I know this is late in the season, but the thought of having a trail mile equivalent snow trail mileage occurred to me as being somewhat useful. In other words, being able to say something like "5 miles through calf deep snow felt like 10 miles on trail, energy expenditure wise". To keep it relevant, I think it has to be snow depth relative to one's body; i.e., ankle, calf, knee, waist, ect. I would also be interested in other peoples take on energy expenditure when plowing through snow. My basic thought is something like this;

(miles through snow)X(multiplier)= equivalent trail mile feel

As an example, I feel that calf high snow hiking feels like a multiplier of about 2. Given that multiplier, each mile of calf high snow hiking would feel like 2 miles of regular trail hiking. My estimated multipliers are ...

calf high -- 2 to 3
knee high -- 3 to 5
thigh high -- 6 to 10
waist high -- 15+

I know that there are many kinds of snow, but my take on applying this to on foot backcountry travel is there are only 2 kinds; the stuff you stay on top of, and the stuff you sink into. Let me know what you all think!

Feel free to put in what you think the multipliers are for you(if so inclined).

Seems pretty tough to me as anything but somewhat of a guess.

Snow depth isn't the only factor. A big, big issue is how reliably firm the "underlying" surface is. If the snow supports you such that you're just sinking in an inch or so, but then every 10th step or so you abruptly sink in deep, it changes how you feel, how comfortably and just in general how you walk. I.e., beyond as you say "the stuff you stay on top of, and the stuff you sink into", there's a middle ground where "you stay on top mostly but unpredictably sink into sometimes".

Different kinds of snow really does make a big difference (and I'm talking here about not using snowshoes). Powdery snow vs. consolidated spring snow. Sun cupping or not. Whether it's melting at any significant rate. Afternoon postholing vs. morning ice. Soft snow can really such your energy in a way that really firm snow does not, and just talking about how deep you sink in doesn't capture all of that. A really icy stretch can slow you down (and take more energy) in a completely different way. Creek crossings can be a bigger deal, if snowbanks are high, and/or the creek itself is running high from snow melt.

There are just so many factors here. Certainly one *does* in effect need some very rough rule of thumb, because you have to guesstimate how much in the way of food supply to carry between two resupply points when walking a snowy path. Having gotten that wrong once last year, I'm pretty dialed into this issue, and I guess I'd say it's somewhat of an intuitive thing. With some experience at it, I guess my ad hoc guess would be to plan to do half to two-thirds the distance when hiking with spring snow than a person might do if the same terrain were snowfree. If less experienced or just starting out, plan on half. If you're strong, experienced, and the snow is known to be firm then you might do a bit better than two-thirds.

That really is ad hoc, however, but I think that any more specific multipliers or the like might err in the way of giving false accuracy and/or false confidence.

I realize that putting numbers to the level of difficulty is a gross oversimplification (otherwise known as a load of "bull"). I was just thinking that starting with a simple system, one might be able to come up with something that would be helpful in a general sense. It is just you and a trail covered in snow; no creeks, no steep drop-offs, no snow-bridges. A very general guideline if you will. The thing is, once on trail, people need to use judgement and that is where problems start.



Over all I agree with you, Brian. The "random" post holing, which I liken to walking on eggshells definitely wears on people. I've seen people mess their knees up doing it (hyperextended knees). You spend much more energy on balance than normal, mainly because your movements are not fluid like walking on normal ground. And I would also have to say that post holing to your knees or deeper slows me down tremendously and just going 100 feet can be quite exhausting.

When I stay on top of the snow, I tend to move pretty fast. I wear boots, however, so if need be I kick into to the slope to establish a good footing. And if I'm expecting icy conditions, I'll bring crampons.

I will say that this whole thing came to me this winter after my third trip to the snow. All 3 were in the southwest with "fluffy" conditions (lots of post holing). Up at Idyllwild (near Mt. San Jacinto), the conditions were quite icy in the am, yielding to soft and slushy later. But all 3 generally calf high with nothing deeper than the knee at the most.

Thanks for the discussion/feedback!

you have way too much time on your hands...

Too many variables to predict. In some cases travel on snow is faster than without it (complete coverage over talus). Timing is everything. Generally snow is harder in the early morning.

One trick (on typical early summer snow) that may help stay on the top layer rather than post-hole : firmly plant your forward foot, let it sit a split second, without jerking or pushing your foot transfer your center of gravity over your forward foot, easy up onto the foot, repeat. The split second pause lets the snow stabilize around your boot tread. This also automatically gives you a rest-step which will conserve energy.

Also, if you are regularly falling through, you may as well just stomp through right away.

If you do a lot of snow travel, you will learn to "read the snow". Experience will help you make good route choices and go faster.