Hiking in winter — Helpful tips for hiking in snow and ice
The sounds of the forest are all silent. Hardly any sound can be heard more, only our hiking shoes squeeze the loose snow while hiking in winter with a juicy crunch. When we stop for a moment, that too has an end.
Everything seems to be wrapped in cotton wool and packed in noise. No chirping, no scruff in the undergrowth and no painting of the leaves in the wind. You will experience a very special atmosphere when you go for winter hiking in nature and brave the cold, ice and snow. My last tour took me into the slightly snowy landscape of the Seven Mountains.
The nice thing about it was that 95% of the time we were alone on the snowy hiking trails. Thus, peace in nature could be enjoyed even more than usual. Therefore, I recommend that you do not store your hiking equipment in winter, but continue to use it diligently. But so that you don’t get a nasty surprise, I’ve summarized a few tips for hiking in winter:
Tips for hiking in winter
Proper clothing
Contrary to the actual instinct, you should not dress too thick when hiking in winter before going off. Because the movement (especially when going uphill) gets warm very quickly and you start to sweat. If you are then dressed too thickly, you sweat your clothes very quickly really wet. This dries much more slowly in the freezing winter temperatures and cools you down quickly.
Therefore, you should only put on so much that you are a little fresh when you go hiking. For me, it always settled after the first kilometer and I get warm through the movement. Up to a temperature of 0°C, I, therefore, put on only 2 layers of merino underwear (short and long sleeve) and a hardshell jacket or windbreaker on the upper body. If it should be colder, I put on a thin fleece sweater* under the jacket. This combination is very good for my temperature sensation.
But I still take a thicker insulation jacket with me, which I put on during the break, so as not to cool down sweaty. This is either an ultralight down jacket or a Primaloft jacket. If it then continues, she disappears again in the backpack.
When hiking trousers, I always make sure that it is highly water-repellent. Because if you are traveling in deeper snow, it can be very unpleasant when the ends of the trouser legs are full of water. With my softshell trekking pants from Norrona, this always worked out great thanks to the excellent DWR!
Alternatively, gaiters* are also suitable to keep the wet snow away from the pants and the inside of your shoes. Then you can also travel with a pair of trousers without a coating in deeper snow.
Which hiking boots for winter hiking?
In general, normal, waterproof hiking boots are sufficient for winter hiking if they have a non-slip and stable sole. It is important that you do not bind them too tightly so that some air remains between your foot and the liner, which provides the necessary insulation against the cold. Warm fur inserts and wool hiking socks* can serve as an additional layer of insulation against the cold soil.
Even if the snow is slightly higher, gaiters* keep your foot from snow entering the shoe from above. Especially if you use half-height hiking boots, gaiters are indispensable. If the snow is much deeper, it probably makes more sense to switch to snowshoes* and switch to snowshoeing.
When hiking in winter, you don’t necessarily always have snow. But still often struggle with icy passages. On the other hand, I secure myself with my walking sticks or try to bypass the icy places, if possible. If a lot of passages are heavily icy, the use of grödeln* or light microspikes* makes sense.
Don’t forget sunglasses
The great attraction of winter hiking for me is to go out into nature just after a snowfall and move in the snowy landscape. When the sun is shining, happiness is just too perfect! The white snow, however, reflects the sun for the most part. To avoid snow blindness, it is important to wear good sunglasses and protect your eyes.
Meals on the way
The catering on the hiking tour in winter has several tasks. On the one hand, it should, of course, saturate us, but on the other hand, it should also protect us from freezing. Because if the body only eats from its reserves, we automatically get cold faster. In addition to a sufficient energy supply through the food, spicy spices also help us to stay warm. Inger, Chilli, and Co. boost the body’s blood circulation and metabolism and thus provide the extremities with warmth.
I swear by hot ingredients! Be sure to leave the little pieces of ginger in tea for a long time. So he gets really sharp!
Tour planning for hiking in winter
Of course, the same arrangements apply to the route planning of your hike as in summer. However, there are some differences to be noted. In winter, the maximum length of your hike is significantly shorter. Because the daylight disappears from 4 p.m. so slowly again. This must be taken into account in the planning process. It is therefore always good to have a headlamp* in your backpack if it gets a little later.
Also, keep in mind that some inns and most huts may be closed. Standing in front of a closed restaurant or mountain hut during the tour can be problematic if you don’t have enough provisions with you. When orientation, we must make sure that the waymarks on stones on the side of the road can be snowed towards. Therefore, sufficient map material on the appropriate scale and a GPS track are important aids in finding the way.
If you are on a multi-day tour and do not have an up-to-date weather report every day (no internet, no managed mountain hut, etc.), then my little weather expert may help you to make a rough assessment of the coming weather.
Avoid ski resorts
In my opinion, most ski resorts are only suitable for hiking in winter. Because rarely do I find there the peace that I like to have, since untouched nature is not to be found everywhere. And in some forests, you may also come into conflict with skiers (I know both sides :)).
Camera, Mobile Phone & Co while hiking in winter
Camera, mobile phone and GPS devices have significantly low battery life in frosty temperatures. For example, to increase the running time a little, I wear my phone in a jacket breast pocket close to the body. With my DSLR system camera, this is unfortunately not possible due to its size and therefore I simply take a changeable battery with me.