Hiking on snow: snowshoes or spikes, what equipment is for you ?

You go for a day hike in the snow, and you follow a rather flat trail, until... you have to go up in altitude. And then the slope is steep. Fortunately, your snowshoes have been designed to accompany you everywhere and help you in your effort. They are indeed equipped with a heel lift.

Ideally, you’ve taken the time to study your route before leaving and to make sure that if you have a difference in altitude your snowshoes are equipped with a heel lift.

Walk with poles! They distribute your effort on the flat, support you on the climb, hold you back on the descent and help you to keep your balance on slopes. For snow hiking, poles should have wide baskets that don't sink in the snow.

Poles with adjustable height are perfect for adapting their length to the height and texture of snow.

Advice on adjusting the height of your poles: take your pole by the handle and make a 90° angle with your arms (your hand should be the same height as your elbow), the tip of the pole should touch the ground. Your arm's angle should not be lower than 90° (your hand should not be higher than your elbow).

Whether you’ve invested in a pair of snowshoes or spikes, you want to keep them in good condition for as long as possible. The good news is that with a few simple steps and almost no equipment you can maintain them.

After your outings, resist the urge to bang one snowshoe against the other to get the snow off. Yes, it's effective, but it can damage them, especially if they’re old and the plastic has become brittle. Instead, use a brush, such as those found on windscreen scrapers for example. It stays in your car to remove snow from it and your walking gear. Then dry the metal parts of your snowshoes or spikes with a dry cloth. This will slow down the rust on the metal and stop your boot getting wet.

Finally, don’t store your equipment in the boot of your car. Large temperature changes can weaken the plastic. You should look for a dry place (better to avoid the cellar) and temperate place to keep your snowshoes and spikes between uses. If you still have their cover, it's even better!

A little more information about rust:

With your snowshoes and spikes you walk on snow and sometimes on areas that have been salted to avoid ice formation. Salt is abrasive and may facilitate the appearance of rust on the metal parts of your equipment. This is almost inevitable and on snowshoes and spikes it won’t diminish the technical performance of the equipment (unless it’s really old). So the aim is to slow down the onset of rust rather than to prevent it completely.