Presentation

Endurance hikes and Audax® rides are regularity events over long distances at a regulated pace. The Audax Hiking Brevets are official competitions held over distances of 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 or 150 km. They are run in groups on roads, tracks or paths at an average speed of 6 km/h.

Origins

In 1904, Henri Desgrange, the father of the Tour de France, introduced a new form of group cycling to France and created the "French Audax". After the success of the first Audax cycling event on 3 April 1904, he immediately thought of applying this formula to walking. The first official Audax walk took place on 26 June 1904, covering a distance of 100 km in less than 21 hours. 64 of the 72 walkers who started made it to the finish line on time, led by three route captains chosen from a host of experienced walkers who were keen to lead the first official Audax walking event. All finishers receive a diploma certifying their achievement and are entitled to wear the French Audax badge, blue enamelled for walkers.

The Audax Club Parisien and then the Union des Audax Français (UAF), founded in 1905 and 1961 respectively, were subsequently entrusted with the technical management of the Audax hikes and regularly organised events of various distances, as well as an exceptional 200 km hike (held every year throughout Europe) and introductory hikes of less than 25 km.

Since 2010, the FFRandonnée and UAF have been working together to promote and develop Audax walking.

Practice conditions

In keeping with the UAF motto “Start together, finish together”, Audax walks are organised in groups. They are led and controlled by experienced leaders - the route captains - who are responsible for maintaining and enforcing a pace of 6km/h. They are also authorised to make all the decisions necessary to ensure the smooth running of the Brevet.

The time limits for completing the various Audax brevets include stops along the route and refreshment points. For example, the 25km and 100km Audax brevets are completed in 5 hours (4 hours 10 minutes walking - 50 minutes of stops) and 20 hours (16 hours 40 minutes walking - 3 hours 20 minutes of stops) respectively. Audax walks are an opportunity to take on a personal challenge and share a convivial moment with other walkers.

Equipment

• Sports hiking clothing
• Light hiking shoes
• Fluorescent safety vest, day and night
• Individual lighting for brevets with night section

Waymarking and signposting

To enable hiking and its development, the FFRandonnée has created a "stadium" that now includes almost 115.000 km of long-distance footpaths (GR® and GR® de Pays) as well as around 112.000 km of walking and hiking routes (PR®), making a total of 227.000 km recognised and maintained by almost 9.500 volunteer trailblazers of the Federation.

Waymarking types

The GR® : long-distance hiking route, point-to-point or loop, certified by the FFRandonnée. It is made up of a number and usually a name (for example : GR® La Loire sauvage à pied). It is marked in white and red. It allows you to discover an area or a region (administrative, geographical, historical, cultural, etc.) during a multi-day hike.

If the route remains within a geographical entity, it can be called GR® de Pays. It consists of one name only (for example: GR® de Pays Tour du Beaufortain). In this case, it is marked in yellow and red.

The PR® : walking and hiking route, point-to-point or loop, lasting a day or less (1)

It is marked in accordance with the official Waymarking and Signposting Charter. It is identified by a number and a name briefly describing the route (geography, history, heritage).

It may be offered as a single route or as a network of loops of varying size to meet the needs of different audiences. In a network of loops, each loop is identified by either a name or a number.

(1) A hiking day corresponds to one stage, i.e. a maximum of 20 to 25 km (or a maximum of 8 hours of walking in the mountains). Over this distance or duration, it is essential to have somewhere to stay (see certification procedure).

In the field, the marking of routes is carried out using various methods: paint, stickers, PVC plates, aluminium on range poles, signposts... and on various surfaces: rocks, trees, walls, poles... Their frequency depends on the terrain.

The waymarking and signposting of the routes is governed by an official charter. This charter ensures coherence within the territory and guarantees the quality of materials and production processes (respect for the environment of the route, sustainability of materials and colours used, etc.).

Here is a good example of the waymarking carried out by our volunteers on the GR®69 La Routo.

Your wish to support the FFRandonnée's waymarking activities with your donations

 >> DONATE

The activity report lists the actions implemented by the Federation’s 3 main sectors:

• The clubs and committees
• The routes
• “Support” and “cross-functional” departments

Each sector participates in setting objectives, which are defined for each 4-year sports Olympiad. All these objectives make up the FFRandonnée Federal Plan, which is approved by the ordinary federal general assembly. These objectives are broken down into actions of various kinds, relating to:

• Membership, activities, and training for the “clubs – committees” sector,
• Routes, protection of works and federal labels for the “routes” sector,
• Digital, communication, relations with other federations and partners, network (support for regional and departmental hiking committees).

Each year, the activity report is presented and voted on by the general assembly.

We invite you to read it. This will give you an overview of the work carried out by all those involved in the Federation each year.

