by Hallu » Mon 22 Jun, 2015 7:50 pm
I've mentioned this a lot, but it really depends on the country. In Australia, people don't walk that fast, same with New Zealand. In the US, they're pretty slow I would say, they take their time. In Norway, I didn't notice any particular trend, plus it was October so early winter, not many walkers around. The fast walking trend you're talking about is clearly visible in countries like France, Spain or Italy, and have been for some time. I don't know if it's because the walks are generally harder and more numerous (with often dangerous and vertiginous tracks) but it's like having a group of Bear Grylls clones around you. I don't think those hikers are fitter than Aussie or Kiwi hikers, but hiking is considered a sport rather than an outdoorsy adventure for far too many people.
Australia usually has 3 categories of walks : easy/family oriented, medium on a clear path (with maybe a bit of easy scrambling), and crazy off track bush bashing. I've found there aren't many walks between the last two levels, meaning long strenuous day walks with aging tracks and difficulties. This is because Aussies take care of their tracks, while Europeans have so many, only the family and most famous walks are taken care of. Recently in France, where some tracks are in an appalling state, even in national parks, a group of hikers slipped on a compacted snow field called "névé". One hiker is in critical condition. It would be dead easy for rangers to just clear the path of snow. But they don't do it. Lack of funding ? I'd be happy to pay for entering a national park if it meant better tracks. In other parts, the track is collapsing and wide enough for only one of your feet, with a scary drop on the edge. Elevation gains are also huge, sometimes insane. 1000 m gain is a medium walk, hard walks can go as high as 1800 m in a day. In Australia, you got a handful of daywalks that last 7-8 h. In Europe, they're everywhere.
I think it's that number of challenging worn out tracks that made Europeans fast hikers. Besides, walks can be crowded, so it tends to make you walk faster to get there first, partly to show off, partly in the hope of being alone at the destination. I've never hiked alone for pleasure before coming to Australia, so I guess I've become an Aussie paced hiker. It means in France I'm now hating those fast hikers who breathe down your neck when you're descending a slippery slope... You see some in lycra running up the hills, some with the full glacier walking gear. Besides being fast, they all have insane sure footing, they don't seem to slip on steep gravel or snow. But the shoes they wear usually cost around 150-200 €... It's also something I'm not comfortable with : hiking seems to be a middle class/high middle class, mostly white person game. Public transportation is really poor to the start of the walks, and gear is expensive.