Skiers and walkers clash over sharing Estonia's popular trails
As the country's wintry trails get busier, walkers say skiers often intimidate them, while skiers complain casual walkers are damaging already groomed trails.
For trail technicians, preparing a groomed trail is much more than just packing snow and skiing tracks into it.
"The main work actually happens when there isn't any snow," said Palermo trail tech Argo Rohtmets. "We clear rocks and branches from the path, smooth the surface if needed, plan ahead and then wait for it to snow."
While freestyle trails need 10 centimeters of snow, classic cross-country tracks require at least 15 centimeters. Specialized grooming creates two distinct parallel tracks.
Trail techs often start before midnight, spending several hours on tractors or ATVs. Grooming a 2.5-kilometer trail costs about €10,000 a season, plus hundreds of nighttime hours of labor.
As finished trails then need several hours to set, heading out on them too soon can mean undoing hours of work. For techs, it's also frustrating seeing carefully groomed trails get trampled.
Online debates reflect tensions between the different groups of people who use the public trails. Skiers question why walkers would choose to walk or walk their dogs along designated, groomed cross-country trails, while walkers struggle to understand the restrictions.
In Viimsi, one skier said that while there is a trail with real snow, it's short — and crowded as a result. While she has yet to actually be yelled at by any walkers, Nora has gotten her share of dirty looks.
"There are a lot of walkers because they're used to being able to walk on that trail," said Nora. "Then they get in the way during practices or when people are just skiing."
Pärnu County trail tech Eido Tasalain says the conflict stems from the fact that fewer people are skiing and more people are choosing to just go walking out in the woods.
Expensive ski gear also raises expectations. "Their equipment costs a lot, and they expect better quality trails than before," he added.
Holes, especially those made by runners, cause the most damage. "If a ski pole hits [a hole], it's pretty much bound to break," Tasalain explained. "Poles today cost over €100, so of course that will piss skiers off."
Trail techs say the problem is nationwide, especially in cities where trails are limited. Signs regulating trail use exist, but not everyone follows them.
"It's moreso this, 'I don't care, it's my right and I'll do what I want,'" said priit Aunroos, who manages the trails in Pirita. "Reading comments sections, there's a lot of public back-and-forth hostility: walkers hate the skiers and vice-versa."
Both groups could share trails safely if walkers stick to the left side of groomed trails.
"Just don't walk on the classic track," Tasalain stressed. "Stay on the edge where [the snow] is firmer, walk in a line, not spread out, and then we'll all fit."
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Aili Vahtla
