7 articles
Snowshoeing, cross-country and ski touring, winter nights: enjoying the snow while knowing where you tread.
Snow turns a familiar landscape into new ground. Paths vanish, the days shorten and the cold changes the pace of everything. Our guides help you make the most of it with peace of mind, on outings that stick to marked routes: snowshoeing on waymarked trails, cross-country skiing on the groomed tracks of Nordic centres, downhill skiing on resort pistes, and winter walks on maintained paths.
Getting the kit right is a large part of the pleasure. We explain how to layer your clothing, choose gloves and socks that genuinely keep you warm, read the spec sheet for a pair of snowshoes or cross-country skis, and understand the temperature ratings on a sleeping bag once the nights turn cold. We compare published data and standards, not impressions, and if someone on the team has genuinely strapped on the snowshoes they describe, they say so and tell the story themselves.
Winter has its rules too. Snowshoe trails and cross-country tracks have their own etiquette, ski resorts have a code of conduct, and wildlife, which the season puts under real strain, is sometimes protected by quiet zones that everyone is expected to respect. The drive matters as well, since the equipment required on mountain roads in winter differs from one country to the next, something worth knowing before a trip to the Alps. For each of these rules, we refer you to the official text, dated, and we also point you to the official forecasts to check before you set off.
Families discovering snow together will find plenty here, as will regulars who come back every winter and want to choose their kit or their routes more wisely. For beginners, the basics come step by step, such as the difference between classic and skate skiing on Nordic tracks. Figures are always explained, with their unit and what they measure, and the common mistakes get their place, from the cotton T-shirt that holds on to moisture to frozen fingers for want of a spare pair of gloves. As for those who consider a hot chocolate the true summit of any winter walk, they need no help from us.
SnowPractical guide
Grip wax, glide wax, klister, fishscales, skins: the jargon of waxing can put you off before your first outing. Here is what you actually wax for your type of ski, the steps with an iron and by hand, the snow temperatures to read on the wax label, and what to know about fluoro waxes, banned from FIS races since the 2023-2024 season.
Nolwenn Bastide··8 min
What length of cross-country skis? Weight decides, height checks: makers’ charts, the classic and skate gap, pole length and the paper test to do in the shop.
Nolwenn Bastide··9 min
Base layer, insulating layer, windproof shell: how the three-layer system keeps you warm on winter walks, which fabrics to choose and the mistakes to avoid.
Nolwenn Bastide··13 min
How to spot a groomed winter path (pink in Switzerland), why to stay on it, boots and spikes, and when the sun sets: 4.30pm in Oberstdorf in December.
Nolwenn Bastide··12 min
Seated ride, driving lesson, expedition or snowshoe trek with a dog: the options, prices in France and Lapland, minimum ages and the signs of a good musher.
Nolwenn Bastide··13 min
Starting out on snowshoes: choosing the right size for your weight and the snow, bindings, poles, waymarked trails in France and the avalanche risk.
Nolwenn Bastide··7 min
Classic or skating cross-country skiing: how the technique and kit differ, the right pole length, France’s 2026-2027 Nordic pass and your first outing.
Nolwenn Bastide··7 min
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