Snowshoeing: Safely on the move on big feet

10.12.2024

Snowshoeing is a decelerating mountain sport discipline. As an outdoor sport, it offers great opportunities for health, community and experiences.

If you follow the following 10 recommendations from the alpine clubs, you can enjoy your tour to the full in relative safety.

1. Healthy and fit in the mountains

Snowshoe tours are endurance sports. The valuable stress stimuli for the heart, circulation and muscles require good health and an honest self-assessment. Avoid time pressure and choose a pace that ensures no one in your group gets out of breath.

Sudden cardiac death (“heart attack”) is one of the most common causes of death in mountain sports. Here's how you can reduce your risk:

You keep fit through regular sporting activity.
Avoid unfamiliar and prolonged exertion - especially on the first day.
Start slowly and avoid strenuous exertion (walk & talk method).
Avoid dehydration and hypoglycemia by eating regularly.
If you have the flu or a cold, stay at home and recover.
Take warning signals such as persistent shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain or nausea seriously: stop the tour and training. Make an emergency call early.
If you have cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic disorders, seek advice from a sports doctor.

There are many ways to train or improve your endurance for snowshoe tours, such as Nordic walking, running, cycling, etc. You combine everyday tasks with activity: stairs instead of the elevator, bike instead of car. The distances you travel to work or on public transport are given training time.

Regularity and the right intensity are crucial for the training effect: if you can still talk during training, the intensity is definitely not too high. Exert yourself in such a way that you are not exhausted at the end of the workout and still have reserves. Favorable training ranges for endurance training are between 60 and 80 % of the maximum heart rate: maximum heart rate = 220 minus age. A heart rate monitor to measure your heart rate is helpful for optimal training within your individual limits.

Strength is an important factor for all sporting activities. What you need for snowshoeing is good stability in the torso area (muscle groups that stabilize the spine), as well as sufficient strength endurance in the leg and hip area. Good sensitivity in the deep muscles, especially in the leg and foot area, is responsible for the stability of the knee and ankle joints.

2. Careful planning

Hiking maps, guide books, the Internet and experts provide information about the route, length, altitude difference and current conditions. Pay particular attention to the weather forecast, as cold, wind and poor visibility greatly increase the risk. Take responsibility for your own actions: Is the tour suitable for my ability?

Careful preparation is the be-all and end-all of an enjoyable and safe snowshoe hike and protects you from unpleasant surprises. Bear in mind that the tour must be constantly checked. Planning an alternative destination (“Plan B”) makes it easier to react flexibly in the event of unfavorable conditions. The following checklist will help you to gather the relevant information in advance:

Tour?

Find out about the difficulty, distance, altitude and steepness of the terrain.
Special tour portals support your planning and navigation.
Are there areas where there is a risk of falling?
Are there steep slopes, hard wind and melting snow covers, icy streams to master?
Also pay attention to exposure and terrain forms (ditch, ridge, flank).

Weather, avalanches, current conditions?

Does your planned tour match the weather and avalanche forecast?
Do you know about the current conditions or is your tour adapted to them?

Group?

Are all participants in good health, in good physical condition and technically fit for the tour?

Equipment?

All participants have avalanche emergency equipment consisting of an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe and know how to use it.
A bivouac sack, first aid kit, cell phone and headlamp are included in case of an emergency.

Tip: As a guideline for calculating the walking time for snowshoe hikes, you can assume the following: 300 m/ h for the ascent and 3 km/ h for the horizontal distance. For the descent, we calculate 500 m/h. Please note: The actual walking time can vary greatly depending on the conditions, weather, complexity of the terrain and the group.

3. Complete equipment

Adapt your equipment to the winter conditions and the specific tour destination. Avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel and their safe handling are standard equipment away from secured hiking trails. Also a first aid kit, bivouac sack and cell phone (Euro emergency number 112). A map, app and GPS help with orientation. The snowshoes are the heart of your equipment. They serve as a support surface to prevent or reduce sinking into the snow. Pay attention to the right size, the type of construction (tubular aluminum frame, metal frame, plastic), an efficient, easy-to-use binding and choose a model suitable for you (and your gender). larger snowshoes make it easier to track in deep snow.

In terms of construction, we differentiate between frame models made of aluminum tube (a.) or aluminum profile (b.) with a plastic top and plate models made of hard plastic (c.). Tubular frame models are popular universal devices with high walking comfort and are therefore ideal for deep snow in winter. Profile frame and plastic models show their advantages on harder snow surfaces and are therefore primarily suitable for tours above the tree line. With plastic models, the freedom of movement of the binding and therefore the walking comfort is somewhat limited. Most snowshoes have integrated climbing aids that can be folded up on steeper terrain. More aggressively designed hard claws on the underside of the snowshoes make it easier to walk on hard surfaces and in steeper terrain and provide more stability when crossing.

