to hike in deep snow without snowshoes or skis, leaving large holes in the snow. Postholing is considered bad form and makes subsequent snowshoeing or skiing unpleasant and hazardous.

a hole dug in the ground to hold a fence post

a hole where a post was placed for a house or other structure

an example of a feature

In archaeology a posthole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide although truncation may not make this apparent. Although the remains of the timber may survive most postholes are mainly recognisable as circular patches of darker earth when viewed in plan.