Postholing at a glance
- Pace
- Can fall under 1 mph
- Worst
- Afternoon, after the snow softens
- Fix
- Alpine start, or snowshoes
Why it happens when it does
Snow holds you when it is frozen and stops holding you when it is not. In spring the surface refreezes overnight and softens through the day, so the same slope that carried you easily at 7am will swallow you to the thigh by noon. This is why alpine starts exist: the objective is usually to be off the snow before it goes soft rather than to see the sunrise.
Tree wells, buried rocks and running water under the snowpack all make it worse and less predictable, and they are what turn postholing from exhausting into hazardous. Breaking through into a hole around a tree trunk, or onto a rock with your leg at an angle, is a real injury mechanism.
What actually helps
Timing, first: start early and turn around when the snow starts giving way rather than pushing on. Snowshoes are the equipment answer, spreading your weight enough to stay on top. Microspikes do nothing here, because they grip a hard surface and the problem is that there is not one.
Trekking poles with snow baskets are the third piece. The wide basket stops the pole disappearing to the grip, and the poles give you something to push up on when a leg does go in. Gaiters keep the snow out of your boots, which otherwise happens on the first step.
Why it matters to the trail
A postholed track refreezes into a field of hard-edged holes that everyone behind you has to negotiate, and on soft ground under melting snow it churns the tread. Where a trail is closed in spring it is usually for this reason rather than for your safety.
What this means when you're choosing
- Snow baskets rather than trail baskets on your poles, which stop them vanishing
- Gaiters, since snow enters a boot on the first breakthrough
- Snowshoes rather than spikes when the snow is soft, because traction is not the problem
The common mistake
Bringing microspikes to a postholing problem
Spikes grip a hard surface. Postholing happens precisely because the surface is not hard, so they add nothing except weight. The tools that work are an early start, snowshoes, and turning around when the snow starts letting you through.
Common questions
How do you avoid postholing?
Start early while the snowpack is still frozen from overnight, and turn around when it starts giving way. Snowshoes are the equipment answer if you have to be on soft snow at all.
Do microspikes stop postholing?
No. They grip hard surfaces, and postholing happens because the snow is soft. Snowshoes spread your weight and are the tool for it.
Where this is defined
- Hiking safety, National Park Service