The service is officially the “Google Maps” of outdoor sports. Fatmap, specialist in three-dimensional mapping for skiing or trail running, has just been acquired by Strava for an amount still unknown at the moment. This strategy is part of a major external growth perspective for the publisher, even as the competition is bearing the full brunt of the digital crisis. Alphabet, which also offers a certain topography with its solution automatically installed on Android smartphones, has just laid off no less than twelve thousand employees in the blink of an eye.
From now on, the Fatmap site mentions in black and white that the app is developed by Strava. It is not yet clear whether the new colt of the Californian firm will survive this acquisition. However, the parent company explains that it wants fully integrate the tools of his ex-competitor within his mobile app, but this will take time. Following this pooling of resources, the management could then potentially decide to remove Fatmap from the stores as Apple was able to do with Dark Sky. Of course, if this is the case, users will be notified in advance and can download their data or switch to Strava without losing it.
Who is Fatmap for?
Available free of charge in France and also in a web version, Fatmap targets both mountaineers that the followers of paraglidingthem snowboardersthem photographers, mountain guides or cyclists and freeriders. Only downside: the features are limited to a few regions, but these are quite numerous. We find, for example, Romania and its Carpathians, the Pyrenees in France, the Altiplano plateau in Bolivia or even Mount Fuji in Japan.
© fatmap
If Fatmap is initially free of charge, Internet users can also opt for the paid package which amounts to 29.99 euros per month. This notably offers offline access to the maps, which can be very practical when the network runs out at altitude. With the subscription, the terrain models are also more precise than without and intelligent layers indicate the amount of snow at such and such a place. Before a good descent, this is an essential criterion for lovers of off-piste powder.
An ideal addition for Strava aficionados
Strava, which mainly has cyclists among its users, will therefore soon be able to give them the benefit of clearer plans and with data hitherto unavailable internally. In total, the app is offered as a bonus 1.6 million memberscorresponding to the total mass collected by Fatmap since its beginnings in 2013.
In total, Fatmap will have raised $26.9 million with in particular the 83North and P101 funds on board, during a last round closed in April 2020.
