If you live in a snowy part of the world, you probably already have a solution for running in the stuff. But for those of us who live in regions such as the south of England, where snow flurries are rare, it can be a little intimidating when we do find ourselves faced with a trundle across the lovely white blanket. Will I slip and fall? Will it be too hard, like running on sand? Should I just take the day off? Or the week off (depending on where you live)? Or stick to the gritted roads?
Some of you may be already filing this under #firstworldproblems, especially if I admit that I personally encountered this dilemma while on a skiing holiday in Katschberg, Austria. The lovely Falkensteiner resort where I stayed had a running machine in the gym, sure, but wouldn’t it be more fun and exciting to get out into the mountains. Did the snow really need to stop me?
Before I left I did my research. One thing that would help would be some special shoes. I know, not another pair, right? For light snowfalls, or even snow a few centimetres deep, you can get away with regular trail shoes, but if you’re venturing out into something deeper, where you may end up sunk ankle deep, then unless you want frozen, wet feet, special shoes can be a lifesaver. I opted for the Salomon S-Lab XA Alpine, which are basically a regular pair of Salomons sealed inside a waterproof skin, or gaiter, that fits snugly around your ankle to stop any snow getting inside and freezing your feet.
Top ultrarunner Elisabet Barnes, who owns the shop MyRaceKit.com, says if you don’t want to splash out on new shoes, it can be a good idea to wear a trail gaiter such as Raidlight Stop Run Gaiters, which will do the same thing and stop snow coming in between the sock and the shoe.
As I head out of my hotel in my S-Labs and running gear, I get a few odd glances, and a fellow Brit comments: “You’ve come on a skiing holiday and you’re going jogging?” It does feel a bit like I’m in a fancy cocktail bar and have ordered a cup of tea, but the mountains beckon – off the piste, without any need of a chairlift. And I’m no good at skiing anyway. After two days of falling over, it feels good to be back on relatively solid ground.
Apart from the pistes, in Katschberg there’s a network of cross-country ski routes and mountain biking routes, both of which, because of the gentler slopes, make for accessible running. I’m lucky that the snow is a bit too light for the skiers and a bit too heavy for the bikes, so I have the routes to myself.
The first thing I realise is there are many types of snow. This one is compact and a little icy. In most cases, it doesn’t give way and is like running on a fairly solid, if slippery, path. Occasionally, though, it does break, revealing uneven ground underneath, and so I have to moderate my pace and watch my step.
Scottish ultrarunner Donnie Campbell broke the Ramsay Round winter record last month – running up 24 Munros in just under 24 hours. He was also wearing the Salomon S-Lab XA Alpine and says he didn’t get a single blister or hot spot.
“When running over ice or compacted snow,” he says, “it is important to have a quick cadence, so if one foot slips the other foot will only be a fraction of a second from touching the ground, which will hopefully stop your slip. Also, don’t change your direction of travel or speed suddenly – this will reduce the risk of slipping and falling.
“For running over soft snow, it is worth considering how hard you are working in relation to the speed you are going, as often it could be more efficient to actually walk.”
So with a quick, quick step, I make my way along the Austrian trails. I decide to take my time, stopping to take in the spectacular views along the way, and to make sure I don’t fall over. I’m doing fine and enjoying myself heartily when I spy a narrow path leading steeply up into the woods. I have the voices of Richard Askwith and Vybarr Cregan-Reid in my ears, both of whose books urge runners to explore, to wander from the beaten path.
Now, it could be argued that by running halfway up a mountain in Austria I’m already off the beaten path, but as Cregan-Reid says in his book Footnotes: “The landscape is not just a backdrop to my run … it actually beckons to us.”
This path is beckoning to me and so I follow it up. Alas, it’s just a woodcutter’s trail that soon ends in a clearing of freshly made tree stumps. I turn and head back but halfway down the steep path, my watch beeps. I glance at it to see how slowly my last mile was run, and that distraction is enough. My quick cadence slows thoughtlessly, my mind is distracted, and what out of the corner of my eye looks like snow turns out to be a sheet of solid ice. Thump, I’ve fallen over, winded, cursing and struggling to breathe.
Luckily I’m uninjured, apart from some bruised ribs, and manage to run back without any problems, but it’s a stern lesson not to underestimate the environment when running in extreme conditions. And perhaps, when running in snow, to put a limit on wandering off the path.
• Adharanand Finn is author of The Way of the Runner
