Explaining Winter Trails > > >
The influx of trail users in recent years has introduced many new enthusiasts to the allure of trails, expanding the appreciation for this natural outdoor experience. As numerous trail regions in the Northern Hemisphere actively manage winter trails, it is crucial to recognize that trail use and designations can undergo significant changes when the snow falls. Many new trail users might not realize this.
This article seeks to help everyone (trail managers and trail users) with communicating the nuances of each winter user group and the needs to maintain trail for each of them.
During spring, summer, and fall, trail maintenance might focus on tasks like trail tread work, tree trimming, and controlling foliage encroachments. In these seasons, most trail systems are generally open to all user groups. However, snowy winter conditions bring unique challenges, necessitating specialized trail maintenance equipment after every snowfall to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Pedestrians, XC skiers, fat bikers and snowshoers are the primary user groups of winter, snow-covered trails. Within this diverse group of users, each has very different grooming and trail use requirements. This is when winter trail use designations come in and modify how trail uses can change for a few months every year. This article aims to explain the distinct winter trail needs of each user group, fostering a deeper understanding of winter trail designation and our collective responsibility as trail stewards.
Pedestrians
Pedestrian trail users, including walkers, hikers, trail runners, and dog walkers, have minimal winter trail design requirements. The major safety requirement for winter users in this group is to have a generally flat and well packed trail to walk or run on where post-holing is kept to a minimum.
Post-holing is described as taking place when a person’s foot breaks through the snowy surface of the trail, creating a hole in the trail surface. For pedestrian users, stepping into these holes can lead to leg injuries or sprained ankles. As described below, these can lead to even more severe injuries for some user groups. If frequent post-holing occurs, pedestrian users may consider avoiding the trail until proper grooming has packed the trail surface.
Pedestrians are encouraged to use all trails in winter, with the exception of trails signed for specific use. In cases where cyclists manage grooming of multi-use winter trails, consider becoming an ally to the cause by using snowshoes to help pack the trail, especially in cases of a soft trail base (more on snowshoe use below).
XC Skiers (Cross-Country or Nordic Skiers)
XC skiers rely on machine-set tracks to ensure a safe and enjoyable skiing experience. Their primary trail design requirement is undisturbed tracks, free from dirt, stones, branches and damage caused by other user groups. XC trails should ideally be exclusive to skiers, as damage from hikers, snowshoers, fat bikers, and others can compromise safety and render the trail unsuitable until the next snowfall and subsequent grooming.
Hikers, snowshoers, fat bikers, dogs and other user groups can unknowingly and very quickly cause vast damage to XC groomed trails, thus resulting in safety issues and making the trail unsuitable for skiers. When XC skiers are descending a trail with speed or coming around a corner, catching a ski on a damaged section of groomed ski trail (or worse, an unexpected post-hole) can lead to serious injury and at the very least, be extremely unpleasant and frustrating for the skier.
XC skiers ski on dedicated trails which are generally not permitted for use by other trail user groups (unless signed otherwise).
Fat Bikers
Fat bikes require groomed or well packed trails to make for an enjoyable trail experience but these trails require different grooming than XC ski trails.
The tires on fat bikes are generally 4” or wider and run at very low tire pressures (as low as 2 or 3 psi) so that the tire squishes out and “floats” across the snow without punching through the packed surface. Mountain bike tires should generally avoid groomed winter trails.
Ideal fat bike trails are flat, smooth, well packed, free of soft spots, and without post-holes. Riding over uneven trail that is riddled with holes and boot depressions is similar to driving over gravel road washboard (but without the vehicle suspension). Unexpected soft spots in the trail and uneven surfaces can lead to a frustrating and unenjoyable trail riding experience and in some cases, injury when fat bikes are travelling at speed.
Trails designated for fat biking can take much of the winter to reach maximum ride-ability, but can be quickly undone by those who use them without regard for maintaining trail integrity. Fat bikers can also compromise winter trail integrity by riding with too much air pressure in their tires, which may cause deep ruts or damage trail edges and corners. Unless conditions are exceptionally firm, suggested tire pressure is generally 4-6 psi.
In many regions, fat bikers share trails with pedestrians, contributing to a smoother and firmer trail for everyone.
Snowshoers
Snowshoers have the fewest trail requirements and can traverse a variety of trail conditions. They are generally free to use all trails, including pedestrian and fat biking trails, but should avoid XC trails unless signage indicates otherwise.
The broad surface area of snowshoes uniformly packs the trails they traverse, making them helpful in winter trail grooming efforts. For this reason, large dedicated fat bike trail systems often invite snowshoe use all winter season.
Not all snowshoes are created equal though. Snowshoes designed for technical surfaces such as ice, rock and unknown terrain when out in the backcountry have excessively long crampons or traction teeth and should be avoided on groomed or packed trail. These snowshoes can pop out multi-inch chunks of the trail, creating an uneven surface. Snowshoes with shorter cleats or no cleats at all are best for use on maintained winter trail.
Winter for Everyone
Freshly groomed (or tracked) trails often need a few hours (or overnight) to consolidate and firm up enough to support use. If things feel exceptionally soft and the user is sinking more than 1” (2.5 cm), all trail users (except snowshoers) may want to try an alternate route or return when the trail has firmed up and “set.”
Volunteers maintain the grooming and repair of most trails throughout the winter season. They do this to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all trail users. Frequent mis-use and damage of the trails cause frustration and unnecessary repair work for trail volunteers.
Appreciating winter trail designation becomes easier to understand when the experience and needs of each user group are clearly defined—both from a safe-use perspective and how everyone chooses to enjoy them.
The mix of deeply inhaling that crisp cool air, working up a sweat in sub-zero temperatures, elevating one’s heart rate, or just casually enjoying a walk—these are at the core of what every winter trail user appreciates.
With the information shared here, let’s all become greater trail stewards, better understand how others choose to use trails, and more deeply appreciate the work being performed by the volunteers that make winter trails so special for everyone.
If snow exists where you live, work and play, stay safe, keep our trails safe, respect the designated trail use that might show up in your region, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors this winter.
🏞️ — Dave Ternier
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