Scree at a glance
- Size
- Gravel to fist
- Behavior
- The surface slides
- Hard on
- Outsoles, ankles, knees
Scree and talus are not the same thing
The distinction is size, and it changes how you move entirely. Scree is small enough that the whole surface moves under you, so you walk on a slope that is sliding. Talus is blocks big enough to stand on individually, so you step from one stable rock to the next and the danger is a block that pivots.
In practice a single slope often grades from one into the other, with the fines collecting at the bottom and the larger blocks higher up. Most people find the transition harder than either surface on its own, because the technique that works on one is wrong on the other.
Going up and coming down
Climbing scree is a matter of losing as little ground per step as possible: short steps, feet flat rather than on the toes, and a rest step at the top of each stride. Kicking a small platform into the slope with the side of the boot works where the fines are deep.
Descending is the opposite and is genuinely fun on the right slope. A controlled scree run, heels first with the slope carrying you, covers ground extremely fast. It also fills your shoes, shreds an outsole and is the classic way to break an ankle when a buried block stops your foot and the rest of you keeps going.
What it does to gear
Grit gets into everything. Low shoes fill immediately, which is what gaiters exist for. A rand around the toe is the difference between a boot that survives a season of it and one that wears through at the front. Trekking poles take a real share of the load, and carbide tips hold on scree where a worn tip skates.
What this means when you're choosing
- A rand at the toe, which is what takes the abrasion on loose rock
- Gaiters if you are in low shoes, since scree fills them within a few steps
- Carbide tips rather than worn ones, which slide on this surface
- Ankle support matched to how much of it you actually cross
Scree vs Talus
| Scree | Talus | |
|---|---|---|
| Rock size | Gravel to fist sized | Dinner plate to car sized |
| How it fails | The whole surface slides under you | One block pivots or rolls |
| Technique | Short flat steps up, controlled descent | Step block to block, weight on gradually |
| Main risk | Sliding, and grit destroying shoes | A trapped leg or a rolled block |
Which to pick: Neither is a choice you make, but knowing which you are on decides how you move: on scree you keep your feet moving, and on talus you commit to one rock at a time.
The common mistake
Scree running a slope you have not read
The technique only works on deep, uniform fines with nothing buried in them. On a thin layer over bedrock, or where larger blocks sit under the surface, your foot stops and your momentum does not. Walk the first few meters before committing to the run.
Common questions
What is the difference between scree and talus?
Size. Scree is small enough that the surface slides under you as a mass. Talus is blocks big enough to stand on one at a time, where the risk is a rock that pivots rather than a slope that moves.
How do you walk up scree without sliding back?
Short steps with the foot flat, a brief pause at the top of each stride, and where the fines are deep, kicking a small platform in with the side of the boot. Long strides just move rock downhill.
Do I need boots for scree?
Not necessarily, but you need a toe rand and something keeping grit out. Low shoes fill within a few steps, which is what gaiters are for, and an unprotected fabric toe wears through fast.
Where this is defined
- Landforms and mass wasting, US Geological Survey
- Hiking safety, National Park Service