Snowshoeing in complete silence and a landscape covered by glittering snow awakens a longing for adventure. The own breath and the crunching of the snow spread a feeling of being alone.

But remember that on your snowshoe hikes you are never alone, but share the forests and mountain areas with the local wild animals, which live very secluded, especially in the harsh winter months, in order to survive well the cold nights and the low food supply until the next spring. Especially in the winter months, it is important for wildlife to consume as little energy as possible.

Disturbances cause stress and sometimes panic-like flight behavior, which leads to high energy consumption in deep snow. In the worst cases, this can lead to the death of a wild animal.

That’s why you should learn about wildlife habitats on your snowshoe hikes, developing an understanding of their lifestyles. Keep quiet in the forests and mountain areas, observe animals only from a distance, avoid feeding areas and do not follow animal tracks. Avoid twilight and evening hours on your snowshoe hikes, as wildlife needs extra quiet here. Cross forested areas on common routes, avoiding reforested areas and young forests.

A particularly sensitive ecological area is the timberline, as this is where the black grouse makes its home. Therefore, cross the forest line by the shortest route and stay away from clumps of trees. Hollows and scoured ridges and ridges are the home of the ptarmigan, where on the one hand it braves the freezing storms in snow caves and on the other it feeds on the sparse dwarf shrubs. Due to its extraordinarily good camouflage, the ptarmigan escapes only very late, but consumes a lot of vital energy in the process.

By following a few rules we help the wildlife to survive the winter well and at the same time we snowshoe hikers can really enjoy our tours in an enchanted winter world with a clear conscience.