells you immediately which system you are looking at.

And here is the correction that is almost always missing: «+2,000,000 east / +1,000,000 north» is the official addition rule for system differentiation – but not an exact transformation. swisstopo word for word: «An exact transformation is not possible due to large distortions (up to 1.6 m).» It only works exactly with the REFRAME tool and the CHENyx06 dataset.

What this means for hiking: nothing. 1.6 metres are decisive for surveying and irrelevant for hiking – your GPS is off by ±10 metres anyway (J+S). The rule of thumb is quite sufficient for reading and recognising. It is just not a transformation tool, and that is how you should pass it on to others. (Editor's classification, not an official sentence.)

Reading coordinates, J+S word for word: «The large number comes first (east value, to the right), then the small one (north value, upward). Memory aid: into the corridor, then up the stairs.» And explicitly: «Do not talk about X and Y axes, they are oriented differently than in geometry!»

Precision suffices, J+S: «Estimate: possible to 100 m accuracy, less error-prone and faster.» · «Give coordinates with 2 × 6 digits, estimating to 100 m is usually sufficient.» The note dates from 2009, i.e. from the LV03 era – today it is 7 digits. The logic remains.

Always add, J+S: «In addition to coordinates and altitude, also report the field name, the valley and the municipality.» if a digit is misheard, rescue has nothing else.

Digital or paper

The swisstopo app stores maps «free and unlimited» offline; the app itself requires around 50 MB, all Swiss national maps plus adjacent foreign territory around 18 GB. It displays LV95 by default and can be switched to WGS84 in settings. SchweizMobil Plus costs CHF 35.– per year, CHF 20.– for CAS members.

The official assessment, J+S word for word: «A digital map always needs power. The usually rather small displays offer no overview.» Conclusion of the note: «Digital maps are ideal for trip preparation (including GPS) at home. For hiking, the printed national map is often a safer data storage.»

On GPS, J+S: «GPS cannot see obstacles (such as crevasses or rock bands). You must have the map with you.» · «Accuracy (horizontal) is usually within ±10 m.» · «Steep walls (especially facing south) can interfere with measurements, as can trees.» · «At least 4 satellites are required.»

Cold: J+S: «At low temperatures, the display can have problems or fail.» And devices «are power consumers; a set of batteries will last 4 to a maximum of 10 hours of continuous operation». Cold also significantly reduces usable battery capacity; the effect is largely reversible when the device warms up again – that is why you should carry your phone close to your body. (The extent of this loss varies; there is no reliable, device-specific source for it, so we do not name any figures.)

bpa word for word: «Current map material – offline or on paper: your phone can also break down or lose reception.» CAS: «Classic navigation aids such as paper maps, compass and altimeter continue to be part of the basic equipment.»

For beginners: loading the swisstopo app offline is quite sufficient at the start – free and better than any paper map you do not have with you.

Expert tip: the altimeter is the most underestimated instrument. J+S: «Continuously, at least after 1 hour at a point with known altitude, calibrate.» It measures relatively, drifts with air pressure – and this drift is a weather forecast: «Set in the hut in the evening, check in the morning. Higher reading = air pressure rising = fine weather; lower reading: air pressure falling = bad weather.» To this: «The resolution of the display (e.g. at 1 m) is not the accuracy!» And: «GPS measures altitude two to three times less accurately than position.»

How do I calculate walking time in the mountains?

The swisstopo rule of thumb is the canon (table below). Breaks are not included – and neither in the times on the yellow sign posts: Swiss trails say word for word that the time figures refer to «pure walking time – breaks are not included».

There is no gut feeling behind the official times: the formula was developed in the 1980s, mathematically derived by Stephan Weber, and has been in use across Switzerland since 2006. It is a polynomial; the rule of thumb is the approximation. swisstopo itself: «the rule of thumb calculates times generously» – and advises to «always plan more time than necessary».

An honest friction between two official sources: swisstopo adds for descent (+15 min per 200 m), the J+S note subtracts («deduction for easy descent per 400 m: ¼ hour»). No error, but two models: steep descent takes time, easy descent saves it. We count with swisstopo because more conservative.

Time consumers and accelerators, J+S word for word: «As a group you are always slower!» Faster: «early morning · on hard snow · in a practised group · with little luggage · on good paths». Slower: «roping up · mounting crampons · putting on skins · heavy snow · full bellies · afternoon sun · bottlenecks».

For comparison: the internationally known Naismith rule from 1892 calculates around 10 minutes per 100 metres of ascent, the Swiss rule 15 – the Swiss rule is much more generous on the ascent. Naismith knows neither breaks nor a descent term. (Conversion by the editor from the original text.)

Sources: swisstopo (time planning, contour lines, coordinate system) · J+S Handbook Mountain Sports 30.905.1003 d (BASPO), 2009 edition · Swiss trails. The J+S note is from the LV03 era and shows 6-digit coordinates. Status: July 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• J+S / BASPO Handbook Mountain Sports 30.905.1003 d: Orientation (official teaching material)
• swisstopo Time planning: march time rule of thumb
• swisstopo The Swiss coordinate system: LV95 and LV03
• swisstopo Transformations: distortions up to 1.6 m, REFRAME/CHENyx06
• swisstopo Contour lines and equidistance
• swisstopo swisstopo app: save maps offline
• swisstopo Declination calculator: current value for your location
• Swiss trails Hiking time: pure walking time, breaks not included
• Swiss trails Trail categories: yellow, white-red-white, white-blue-white
• CAS Equipment list mountain and alpine hiking
• bpa Advice on hiking and mountain hiking
• Guide: Lost and disoriented When map and terrain no longer match
• Guide: Alert in mountain emergencies Give coordinates
• Guide: Pack an emergency bag Map, compass and altimeter in your backpack
• Guide: Emergency power and solar Power bank for your phone
• Guide: Movement in emergencies Walking performance on foot