The FFRandonnée 2022 activity report

>> Read the FFRandonnée 2022 activity report

Changing routes

Every year, FFRandonnée volunteers open up new paths all over France. This allows walkers to go even further and discover new territories. Sometimes unknown, these areas and regions are highlighted and revived to the rhythm of the strides. Long-distance walking has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with major routes being (re)created in France and Europe.

The GR®800 Vallée de la Somme, the GR®738 Haute traversée de Belledonne or the GR®69 La Routo are among these new routes. Today, they offer hikers a change of scenery at hand (or foot) and allow anyone to try their hand at backpacking.

Here you can discover some of the GR® routes that are more than ever in the news, and always very popular.

+ More informations in MonGR.fr

Since 1947, under the guidance of the 115 departmental and regional FFRandonnée committees, thousands of volunteer trailblazers have taken up their paintbrushes to mark out the 206.000 kilometres of footpaths - white and red for GR® and yellow and red for GR de Pays® (Grande Randonnée de Pays®) - that the FFRandonnée designs, conceives, manages, promotes and maintains.

These footpaths often hug ancestral routes and travel across outstanding natural sites. They are at the crossroads of culture, art, nature and heritage, as they preserve the traces of the past and still manage to evolve and look to the future. They are paths of travel, of self-discovery and discovery of others and a guarantee of adventure. These itineraries are the work of a Federation in motion, which, since its creation, has been constantly developing, protecting and promoting the hikers' playground.

Over 70 years of complicity between people and paths

It was Jean Loiseau who created the GR® routes. He was a passionate hiker and nature lover, and spent ten years after the First World War travelling the roads of France and Europe, compass and map in hand.

• In 1936, the introduction of paid holidays inspired him to share his passion for walking. He looked at waymarking techniques in foreign countries and was particularly interested in the Appalaches Park in the United States where they applied paint to various natural supports to mark the path to follow. In 1946, with the support of the Camping Club de France, he developed the rules for marking GR® routes: a red line with a white line above it.

• En 1947, le Comité National des Sentiers de Grande Randonnée est crée, sonnant ainsi le point le départ d’une belle et grande aventure, celle de la future FFRandonnée. La même année, le premier tronçon du GR^® 3 est inauguré à Orléans. L’année suivante c’est au tour du GR^® 1 en Ile-de-France. Un premier tronçon est inauguré entre Dammartin-en-Goel et Orry-la-Ville.
   
• In 1951, the GR® Tour du Mont Blanc was achieved. The following year, the GR® routes covered a total of 1.000 km. The first description of the GR® 3 was published in the magazine "Camping Plein Air".

• In 1957, the first topoguide to the GR® 1 was published, marking the beginning of a long series.
   
• In 1964, the GR® 1 loop was completed, and the topoguide was published shortly afterwards.
   
• In 1971, the Comité National des Sentiers de Grande Randonnée (National Hiking Trails Committee) was declared of public interest.
   
• In 1978, the CNSGR becomes the Fédération Française de la Randonnée pédestre (French Hiking Federation). The Federation now represents hikers, while retaining the technical role of the CNSGR, which was responsible for identifying, waymarking, and maintaining the routes and publishing the corresponding descriptions.

The history of the GR® is intertwined with that of the FFRandonnée. The routes are constantly evolving and there are now 304 GR® all over France. They are maintained by more than 8.900 volunteers through 115 regional and departmental committees.

A video on the history of the GR®, created for the 70th anniversary of their creation

Trailblazers, dream couriers

The creation of a GR® cannot be improvised, nor can its certification, waymarking, maintenance or management. FFRandonnée is the tireless guardian of this. The trailblazers it trains and certifies are its driving force. They are responsible for finding the magnificent sites that will host the new routes, as well as renovating, developing, clearing and managing the paths and, more recently, collecting digital data. These dedicated volunteers help to preserve the paths and share them with the 18 million walkers in France.

+ More informations in MonGR.fr

The Steering Committee

The FFRandonnée is managed by a Steering Committee composed of 24 members from 3 colleges - a medical college, a territorial college and a general college - elected at the General Assembly by the representatives of the affiliated associations for a 4-year term, corresponding to an Olympiad. Its role is to define the general policy of the Federation, to develop the federal project and to implement it. It also ensures the coherence of the actions of the Federation's departmental and regional committees. The President, elected from among its members, is the legal representative of the Federation.

