Estimate calories and kilojoules burned snowshoeing at moderate or vigorous effort, based on your body weight and how long you're out on the snow. Snowshoeing is a low-impact activity on the joints — the wide shoe distributes your weight across soft or uneven snow — but it's a genuinely demanding cardio workout, especially once you factor in cold temperatures, sinking into fresh powder, or climbing terrain. Figures below are drawn from the Winter Activities section of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.
Snowshoeing calorie burn depends on effort level, captured here as two tiers: moderate effort (MET 5.3) and vigorous effort (MET 10.0). The formula is calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours). A 75 kg person snowshoeing for 2 hours burns about 795 kcal (roughly 3,326 kJ) at moderate effort, or about 1,500 kcal (roughly 6,276 kJ) at vigorous effort — pushing through deep snow or uphill terrain roughly doubles the energy cost. Neither MET value used on this page is flagged as an estimate in the Compendium — both are literature-supported figures.
| Effort Level | MET | Calories | Kilojoules |
|---|
The calculation uses a MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value for your effort level, your body weight, and how long you were out on the snow. This calculator uses two MET values taken directly from the Winter Activities section of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: snow shoeing at moderate effort (code 19190, MET 5.3) and snow shoeing at vigorous effort (code 19192, MET 10.0). Neither of these two codes is flagged as an estimated figure in the Compendium — both are literature-supported entries.
| Effort Level | MET | Calories (75 kg, 2 hr) | Kilojoules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate effort | 5.3 | 795 kcal | 3,326 kJ |
| Vigorous effort | 10.0 | 1,500 kcal | 6,276 kJ |
Snowshoeing intensity varies enormously depending on terrain, snow condition, and pace, which is why this calculator uses two separate tiers rather than a single number. Moderate effort snowshoeing covers a relaxed, conversational pace on relatively flat, packed or groomed terrain — the kind of gentle wander through the snow gums that a beginner or a family group might do on a first outing. Vigorous effort snowshoeing is a different proposition altogether: pushing uphill, breaking trail through deep or fresh unpacked powder, or maintaining a fast pace over rolling terrain. The extra resistance of lifting your feet out of soft snow with every step, combined with the incline, roughly doubles the energy cost compared with the moderate tier, which is reflected in the near two-fold jump between MET 5.3 and MET 10.0.
The table below holds effort constant at the moderate tier (MET 5.3) for a 2-hour session, so you can see how much body weight alone changes the total.
| Body Weight | MET | Calories (2 hr) | Kilojoules |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 5.3 | 583 kcal | 2,439 kJ |
| 60 kg | 5.3 | 636 kcal | 2,661 kJ |
| 65 kg | 5.3 | 689 kcal | 2,883 kJ |
| 70 kg | 5.3 | 742 kcal | 3,105 kJ |
| 85 kg | 5.3 | 901 kcal | 3,770 kJ |
| 90 kg | 5.3 | 954 kcal | 3,992 kJ |
Snowshoeing sessions can range from a short hour on a marked trail to a full half-day outing. Here body weight is fixed at 75 kg while session length and effort level both change, so you can compare how much a longer session and a harder effort level each add to the total.
| Duration | Moderate Effort (MET 5.3) | Vigorous Effort (MET 10.0) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | 398 kcal / 1,663 kJ | 750 kcal / 3,138 kJ |
| 2 hours | 795 kcal / 3,326 kJ | 1,500 kcal / 6,276 kJ |
| 3 hours | 1,193 kcal / 4,989 kJ | 2,250 kcal / 9,414 kJ |
| 4 hours | 1,590 kcal / 6,653 kJ | 3,000 kcal / 12,552 kJ |
Australian nutrition panels list energy in kilojoules, not calories, so it's worth converting your snowshoeing session into the same unit your food packaging uses. Multiply your calorie figure by 4.184 to get kilojoules. A 75 kg person snowshoeing for 2 hours at moderate effort burns about 795 kcal, roughly 3,326 kJ, while the same duration at vigorous effort comes in considerably higher at about 1,500 kcal, roughly 6,276 kJ — a useful pair of figures to weigh up against the energy value of a hot chocolate or trail snack at the end of a day on the snow.
How many calories does snowshoeing burn?
It depends on effort level and how long you're out. A 75 kg person snowshoeing for 2 hours burns about 795 kcal (roughly 3,326 kJ) at moderate effort (MET 5.3), or about 1,500 kcal (roughly 6,276 kJ) at vigorous effort (MET 10.0), such as breaking trail through deep snow or climbing uphill. Lighter or heavier people, and shorter or longer sessions, will see proportionally lower or higher totals, so enter your own weight and duration in the calculator above for a personalised estimate.
Is snowshoeing a good workout?
Yes. Even at moderate effort, snowshoeing's MET value of 5.3 puts it well above a casual walk, and vigorous effort snowshoeing at MET 10.0 sits in genuinely high-intensity cardio territory, comparable to running. The wide snowshoe distributes your body weight across the snow, which makes it far gentler on the knees and ankles than running on hard ground, while the resistance of lifting your feet out of soft snow with every step still demands real cardiovascular and muscular effort.
How does snowshoeing compare to hiking or walking for calorie burn?
Snowshoeing generally burns more calories per hour than hiking or walking on dry, flat trails, because moving through snow — even packed snow — takes more effort than moving over solid ground, and the extra winter clothing and equipment add further resistance. At the same time, snowshoeing keeps the low-impact, joint-friendly profile that makes hiking and walking approachable for most fitness levels. That combination — a genuinely higher calorie burn without the pounding impact of running — is part of what makes snowshoeing an appealing winter alternative to a regular hiking or walking routine. For a direct comparison at your own weight and duration, try the Hiking Calorie Calculator linked below alongside this page.
Can you go snowshoeing in Australia?
Yes, though it remains a niche activity compared with skiing or snowboarding. Australian alpine areas such as the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales and the Victorian High Country offer marked snowshoe trails, guided tours, and rental gear at several resorts, making it an accessible way to get off the groomed ski runs without needing to learn to ski or board. Snowshoeing is also popular among Australians travelling overseas to snow destinations such as Japan, New Zealand, Canada, or North America, where deeper and more consistent snowpacks allow for longer and more varied sessions than a typical Australian alpine day trip.
How is calories burned snowshoeing calculated?
The calculator multiplies a MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value for your chosen effort level by your body weight in kilograms and by your session duration in hours: calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours). The two MET values used — 5.3 for moderate effort and 10.0 for vigorous effort — come directly from the Winter Activities section of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. The result in kilocalories is then multiplied by 4.184 to give the equivalent figure in kilojoules, the unit used on Australian food labels.
Does body weight change how many calories snowshoeing burns?
Yes. Because calories equal MET multiplied by body weight in kilograms multiplied by duration in hours, body weight is a direct multiplier in the formula. At the moderate effort tier (MET 5.3) for a 2-hour session, a 90 kg person burns roughly 954 kcal compared with about 583 kcal for a 55 kg person completing the identical session at the identical effort level.
How do I convert calories burned snowshoeing into kilojoules?
Multiply the calorie figure by 4.184, the standard conversion between kilocalories and kilojoules used on Australian food labels. A 75 kg person snowshoeing for 2 hours at moderate effort burns about 795 kcal, which converts to roughly 3,326 kJ — a useful number for comparing against the energy value of food and drinks consumed during or after a session on the snow.