4. Avalanche situation

Find out in detail about the avalanche danger before the tour! How high is the danger level, where are the danger spots, what are the current avalanche problems? Avoid tours at danger level 4 or 5. Fresh snow, drifting snow, old snow, wet snow and sliding snow are the five “avalanche problems”. These indicate the prevailing main danger. Typical danger spots are the specified altitudes and exposures, steep slopes and steep shaded slopes, gullies and hollows filled with drift snow, steep slopes close to the ridge in the lee and the transitions from a little to a lot of snow.

5. Weigh up the avalanche risk

Closed, densely stocked forest is good avalanche protection. But pay attention to the transition area to open terrain and forest aisles. Base your decisions on strategic methods of risk assessment and pay attention to danger signs and danger spots, such as steep slopes and their run-out areas.

Assessing the avalanche risk in the terrain is difficult for everyone. Avoid danger spots and turn back if in doubt. At the heart of every strategy is the link between danger level and slope gradient. Rule of thumb for estimating the slope gradient: From 30° the ascent with snowshoes is very arduous, with skis you would start making hairpin bends, steep terrain interspersed with rocks is at least 40° steep.

Pay attention to danger signs such as fresh avalanches, wind signs (drifting snow), settling noises and cracks (old snow), intense radiation and high temperatures and/or rain (wet snow) as well as fish mouths (sliding snow). Even on forest roads there are dangers, e.g. on steep clearings, under clear-cuts (not visible on the map!) or when crossing avalanche trenches. Take note of winter hiking route closures.

6. Orientation and breaks

Orientate yourself constantly. It is important to know how to use a map, altimeter, app or GPS. Take a break in good time to relax and enjoy the scenery. Eating and drinking are necessary to maintain performance and concentration. Snowshoeing requires good orientation skills both in the forest and above the tree line. Path markings are often not visible in winter, paths in open areas (clearings, mountain pastures) are hidden under the snow cover and are not necessarily the best choice of route in terms of avalanche risk in winter. Loss of orientation can lead to a blockage in the terrain, which can end in an uncomfortable, sometimes life-threatening night in a bivouac.

Taking regular breaks also allows you to enjoy the scenery. To meet the increased calorie and fluid requirements in winter, it is advisable to drink fluids and consume carbohydrates about once an hour. The breaks in between should not last longer than 10 minutes to keep the body at operating temperature and prevent it from cooling down. Look out for avalanche-proof and wind-protected resting places. Regular, short breaks also make sense on the descent in order to recover and maintain concentration.

7. Maintain clearances

Distances serve to relieve the snow cover and limit damage. Maintain relief distances of at least 10 meters when ascending and descending steep slopes and in the run-out area and cross gullies individually.

8. Assess the risk of falling

Steep slopes, hard frozen snow cover and rocky terrain can lead to dangerous situations on snowshoe tours and winter hikes. Always make sure that the trail is harmoniously adapted to the terrain. This is more pleasant and less strenuous to walk on than a steep trail and therefore increases your enjoyment of nature. Avoid steep direct ascents and crossings of slopes where the snowshoes reach their comfort limits due to the free heel. In steeper terrain, use the front points of the Harsch claws on hard snow. In deep snow, you can use the V-shaped duckstep. Avoid steep terrain (more than 30 degrees) and exposed ridges in hard frozen snow. Keep a sufficient distance from overgrown ridges and terrain edges. In karst areas, concealed sinkholes are treacherous traps, especially when the snow cover is thin.

9. Small groups

Small groups (up to a maximum of 6 people) increase safety. Communication with other winter sports enthusiasts and mutual consideration prevent dangerous situations. We stay together in the group and show consideration for those who are weaker. Inform people you know about your destination, route and return. Beware lone skiers: even minor incidents can lead to serious emergencies.

10. Respect for nature and the environment

The mountains offer a valuable space to move in unique nature and wilderness. Enjoy this freedom. Be considerate of wild animals, respect feeding areas and protected areas and do not enter afforested areas. Form car pools or use public transport to get there. Support the alpine associations in their efforts to preserve the unspoilt nature of the mountains.

In winter, only a few wild animals such as ibex, chamois or rock ptarmigans live on open slopes above the tree and shrub line. You can move freely here. However, avoid rocky and snow-free areas or ridges, as wild animals look for food there. The closer you get to wooded areas, the greater the likelihood of scaring off wild animals. Respect wildlife rest areas and wildlife reserves and keep dogs on a lead, especially in woodland: wild animals flee from dogs running loose. Avoid spending long periods at the edge of the forest, as this is where wild animals particularly like to be. Walking at dawn and dusk, at night with a headlamp and under a full moon is critical. All these activities unnecessarily disturb the wildlife. Their energy reserves are not designed for repeated stress and escape situations in winter, and disturbance can lead to death.

These 10 recommendations for snowshoeing were agreed internationally in the CAA and adopted by the 2020 General Assembly.
Member associations of the CAA: AVS, FFCAM, CAI, DAV, LAV, ÖAV, PZS, SAC.
Total number of members: 2.4 million

More information:

If you would like to know more about snowshoeing and all other topics relating to mountain sports, tour planning, etc..., then visit the Alpine Club stand at the Alpinmesse. The snowshoe hiking card folder and many other interesting publications can be ordered at www.alpenverein.at/shop/publikationen.