How the time is calculated
Each part of the walk is timed separately and added up:
t = km ÷ vflat + ascent ÷ v↑ + descent ÷ v↓
The sum is divided by a pack factor: with a full pack you walk slower (0.8), on a side trip with a day pack faster (1.15). Rests are added on top of moving time — 10 minutes every hour at tourist pace.
Paces
| pace | flat | ascent | descent | pack | side trip | rests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relaxed | 3.5 km/h | 250 m/h | 450 m/h | 0.8 | 1.15 | 15 min/h |
| Tourist | 4 km/h | 300 m/h | 500 m/h | 0.8 | 1.15 | 10 min/h |
| Athletic | 5 km/h | 400 m/h | 600 m/h | 0.85 | 1.2 | 5 min/h |
Example
12 km, 900 m up, 400 m down, tourist pace, full pack: 3 h for distance + 3 h for ascent + 48 min for descent = 6 h 48 min; divided by 0.8 that is 8 h 30 min of moving. Add 1 h 25 min of rests — 9 h 55 min. Leave at 8:00, arrive at 17:55.
Naismith’s rule, and why descent counts too
Naismith’s classic rule (1892): one hour for every 5 km, plus an hour for every 600 m of ascent. Switzerland’s Munter method treats every 100 m of ascent as one extra kilometre. Neither counts descent — yet on a steep way down with a heavy pack your speed drops noticeably. So here descent is a separate term with its own speed.
Your pace learns from your hikes
In the app the same time is calculated for every leg of your route line and adds up into the hiking schedule. After a trip Trace Map compares plan and actual and offers to update your personal speeds: “You climbed at 380 m/h instead of the planned 300”.