| What it is | Sinking deep into soft snow |
| Why | Snow too soft to support you |
| Solved by | Snowshoes, skis, firm snow |
| Difficulty | Beginner (exhausting) |
Postholing is sinking deep into soft snow with each step, leaving holes like postholes, because the snow won’t support your weight. It’s exhausting and slow, and is the problem snowshoes and skis solve. Snow tends to firm up overnight, so an early alpine start often avoids the postholing that afternoon softening brings.
How to avoid it
Travel on firm, frozen snow — that’s a big reason for the alpine start — and use flotation like snowshoes or skis.
Why afternoons are worse
Sun softens the pack, so a dawn-firm slope can become a postholing slog by afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
What is postholing?
Postholing is when each step punches through soft snow and your leg sinks in deep — sometimes to the knee, thigh, or beyond — leaving a series of holes like postholes. It happens when the snow is too soft to bear your weight, and it's slow and very tiring.
How do you avoid postholing?
Travel when the snow is firm — early in the morning after an overnight freeze (an alpine start) — and use flotation like snowshoes or skis to spread your weight. Choosing wind-packed or shaded firm snow over soft, sun-baked snow also helps.
Why does snow posthole in the afternoon?
Daytime sun and warmth soften the snowpack, weakening the surface crust that supported you in the cold morning. By afternoon the same slope you cruised across at dawn can become an exhausting postholing slog — a key reason mountaineers start early and descend before the snow rots.
Sources
- Snow travel — The Mountaineers