How was Outdoor Safety First born?

The future of tourism is outdoor

Trends in recent years clearly show us a decisive shift in travellers' preferences towards the outdoors. More and more people are turning to nature and outdoor sports; they are seeking adventures within their reach, driven by goals of transformation, relaxation, and challenge. They are enthusiastic tourists who experience movement in nature as a time of change and introspection, a way to broaden their horizons and enrich themselves with new experiences.

And it is precisely in this context that the Outdoor Safety First project was born: an actual awareness-raising project promoting a culture of safety.

Outdoor Safety First is an incubator of procedures in continuous development, formed by companies and outdoor professionals with a common vision: to share experience, prevention strategies, and management of risks related to outdoor activities.

Garda Trentino: the home of the outdoors with safety at the forefront

Garda Trentino has always been known as the Mecca of water and outdoor sports.

Water and mountains together mean being able to practice more than ten different sports, all in the same place.

The numbers speak for themselves: 2500 kilometers of cycling routes of all disciplines, more than 1000 kilometers of trekking routes from the lake to the mountains up to 2000 meters of altitude difference, more than 20 crags for climbing, 10 vie ferrate with 5000 meters of vertical development, two regular winds that blow almost every day with intensity varying from a few knots to nearly 40.

Suppose we add to these numbers the local alpine and mountain bike guides, sailing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing schools, sailing clubs, rentals, maintenance and mapping of routes, and some of the most famous sporting events in the world. In that case, it is easy to understand why the Outdoor Safety First project was born in Garda Trentino.

From numbers to the idea of a new cultural project

In 2019, the mountain guides of the MMove Mountaineering School accompanied 3900 people to the mountains and rented equipment to 3,200 people for a total of 7,100 services sold.

If we assume that, on average, a harness is used for about 3 hours per person, the Mmove Mountaineering School delivered almost 70 harnesses in one year, totaling 10,200 hours of use. Does this change the concept of safety?

Preventive information

It is thanks to this demand that the first talks with law firms and insurance companies began in order to write disclaimers and information in a clear way that was easy to understand. Knowledge and risk mitigation, in fact, also depend on communication and the self-responsibility of each individual.

A tourist who today relies on an Outdoor Safety First player is informed about the outdoor activity from the first online contact until the meeting with their guide or instructor.

A better-informed customer who can engage with a professional and better understand the environment in which they live the experience with more enthusiasm returns home with new knowledge and a greater awareness of the associated risks with outdoor activities.

"A wonderful experience thanks to the professionalism of Alan who, with his advice and supervision, made the day beautiful even for first-timers. Reservation made from the site without difficulty with all the detailed information." - 72FaberPV.

Equipment hires.

So, how do you guarantee regularly checked equipment for your customers?

In addition to the time control and monitoring of specific equipment, the players at Outdoor Safety First guarantee equipment certified by recognized quality systems, excluding self-produced and/or modified solutions. The total equipment use hours are monitored with a barcode to ensure that the equipment is always checked and, thus reducing possible risks.

"We rented two via Ferrata sets from the guys at MMOVE. Super professional and friendly, they also gave us a lot of advice. Well-kept equipment and suitable for the security sought. Definitely to hire again!" - Marcello Fontana

Washing and sanitizing

Safety is also about hygiene, and with the Covid 19 pandemic, tourists have begun to demand and appreciate higher sanitation standards.

This is also why the Outdoor Safety First players also guarantee their customers' maximum hygiene of equipment and surfaces in direct contact with the body. Helmets, wetsuits, and bike handlebars are washed, sanitized with ozone, dried, and individually packaged with guarantee seals.

"We did the Rio Nero Canyoning tour today together with our wonderful guide David. It all started with the pick up of the 8 members (Arco, Riva, Torbole). David drove us safely in his van up to Ledro Valley where we were handed out the state of the art gear. Everything was clean and looked new and very professional. After an about 30 min hike up the hill the adventure down the canyon started. David made us all feel very safe, made us laugh, and enjoyed the experience. The tour is for beginners, but one should be a good hiker and not fear heights. It was thrilling to do the jumps and the “abseiling. All in all, it was worth every Euro! Thanks for the great experience." - Tanja

Why be part of Outdoor Safety First

Safety culture is an increasingly important issue.

We, the outdoor sports professionals, with our knowledge and experience, can and must sensitize new water and mountain sports enthusiasts to risk prevention and mitigation.

Joining Outdoor Safety First means having access to ready-to-use procedures and protocols and being part of a group of experts who share their know-how for continuous comparison and optimization work.