Effect of looseness of snow on energy expenditure in marching on snow-covered ground

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Abstract
The caloric requirements of walking on loose deep snow were determined in 12 young soldiers at an altitude of 2,270 m in North India. Oxygen requirements increased linearly with the depth of the snow until the imprints of the feet reached a depth of 37 cm. The oxygen requirements (in liters) for a 60-kg man covering the distance of 1 km was found to be expressed by the equation: Y = 9.0 + 1.27 x X1.038, where X stands for the depth (in cm) of the foot impression. When the latter exceeded 37 cm, the oxygen requirements seemed to rise asymptotically in spite of the fact that the walking speed was slowed up by the increasing depth of snow. This was explained as a consequence of the enormous increase in the swinging movements of the body. The respiratory stress during walking on loose snow was comparable to that experienced when running on snow-free ground at 8 km/hr or marching with a 70-lb. load at 6 km/hr.

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