| Trekking on snow and ice can be a blast! – But it can also be challenging and sometimes dangerous. During winter treks, while crossing over high passes or any other snow and ice trekking scenarios, proper preparation is key to ensure your safety and comfort. For the full story on snow / ice trekking, have a look at the book (right) by a Canadian guy called Montague Alford. Among other things, he describes how to make your own little can-candle stove to melt snow for drinking water. Excellent stuff! Ok, let me just start with some essential warnings. Heed them, but don’t let them scare you away. Trekking in snow/ice over the high passes in the Himalayas is well worth the effort! 7 warnings about trekking in snow/ice (essential tips) 1. Bring food. Both non-emergency energy bars in your pocket and real-emergency stuff somewhere else. Just in case you have to spend a forced night out in the open somewhere. And keep the emergency food for when you need it, don’t munch it all down before normal dinner… 2. Stay hydrated. Dry winter air will dehydrate you quickly without you noticing until it is too late. You won’t find much running water in sub-zero conditions. You need to carry water with you or melt snow. 3. Wear warm clothes. Obviously, you don’t want to get frost bite on your toes or fingers, you don’t want to shiver. 4. Protect yourself from the sun. The UV rays are strong up there during days with sunshine. Sunscreen and sunglasses are essentials! 5. Don’t go to the edge. Edge of snow – could be a cornice, a snow drift extending out over something/nothing! Edge of ice – could break and you’ll fall into icy water. 6. Don’t go alone. 7. Keep an eye on the weather. |
That was the quick, important essentials of snow / ice trekking. The following is less essential tips that might help you have a more comfortable and enjoyable trekking experience.
16 tips about trekking in snow/ice
1. Kick step. When walking up in soft snow or ice, you can kick your boots into the snow/ice to create steps and footholds.
2. The “Herringbone Technique”. Instead of pushing your boot directly into the snow, step sideways to get a little more of the shoe into contact with the snow.
3. Use your heels. When descending on snow / soft ice, flex your ankle so the toe is pointed up and step down hard on the heel.
4. Switch backs. On steep ascends and descends, cross left-right-left-right rather that going the direct way. Makes the route effectively less steep.
More tips about gear for snow / ice trekking:
| 5. Hiking Boots / Mountaineering Boots / Snow Boots. Your boots are very important. They should have waterproof outer shells such as oiled leather or, ideally, plastic. Stiff plastic snow boots are the best for snow and steep icy trails, but they are heavy to carry around when you are not in the snow. The second best is hard mountaineering boots compatible with crampons. With normal hiking boots your feet will invariably get wet after some time in the snow, as the warmth from your feet escapes and melts the snow on your boots. Gore-Tex hiking boots helps with the water problem. |
| 6. Crampons / YakTrax. Slightly annoying to take on and off, but not more technical to use than roller skates. Crampons adds extra weight, but for steep and extended icy trails, specially if there is a long fall underneath you, proper crampons can be worth considering. Ultimately they can save your life! Like any footwear, make sure it fits. For crossing glaciers and snow, the flexible crampons are better than the rigid ones for technical climbing. Alternatively, a set of YakTrax - essentially lightweight crampons NOT intended for mountaineering, - might be better than nothing. But also check point 7 and 8 in this list. | ||
| 7. Trekking Poles / Snow-Ice Poles. A lot simpler than crampons and I would say using trekking / snow poles is the bare minimum you need for icy trails. Trekking poles add extra balance points and additional power. They are invaluable in icy conditions. It’s good to be able to adjust your poles when you are traversing a hillside, so get telescopic poles. Use the short pole on the uphill side and the long pole on the downhill side. You can get a decent pair of trekking poles for $30 and up. But for the Himalayas, I'll recommend you to get a trekking pole with an ice axe! What a brilliant idea!! Check it out ---> | ||
| 8. Ice Axe. Another substitute (or addition) for the crampons is the ice axe. It is probably more useful than the crampons if there are only very short tricky sections. You can use it to cut steps in the ice and in case you loose balance and start to slide, use it to self arrest. That is, stop your fall! Straight shaft axes are the best for glacier travel, bent shaft axes for dedicated climbing. You may want to go with a trekking pole on the downhill side and an axe on the uphill side. You need to learn to use the ice axe though. If not sooner, try asking other more experienced trekkers on the trail about how they use it. In the end, the axe can save your bacon! | ||
| 9. Gaiters. When you’re walking in snow, knee-high gaiters can keep the snow out of your boots and therefore help to keep your feet drier and warmer. Gaiters also add another layer of material around your lower legs to help keep them warm. Some trekking trousers have build in gaiters that extends over your boots, see the post about trekking trousers to find them. | ||
| 10. Sunglasses. Not just for looking cool (although they help in that department as well), but at high altitude the UV light is a lot more intense and your eyes need protection. This is specially true when trekking in snow / ice. The snow reflects pretty much all the light and without proper protection, snow blindness is a serious risk. Additionally, your sunglasses should have side shields to avoid incidental light exposure. Sunglasses should always be worn, even when the sky is overcast as UV rays can pass through clouds. |
11. Warm clothing. Self-evident, really. Since you are reading this, chances are that you'll encounter cold air and cold wind, so you'll need to be equipped to keep all parts of your body warm, at all times. Be sure to include a spare pair of gloves to change, if the primary gloves get wet. For more, check the warm trekking clothes guide here.
Other tips for snow / ice trekking:
12. You can keep your water bottles from freezing in your pack by putting them in a wool sock or insulated bottle cover.
13. I’m not sure if it is just a myth, but some people say that water mixed with flavor powder will freeze at a lower temperature than plain water. Perhaps try it in your freezer – and let me know the results!
14. Another little trick is to turn your water bottles upside down so that any ice forming in the bottle will be in the bottom of the bottle instead of in the opening.
15. And to keep your boots from freezing at night, put them in a stuff sack (you can use your sleeping bag stuff sack) and put them inside your sleeping bag at the foot end of the bag. If there’s not enough space, at least put your boot insoles in the bag.
16. And the final piece of advice, use a trekking guide if you are crossing over a high mountain pass in snow/ice conditions! Specially if you are not experienced. You don't want to get lost in the snow!
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As with a lot of other things in life, "the more you put into it, the bigger the reward is!" Snow/ice trekking requires some extra effort, but the outdoor world in its frozen state can take you into a new realm of pleasure where you can enjoy silence, solitude, and a mind-blowing landscape that will redefine "white" in your mind! So get them winter boots and trekking poles now, and start preparing your next trek for the fourth season! Snow / ice trekking is a blast! Have a look around this site for the best high altitude snow treks, such as Everest and Annapurna. Happy trails!
Suggestions for further reading about snow / ice trekking tips :
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