How much harder is snowshoe running than road running?

During my undergraduate degree in exercise science at the University of British Columbia (UBC), I was privileged to research the answer to this question under the guidance of Dr. Darren Warburton. As well, I was sponsored by Atlas Snowshoe, Polar Heartrate, and Garmin Watch.

What’s the energy cost of snowshoe running? The answer isn’t as straightforward as one would expect. The physiological response to varying terrain and snowshoeing speed are the key variables affecting the snowshoe runner’s caloric output.

Research conducted by Patrick Schneider and his colleagues in 2001 showed that an individual snowshoe walking at a comfortable pace on mixed terrain (flat and hills) elicited a heart rate response between seventy-five and eighty-five per cent of age-predicted heart rate. This is well within the range to increase cardiovascular endurance as well as improve body composition.

From a calorie perspective research showed that men expended approximately five hundred calories during a thirty-minute session, while females burned approximately 375 calories. This would be equivalent to completing the following activities for thirty minutes: running at six miles per hour, swimming at seventy-five yards per minute, cross-country skiing at five to eight miles per hour, or bicycling at fourteen to sixteen miles per hour (Schneider et al., 2001). And, remember, we haven’t even started talking about running in the snow yet!

Snowshoe running involves two main types of terrain: packed snow and unpacked snow. Research conducted by A. J. Declan and others in 2002 quantified snowshoeing on packed and unpacked snow and contrasted it to treadmill walking. Snowshoeing on packed snow at three miles per hour elicited a similar heart rate and energy expenditure response to walking on a treadmill at four miles per hour or snowshoeing in unpacked snow at two miles per hour. Snowshoeing on packed snow at four miles per hour elicited the same heart rate and energy expenditure response as walking on a treadmill at six miles per hour or snowshoeing on unpacked snow at three miles per hour.

Furthermore, Declan’s research noted that the relationship between increasing walking speed on snow by just one mile per hour at slow speeds (two and three miles per hour) resulted in approximately twice the energy expenditure. So if you’re considering going for a walk through the city this winter, putting on a pair of snowshoes and walking on unpacked snow, even at a slow-moving three miles per hour, can expend twice the energy as walking on a treadmill.

My preliminary research at UBC in 2004 revealed a similar relationship: snowshoe running is approximately twice as hard as road running. For example, running at four miles per hour in unpacked snow would be similar to running eight miles per hour on a treadmill.

In 2001, D. A. Connolly and other researchers examined the difference between physiological responses of those in a six-week snowshoe walking program and those in a six-week road running program. At the beginning of the six-week program both groups completed a fitness assessment that showed no significant differences between either groups. What is interesting is that by the end of the six weeks, while both groups’ VO2max and run times to exhaustion improved, the snowshoe-walking group improved more than the roadrunners did.

People often consider winter the off-season; however, not only has winter become a great opportunity to train but snowshoeing is increasingly the sport of choice. In the spring, there’s no need to spend the first four weeks getting your legs and cardiovascular system back into shape, as your winter of snowshoe running will have primed you for your favourite summer sports.

About the Author

Melissa Taylor, a registered kinesiologist, is the owner of Kinesitherapy.ca, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her company bridges health care and fitness.