The objective of this paper is to analyze the actors’ interactions around this tourism diversification process based on outdoor sports, and in particular trail running, in the Pays of Allevard. To understand the tourism diversification process, it is necessary to analyze the way the local actors use the sport, take ownership of it, and transform it according to their interests, in particular to make it a tourism resource. The results show that the actors supporting the diversification project all practice the sport in question, and therefore have an interest in its development. Thus, trail running was considered as a godsend by certain economic actors, enabling them to offer new services. Sport therefore becomes an economic resource, but also a communication and territorial marketing tool when the objective is to rejuvenate the image of the territory. However, certain local elected officials question the relevance of this diversification project, whose economic impacts remain difficult to quantify. Moreover, this opposition to the development of a new sports activity within the destination illustrates the resonance of traditionalism with respect to the management of a territory. And disagreements concerning the positioning to be adopted make it difficult to construct a tourist identity for the destination.

The objective of this paper is to analyse the modalities of practice for winter and summer activities (hiking, ski touring and snowshoeing) in the Massif of Bauges. Modalities of practice are defined from several variables such as level, frequency, and motivation. The methodology combined a quantitative method based on a survey with a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews. From a general standpoint, the profiles of recreational users in the Massif of Bauges are compatible with the previous observations made of those visiting natural areas, and especially of those participating in adventure sports. They are mainly men over 40 years old, who are university graduates and belong to privileged social categories. Results highlight individuals’ different usages of the same activity. Also, it is possible to identify an age and gender effect in the structuring of the modalities of practice.

The trajectory of a hiker can be decomposed in walking sections and pauses. The attributes and possible roles of pauses in a hike has been under-looked in studies of human mobility in nature. In mountains, pauses can have several functionalities, depending on whether they occur by choice or are imposed by the lack of people fitness walking in arduous terrain. We studied the trajectories of mountain hikers from a pause point of view, based on GPS-trackers and questionnaires. We proposed a typology of pauses at the within-trajectory level, defining ”Longest”, “Eye-catching” and “Breath-catching” pauses. We then contrasted their characteristics (duration, number, and landscape variables), and their occurrence, number and duration in hikes depending on hiker groups attributes (size, age and gender structure). Longest pauses occurred most often close to summits, eyes-catching pauses close to passes and breathcatching pauses in steep terrain. Group size, and to a lesser extent, age structure, determined the number and total duration of pauses. Cumulated duration in breath-catching pauses made up one fourth of the pause duration on average. A better assessment of the functionality of pauses should therefore be pursued, especially in the context of hike planning, time budget, group dynamics and satisfaction.