Open Data: Downhill Wings Inline Skating Routes

Our curated inline skating routes are free to reuse. Other websites and apps can load them from a single GeoJSON file, which is updated whenever our map is.

The file contains the routes listed in the side menu of our map: complete downhill runs and a few flat routes, each graded with our difficulty levels. Places that aren't routes, such as skate halls, are not included.

Download

The file: https://downhillwings.ch/data/v1/routes.geojson

It uses the standard GeoJSON format (RFC 7946), so it loads directly in Leaflet, MapLibre, OpenLayers, QGIS or geojson.io. One difference from the standard: elevations are above sea level (see below).

How the file is organised

Each route is one feature. Its geometry is a MultiLineString with one line per section, in riding order. Sections are not always connected: there can be a short gap between two of them.
Coordinates are [longitude, latitude, elevation], with elevation in metres above sea level (not ellipsoidal height).
The top of the file holds the license, attribution, disclaimer, updated_at and the levels definitions with their colours.

Route properties

Each feature has an id (see Ids and links) and these properties:

Field	Description
`name`	Route name
`kind`	`descent` or `flat`
`level`	Difficulty: `green`, `blue`, `red`, `black` or `yellow` (see Levels)
`description`	Notes and hazards, in English or French. Can be `null`
`distance_m`	Length in metres
`climb_m`	Total elevation gain in metres
`descent_m`	Total elevation loss in metres
`max_slope_pct`	Steepest downhill slope in %, measured over 10 m. On some routes it was verified by hand
`url`	The route on our map
`updated_at`	Date the route last changed (`YYYY-MM-DD`)
`sections`	The route's sections, in the same order as the lines of the geometry
`links`	Related links, each with a `title` and a `url`. Often empty

Section properties

Each entry in sections has an id, name, level, distance_m, climb_m, descent_m and max_slope_pct, as above, and a kind:

Kind	Meaning
`descent`	A downhill section
`flat`	A flat section, usually for distance skating
`access`	The way to the start, usually on foot. Not skated

Levels

Level	Name
`green`	Beginner
`blue`	Intermediate
`red`	Hard
`black`	Advanced
`yellow`	Expert/extreme

Levels rate difficulty on inline skates, which is not the same as on a skateboard. The full definitions are in the file's levels field and behind the Info button on our map.
A route's level is usually the level of its hardest section. A route can include a short harder section that you can stop before.
On flat routes, the level reflects traffic, road width and surface rather than slope.

Ids and links

A route's id never changes once published, even if the route is renamed or re-graded, and is never reused for another route.
https://downhillwings.ch/ followed by an id opens that route on our map, for example downhillwings.ch/prillypiscinesurvidy. Section ids work the same way.

Updates

The file is regenerated every time our website is updated.
A route's updated_at changes when anything about it changes: its line, name, kind, level, description, stats, sections or links. The file's own updated_at is the date of the latest change, including a route being removed.
New fields may be added to this version. Changes that could break existing code will get a new address (/data/v2/), and the current one will keep working during a transition period.

License and credit

The data is published under CC BY 4.0: you can use, share and adapt it for any purpose, including commercially, as long as you credit Downhill Wings. If you wish, you can show the attribution text from the file and link each route to its url.

Sources:

Routes, levels and descriptions: Downhill Wings
Elevation: swisstopo (swissALTI3D) in Switzerland, IGN in France and Copernicus EU-DEM elsewhere

Safety

Routes are for information only. Road, traffic and weather conditions change, so check each route yourself and skate at your own risk. When you show a route, please show its level and description with it.

Contact

Questions, corrections or a route that needs updating: email us at [email protected], or message us on Instagram at @dh_wings.