French outdoor sports brand Lafuma, specialized in trail running, trekking and hiking equipment, and ViewRanger, the leading app for outdoor enthusiasts, have confirmed a deal that sees the two companies co-operating to deliver the ultimate mapping and navigation app for outdoor enthusiasts in France.

The deal sees the highly popular ViewRanger app co-branded with Lafuma within the French market, with the companies co-operating on identifying and working with key publishing partners such as “Département de la Drôme” to add further trail guides into the app, as well as working together on a range of marketing and promotional activities.

The ViewRanger / Lafuma app helps active consumers to plan, navigate, record, and share their outdoor adventures on smartphones, on tablets, and online.  It is available to download, for free, on Apple, Android, and Amazon appstores and comes with access to free global mapping and a range of free trail guides.  A low-cost subscription to IGN Geoportail topographic maps, along with detailed topographic maps for more than 20 other countries, is available to purchase in-app.

With over 3M downloads to date, ViewRanger has established itself as the outdoors navigation application of choice for outdoor active consumers across Europe, as well as increasingly in the USA.

The app is also used and trusted by search & rescue professionals, including almost all mountain rescue teams and lowland search teams across the UK and Ireland, and a growing number of teams in USA, Canada, and Germany.  The ViewRanger/Lafuma app has already been deployed by the Groupe de secours en Montagne des Sapeurs-Pompiers de la Haute Savoie search and rescue team in France and the app is currently being tested by other French SAR organizations.

The ViewRanger app recently won a prestigious ISPO 2014 award from the international outdoors industry, was named as one of the Best Apps of 2013 by Google, and is regularly selected as “Best GPS” in outdoors GPS gear tests within outdoor magazine publications. The app has been used to help explore every continent on the planet (including Antarctica).

Craig Wareham, co-founder and CEO of ViewRanger, said “Both Lafuma and ViewRanger are recognized innovators within the outdoor sports market and it is very exciting to be working together to help active consumers in France get more from their outdoor recreational activities.  Lafuma know and understand the outdoor market in France exceptionally well and we know and understand smartphone app technology.  Together, and along with leading guide publishers, we are delivering a unique tool to help active consumers plan, do, and share their outdoor adventures whether on foot, by bike, or on water.”