Composition

The Board

• President: Frédéric MONTOYA
• Vice-president: Annette GOGNEAU
• Vice-president: Annie MARIMAO
• Vice-president: Christophe BILLARD 
• Vice-president : Frédéric BROUET
• Treasurer : Philippe VALLEE
• Assistant treasurer: Frank CHARBONNIER
• General secretary: Claudine ALLU
• Assistant general secretary: Jacqueline WINNEPENNINCKX
• Associate member: Laure KOUPALIANTZ
• Member: Marianne CLARTE
• Member: Claude DIDIER

Other members of the steering committee

• Great West inter-regional referent: member to be elected
• Great North-East inter-regional referent: Florence Vougnon and Michel Simon
• Great North inter-regional referent: Chantal Michel and Olivier Mangin
• Great South-West inter-regional referent: Jackie Braye and Christophe Billard 
• Overseas inter-regional referent: Annie Marimao and Gilles Vicrobeck
• Great South-East inter-regional referent: Brigitte Scotton and Yvon Gisclon
• Great South-West inter-regional referent: Jackie Braye and Christophe Billard
• Federal doctor - Administrator: Catherine Kabani
• Administrator: Guy Berçot
• Administrator: Josianne Barailler
• Adminsitrator: Francine Dieval
• Administrator: Hervé David
• Administrator: Gilles Jacquet
• Administrator: Evelyne Husson

Members in an advisory capacity

• Director General : Alexandre Durand
• National technical director : Richard Carlon
• Director of International Affairs: Séverine Ikkawi
• Employees representative: Jérémie Penninckx

The regional and departmental committees

With a strong territorial coverage, the FFRandonnée is present everywhere in metropolitan and overseas France: it is represented by 115 regional and departmental hiking committees, federating about 3,500 associations or local hiking clubs. The committees are run by a steering committee of about twenty members elected at the General Assembly by the representatives of their affiliated associations for a 4-year term. They could not function without many volunteers (around 20,000), although some committees have employees.

The FFRandonnée wouldn't exist without its essential pillars, the regional and departmental committees and the clubs that are permanently active in many sectors.

• The committees act as a reference point for the development and promotion of hiking and work closely with local players, ministry representatives, tourism organisations and environmental protection agencies.
• As representatives of the Federation at the regional and local level, the committees ensure proximity communication with all hikers, whether they are members or not, on the occasion of major hiking events or at the trade fairs they attend. In this way, they promote different ways of hiking and the Federation's activities, thus contributing to its reputation.
• The Committees play an important role in the life of the local associations, providing support and advice on the creation of clubs and encouraging their affiliation with the Federation. They organise many events open to all (young and old people, disadvantaged groups or in situations of exclusion) encouraging social bonds and access to a popular sport. They are also committed to satisfying the appetite and desires of regular walkers, sports enthusiasts, and itinerant travellers…
• Committees are responsible for the network of hiking routes.  Their “footpath commissions” create and obtain official approval for the network of GR^® and GR^® de Pays routes, and also create and label the short-distance hiking routes PR (Promenade et Randonnée).
  The commissions coordinate the work of volunteer trailblazers and provide advice and expertise to local authorities.
• The committees are constantly taking concrete action to protect and preserve the footpaths and the environment. They are involved in safeguarding footpaths through information and mobilisation campaigns. They collect and pass on information about environmental damage on the paths reported by hikers or hiking clubs.
• The committees pay particular attention to training. They invest significant resources, both financially and in terms of volunteer hours. Training courses are open to all, members and non-members alike: hiking leader training courses, specific courses to discover natural and cultural heritage (fauna, flora, natural environments, etc.), path development and waymarking courses, and training modules to the attention of association leaders, etc.

Associations and hiking clubs affiliated with the FFRandonnée

There are around 3,500 affiliated hiking associations and clubs with a total membership of 243,700. They organise the practice of hiking and related activities such as Nordic walking, endurance walking, aqua walking… They are committed to training hiking leaders to ensure the safety of their members during their hikes. They enable their members to participate in hiking holidays and trips under the safety conditions that apply to associative tourism. In the context of associative waymarking, certain clubs are commissioned by the departmental committee to maintain and blaze sections of the trails. Finally, they play an essential role in creating and maintaining social bonds and stimulating local life.

Association members and RandoPass^® owners

In 2019, 243,700 hikers have chosen to hike with one or more affiliated hiking clubs: they are looking for safety and group friendliness. They have an annual sports licence issued by the association and benefit from special rates with the federation's partners: accommodation providers, tour operators and equipment suppliers. Volunteers are recruited from among them to lead the club's activities under the responsibility of the president.

Learn more about the licence issued by associations.

Other hikers prefer to hike on their own, with their family or with friends (6,900 in 2019). They choose to support the work of the FFRandonnée and its thousands of volunteers. Since the 2018/2019 season, they have subscribed to a RandoPass®, which gives them the same guarantees and partner benefits as the association licence. It is valid for one year from the subscription date and is issued on federal websites, particularly ffrandonnee.fr and MonGR.fr.

Learn more about the RandoPass^®