The Hiking Club Trail Updates Program
Every year, hikers from all over the world head to the European Alps to take on some of the most iconic multi-day trails. These journeys are more than just physical challenges—they’re deeply rewarding experiences that test resilience, build confidence, and create lifelong memories.
At The Hiking Club, our mission is to make planning and navigating these trips as simple, reliable, and stress-free as possible. We want hikers to feel confident doing it themselves—whether that’s choosing the right route, booking accommodation, preparing their gear, or navigating along the way.
A key part of that confidence comes from having access to accurate, up-to-date trail information. Snow conditions, route detours, and general trail updates all play a crucial role in helping hikers make informed decisions—so they can prepare properly, stay safe, and adapt their plans if needed.
For the past 8 years, The Hiking Club has been providing hikers with the latest trail conditions across the Alps. And this year, we’re taking it even further.
the 3 pillars of our program
Building off the success of last year’s program, we will be supporting 2026 hikers with the following:
CURRENT SNOW CONDITIONS
As of 1st May 2026, snow depth is below average in many regions of the Alps. Snow reports indicate that spring conditions are now well established, with melting snow at lower elevations and a clear freeze–thaw cycle in many areas. Despite periodic fresh snowfall, this has had only a short-term impact on overall snow depth.
Based on our records, spring snow melt is about 2 weeks ahead of average for this time of year. We last reported similar conditions in 2022. Cold and wet conditions throughout May could slow the rate of snow melt, so hikers should not assume that current conditions will lead to a good early season.
Current snow depth data as of May 1st, 2026 as displayed in The Hiking Club planning app.
ITALIAN ALPS
According to an April report released by CIMA, in the Italian Alps as a whole, snow water equivalent is currently about <50% below the seasonal average and the melt phase has started around a month earlier than the typical historical pattern. The main cause of this acceleration is due to the significantly warmer than average temperatures.
Looking ahead, seasonal forecasts provided by ItaliaMeteo indicate temperatures above average and driver than than normal. A possible return to wetter conditions
April report: Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) mean anomoly by elevation report by CIMA indicate below average snow pack at all elevations, particularly <2,000m
FRENCH ALPS
For the French Alps, Météo-France reported that after the snowy spells of late January and February, snow cover became above average across the massifs in February, and in some Alpine sectors there was more than 3 metres of snow above 2,000m.
In the Chamonix / Mont Blanc region, current snow depths are around 100cm at Col du Brevent (2,368m), Lac Blanc (2,352m) and Refuge Albert Premier (2,702 m).
SWISS ALPS
According to WhiteRisk, comparative snow depth in Valais and Bernese Oberland regions are ~60% in comparison with the long-term mean. There are some areas with significantly below average (dark red), including Val Ferret, Sass Tal, Matteral Tal, Lauterbrunnen.
If you are planning to hike in the Alps during June or early July, it’s important to understand where is snow is impacting your trail. This can help you decide whether you should:
Bring specific gear (eg: microspikes/poles)
Change your route to one with less/no snow
Skip a section of trail entirely with transport
BE PREPARED WITH SNOW DEPTH AND FORECAST DATA
Estimated current snow depth estimates and 48 hour snow forecast information is now available in our trip planning app for all trails.
With these snow layers updated daily, early-season hikers can now be prepared with the most accurate and up-to-date snow data to make informed route and gear decisions.
You can read more about these snow layers in our partnership announcement here.
2. BREAK THE TRAIL UPDATES
Every year (with the exception of 2020..😭), The Hiking Club team has completed a “Break The Trail” journey to provide the first trail report for the legendary trails in the Alps that we support. We share these early-season trail updates for hikers to understand the latest snow conditions, route detours, and gear recommendations.
SUPPORTED trails
When will we share updateS?
During June and early July, we will load latest trail conditions into our planning app and share a summary via our social channels.
HOW WILL WE COVER ALL THE TRAILS?
Over the course of 6 weeks, our team will cover +1,000km / +600mi. We usually cover between 30-45km / 20-30mi per day and then jump online to post our trail report and deliver customer support! It’s a busy period for us!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL TO GET REAL-TIME TRAIL UPDATES
3. 2026 trail ambassador program
We are searching for 100 trail ambassadors to share trail updates with our 20,000+ hiking community.
What will you do?
As a trail ambassador, you will provide “live from the trail” content about trail conditions, route updates, and memorable experiences. This content will be shared with The Hiking Club community to keep fellow hikers up-to-date, via our planning app and dedicated social pages, including:
What will you get in return?
In addition to helping out your fellow hikers with information that will help prepare them for their hiking adventure, you’ll also receive exclusive The Hiking Club swag, only available for ambassadors!
Who are we looking for?
Solo hikers. Groups of friends tackling an adventure together. Adventurous families with kids of all ages. Fastpackers. Wanderers with their dogs. You name it! We want a diverse group of hikers who represent all the different types of people completing one of the above trails between June and October 2026.
What is the time commitment?
Kick off session: To ensure we set you up for success, there will be a 30 min briefing session in May.
During your hike: Share your trail updates and photos via Instagram (max 15 mins per day)
Note: We would love for all applicants to be accepted. However we are limited to 100 hikers across our 10 supported trails. Therefore preference will be given to customers of The Hiking Club
prepare for the alps webinar series
Watch our range of webinars to get your body and gear list ready to tackle your multi-day hike this summer.
PREPARE YOUR BODY FOR THE ALPS WEBINAR
Join Stacey Hardin, Doctor of Physical Therapy, for a 90-minute webinar on how to train for your multi-day Alps hike: big elevation, mountain conditions, back-to-back days. Learn more.
PREVENT BLISTERS SPOILING YOUR NEXT HIKE
Join Rebecca Rushton, podiatrist and owner of Blister Prevention, for a free 45-minute webinar on how to prevent and treat foot blisters during your upcoming multi-day hike.
Join Dr Andrius Ramonas, PhD in Exercise Physiology and Sports Nutrition, Co-Founder of Roam, for a free 45-minute webinar on how to sustain energy on a multi-day hike. Learn more.