EASY, MEDIUM, DIFFICULT...
PAY ATTENTION to the meaning of these words!
They are, in fact, the definition
of the technical characteristics
of the proposed activities and
NOT a judgment
on the physical effort required.
In this regard, the
CAI General Classification (Hiking)
helps us understand this, reporting the following:
T (Tourist - Easy):
Short, well-marked trails, limited elevation gain, suitable for everyone.
E (Hiking - Medium):
Marked trails, varied terrain (pastures, debris), suitable footwear and a sure step required.
EE (Expert Hikers - Difficult):
Rough trails, unstable terrain, exposed sections, need for excellent experience and orientation.
To understand whether an activity I propose is within your reach in terms of the effort you will or will not be able to sustain,
you must analyze the characteristics of the route, namely:
the elevation difference and gain in meters, the overall length (in km) and the average gradient expressed as a percentage.
I report below some indications for evaluating snowshoe hikes:
If you have excellent physical preparation
you will be able to do all my activities with normal effort, feeling little fatigue.
If you have good preparation
you will do everything, perhaps with a little more fatigue.
If you have average physical preparation
you will need to pay attention to proposals longer than 10 km, important differences between elevation difference and elevation gain (which mean the presence of ups and downs) and gradients above 15%.
If you have poor physical preparation
you should limit yourself to activities that do not exceed elevation differences/gains of about 300 meters and possibly with the fewest ups and downs, which are what most of all "cut your legs".
If you believe you have no physical preparation at all
you need to think for a moment before deciding to take part even in the easiest activities, and discuss with the Guide the real characteristics of what you would like to do in relation to your actual physical condition: it is not certain that some excursions are not still within your reach, perhaps because you are young, with a lean physique and with a good mental predisposition to effort.
You can use the same indications to evaluate treks
on routes without snow.
In this case, you can increase the numerical thresholds indicated,
multiplying them by 1.5 - maximum 2.0.
When you fill in the registration form
you will also find a request for a self-assessment of your level of experience: it is not related to particular technical skills, since the activities I normally propose are, from this point of view, very accessible even to beginners, but rather a check of your level of awareness and therefore of your ability to judge the characteristics of my proposals.
Here too, at the slightest doubt about what you would like to do with me
I invite you to write to me or call me
so that we can discuss what awaits us.