diff --git a/archiver.go b/archiver.go
index 976eecfe2..88270fec6 100644
--- a/archiver.go
+++ b/archiver.go
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ func NewArchiver(s Server) (*Archiver, error) {
 	return arch, nil
 }
 
+// Cache returns the current cache for the Archiver.
+func (arch *Archiver) Cache() *Cache {
+	return arch.c
+}
+
 // Preload loads all blobs for all cached snapshots.
 func (arch *Archiver) Preload() error {
 	// list snapshots first
@@ -79,17 +84,10 @@ func (arch *Archiver) Preload() error {
 		m, err := arch.c.LoadMap(arch.s, id)
 		if err != nil {
 			debug.Log("Archiver.Preload", "blobs for snapshot %v not cached: %v", id.Str(), err)
-
-			// build new cache
-			m, err = CacheSnapshotBlobs(arch.s, arch.c, id)
-			if err != nil {
-				debug.Log("Archiver.Preload", "unable to cache snapshot blobs for %v: %v", id.Str(), err)
-				return err
-			}
+			continue
 		}
 
 		arch.m.Merge(m)
-
 		debug.Log("Archiver.Preload", "done loading cached blobs for snapshot %v", id.Str())
 	}
 
diff --git a/cache.go b/cache.go
index 36c6e69b0..a979d7238 100644
--- a/cache.go
+++ b/cache.go
@@ -208,10 +208,45 @@ func (c *Cache) filename(t backend.Type, subtype string, id backend.ID) (string,
 
 // high-level functions
 
-// CacheSnapshotBlobs creates a cache of all the blobs used within the
+// RefreshSnapshots loads the maps for all snapshots and saves them to the local cache.
+func (c *Cache) RefreshSnapshots(s Server, p *Progress) error {
+	defer p.Done()
+
+	// list snapshots first
+	snapshots, err := s.List(backend.Snapshot)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// check that snapshot blobs are cached
+	for _, id := range snapshots {
+		has, err := c.Has(backend.Snapshot, "blobs", id)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		if has {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// else start progress reporting
+		p.Start()
+
+		// build new cache
+		_, err = cacheSnapshotBlobs(p, s, c, id)
+		if err != nil {
+			debug.Log("Cache.RefreshSnapshots", "unable to cache snapshot blobs for %v: %v", id.Str(), err)
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// cacheSnapshotBlobs creates a cache of all the blobs used within the
 // snapshot. It collects all blobs from all trees and saves the resulting map
 // to the cache and returns the map.
-func CacheSnapshotBlobs(s Server, c *Cache, id backend.ID) (*Map, error) {
+func cacheSnapshotBlobs(p *Progress, s Server, c *Cache, id backend.ID) (*Map, error) {
 	debug.Log("CacheSnapshotBlobs", "create cache for snapshot %v", id.Str())
 
 	sn, err := LoadSnapshot(s, id)
@@ -225,6 +260,8 @@ func CacheSnapshotBlobs(s Server, c *Cache, id backend.ID) (*Map, error) {
 	// add top-level node
 	m.Insert(sn.Tree)
 
+	p.Report(Stat{Trees: 1})
+
 	// start walker
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	ch := make(chan WalkTreeJob)
@@ -242,6 +279,7 @@ func CacheSnapshotBlobs(s Server, c *Cache, id backend.ID) (*Map, error) {
 				if job.Tree == nil {
 					continue
 				}
+				p.Report(Stat{Trees: 1})
 				debug.Log("CacheSnapshotBlobs", "got job %v", job)
 				m.Merge(job.Tree.Map)
 			}
diff --git a/cache_test.go b/cache_test.go
index e642aa699..f272049ce 100644
--- a/cache_test.go
+++ b/cache_test.go
@@ -36,8 +36,22 @@ func TestCache(t *testing.T) {
 	// remove cached blob list
 	ok(t, cache.Purge(backend.Snapshot, "blobs", id))
 
+	// load map from cache again, this should fail
+	rd, err = cache.Load(backend.Snapshot, "blobs", id)
+	assert(t, err != nil, "Expected failure did not occur")
+
 	// recreate cached blob list
-	m2, err := restic.CacheSnapshotBlobs(server, cache, id)
+	err = cache.RefreshSnapshots(server, nil)
+	ok(t, err)
+
+	// load map from cache again
+	rd, err = cache.Load(backend.Snapshot, "blobs", id)
+	ok(t, err)
+
+	dec = json.NewDecoder(rd)
+
+	m2 := &restic.Map{}
+	err = dec.Decode(m2)
 	ok(t, err)
 
 	// compare maps
diff --git a/cmd/restic/cmd_backup.go b/cmd/restic/cmd_backup.go
index fa06e2f3b..d84fc4cb6 100644
--- a/cmd/restic/cmd_backup.go
+++ b/cmd/restic/cmd_backup.go
@@ -75,6 +75,26 @@ func (cmd CmdBackup) Usage() string {
 	return "DIR/FILE [snapshot-ID]"
 }
 
+func newCacheRefreshProgress() *restic.Progress {
+	p := restic.NewProgress(time.Second)
+	p.OnStart = func() {
+		fmt.Printf("refreshing cache\n")
+	}
+
+	if !terminal.IsTerminal(int(os.Stdout.Fd())) {
+		return p
+	}
+
+	p.OnUpdate = func(s restic.Stat, d time.Duration, ticker bool) {
+		fmt.Printf("\x1b[2K[%s] %d trees loaded\r", format_duration(d), s.Trees)
+	}
+	p.OnDone = func(s restic.Stat, d time.Duration, ticker bool) {
+		fmt.Printf("\x1b[2Krefreshed cache in %s\n", format_duration(d))
+	}
+
+	return p
+}
+
 func newScanProgress() *restic.Progress {
 	if !terminal.IsTerminal(int(os.Stdout.Fd())) {
 		return nil
@@ -82,10 +102,10 @@ func newScanProgress() *restic.Progress {
 
 	p := restic.NewProgress(time.Second)
 	p.OnUpdate = func(s restic.Stat, d time.Duration, ticker bool) {
-		fmt.Printf("\x1b[2K\r[%s] %d directories, %d files, %s", format_duration(d), s.Dirs, s.Files, format_bytes(s.Bytes))
+		fmt.Printf("\x1b[2K[%s] %d directories, %d files, %s\r", format_duration(d), s.Dirs, s.Files, format_bytes(s.Bytes))
 	}
 	p.OnDone = func(s restic.Stat, d time.Duration, ticker bool) {
-		fmt.Printf("\nDone in %s\n", format_duration(d))
+		fmt.Printf("\x1b[2Kscanned %d directories, %d files in %s\n", s.Dirs, s.Files, format_duration(d))
 	}
 
 	return p
@@ -134,7 +154,7 @@ func newArchiveProgress(todo restic.Stat) *restic.Progress {
 			}
 		}
 
-		fmt.Printf("\x1b[2K\r%s%s", status1, status2)
+		fmt.Printf("\x1b[2K%s%s\r", status1, status2)
 	}
 
 	archiveProgress.OnDone = func(s restic.Stat, d time.Duration, ticker bool) {
@@ -196,6 +216,11 @@ func (cmd CmdBackup) Execute(args []string) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	err = arch.Cache().RefreshSnapshots(s, newCacheRefreshProgress())
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	fmt.Printf("loading blobs\n")
 	err = arch.Preload()
 	if err != nil {