diff --git a/frontend/src/aspects/exploration.ts b/frontend/src/aspects/exploration.ts
index c9fd75ba..2b651159 100644
--- a/frontend/src/aspects/exploration.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/aspects/exploration.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-import { isString } from 'lodash';
+import { partial, isString } from 'lodash';
 
 import channel from '../explorer/radio';
-import executeRoute from '../explorer/route-parser';
+import * as act from '../explorer/route-actions';
 import router from '../global/exploration-router';
 import mainRouter from '../global/main-router';
 import explorer from '../global/explorer-view';
@@ -48,7 +48,25 @@ mainRouter.on('route:explore', () => {
     );
 });
 
-router.on('route', (route, [serial]) => explorer.scrollOrAction(
-    browserHistory.state,
-    () => executeRoute(route, controller, serial)
-));
+/**
+ * Common patterns for the explorer routes.
+ */
+function deepRoute(obtainAction, resetAction) {
+    return ([serial]) => explorer.scrollOrAction(
+        browserHistory.state,
+        () => resetAction(controller, obtainAction(serial))
+    );
+}
+
+const sourceRoute = partial(deepRoute, act.getSource);
+const itemRoute = partial(deepRoute, act.getItem);
+
+router.on('route:source:bare',       sourceRoute(act.sourceWithoutAnnotations));
+router.on('route:source:annotated',  sourceRoute(act.sourceWithAnnotations));
+router.on('route:item',                itemRoute(act.item));
+router.on('route:item:edit',           itemRoute(act.itemInEditMode));
+router.on('route:item:related',        itemRoute(act.itemWithRelations));
+router.on('route:item:related:edit',   itemRoute(act.itemWithEditRelations));
+router.on('route:item:external',       itemRoute(act.itemWithExternal));
+router.on('route:item:external:edit',  itemRoute(act.itemWithEditExternal));
+router.on('route:item:annotations',    itemRoute(act.itemWithOccurrences));
diff --git a/frontend/src/explorer/route-actions.ts b/frontend/src/explorer/route-actions.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c0df199f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/explorer/route-actions.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import View from '../core/view';
+import { source, item as itemNs } from '../jsonld/ns';
+import { Namespace } from '../jsonld/vocabulary';
+import ldChannel from '../jsonld/radio';
+import Node from '../jsonld/node';
+import Controller from './explorer-event-controller';
+
+function obtainer<T extends readonly string[]>(namespace: Namespace<T>) {
+    return function(serial: string) {
+        return ldChannel.request('obtain', namespace(serial));
+    }
+}
+
+export const getSource = obtainer(source);
+export const getItem = obtainer(itemNs);
+
+export function sourceWithoutAnnotations(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    return control.resetSource(node, false);
+}
+
+export function sourceWithAnnotations(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    return control.resetSourcePair(node);
+}
+
+export function item(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    return control.resetItem(node);
+}
+
+export function itemInEditMode(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    return control.editAnnotation(item(control, node), node);
+}
+
+export function itemWithRelations(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    return control.listRelated(item(control, node), node);
+}
+
+export function itemWithEditRelations(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    return control.editRelated(itemWithRelations(control, node), node);
+}
+
+export function itemWithExternal(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    return control.listExternal(item(control, node), node);
+}
+
+export function itemWithEditExternal(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    return control.editExternal(itemWithExternal(control, node));
+}
+
+export function itemWithOccurrences(control: Controller, node: Node) {
+    // listItemAnnotations does not return the created panel
+    // see #342
+    control.listItemAnnotations(item(control, node), node);
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/explorer/route-parser.ts b/frontend/src/explorer/route-parser.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 8ff196dc..00000000
--- a/frontend/src/explorer/route-parser.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,93 +0,0 @@
-import { each } from 'lodash';
-
-import Fsm from '../core/fsm';
-import { source, item } from '../jsonld/ns';
-import ldChannel from '../jsonld/radio';
-import Controller from './explorer-event-controller';
-
-const RouteParser = Fsm.extend({
-    initialState: 'undecided',
-    states: {
-        undecided: {
-            source: 'source',
-            item: 'item',
-        },
-        source: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.source = ldChannel.request('obtain', source(this.serial));
-            },
-            bare: 'sourceWithoutAnnotations',
-            annotated: 'sourceWithAnnotations',
-        },
-        sourceWithoutAnnotations: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.panel = this.controller.resetSource(source, false);
-            },
-        },
-        sourceWithAnnotations: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.panel = this.controller.resetSourcePair(this.source);
-            },
-        },
-        item: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.item = ldChannel.request('obtain', item(this.serial));
-                this.panel = this.controller.resetItem(this.item);
-            },
-            edit: 'itemInEditMode',
-            related: 'itemWithRelations',
-            external: 'itemWithExternal',
-            annotations: 'itemWithOccurrences',
-        },
-        itemInEditMode: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.panel = this.controller.editAnnotation(
-                    this.panel, this.item
-                );
-            },
-        },
-        itemWithRelations: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.panel = this.controller.listRelated(this.panel, this.item);
-            },
-            edit: 'itemWithEditRelations',
-        },
-        itemWithEditRelations: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.panel = this.controller.editRelated(this.panel, this.item);
-            },
-        },
-        itemWithExternal: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.panel = this.controller.listExternal(
-                    this.panel, this.item
-                );
-            },
-            edit: 'itemWithEditExternal',
-        },
-        itemWithEditExternal: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                this.panel = this.controller.editExternal(
-                    this.panel, this.item
-                );
-            },
-        },
-        itemWithOccurrences: {
-            _onEnter() {
-                // listItemAnnotations does not return the created panel
-                // see #342
-                this.controller.listItemAnnotations(this.panel, this.item);
-            },
-        },
-    },
-});
-
-export default function executeRoute(
-    route: string,
-    controller: Controller,
-    serial: string
-): void {
-    const parser = new RouteParser({ controller, serial });
-    const layers = route.split(':');
-    each(layers, layer => parser.handle(layer));
-}