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Snowshoes - I know nothing

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Quick question - If you have gaiters, can you snowshoe in something like these without getting a footfull of snow?


I have these that I wore and they worked great, but I'm on my second pair since December and the hooks at the top keep popping off.

I prefer to use boots that are tall and laterally stiff when I'm on snowshoes. I don't want to have little to no control over how the snowshoes tip left-right when they contact uneven snow. The stiffer and taller my boot, the happier I am.

Snowshoeing Footwear: Tips for Choosing Your Boot

here's another advice article
 
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Jenny

Angel Diva
Today's snowshoe adventure was a two mile loop in the recreation area south of us. Trail was well marked, snow was packed down and crunchy. Got the shoes on the right feet this time, left the gaiters off since we were sticking to the trail, but decided we should just put them on every time, since the snow kicks up onto your calves. Not a big issue, though. Still a bit overdressed, but I’m getting that dialed in. There wasn’t really any wind, temps in the mid 20s, no real sun to speak of.

E155D366-6CAD-456C-BCF5-B92CB6EFB85E.jpeg

929C136B-B993-4BB8-BD64-971166A7E767.jpeg
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Here north of Boston we did indeed get some snow. I went snowshoeing today, broke trail for a bit of distance. It felt SO GOOD. I stopped to take pics (and to breathe, as I'm not in the best of
shape).

Here's what a single track trail looked like if someone preceded me. People on snowshoes clearly had been there before me, on some of the trails.
IMG_4108.JPG
And here's what it looked like if no one preceded me. I broke trail for a loooong distance this afternoon on snow looking like this.
IMG_4109.JPG
IMG_4110.JPG
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It was divine out there. Blue skies.
IMG_4121.JPG
Here's what the trail looked like behind me, after I broke trail.
IMG_4112.JPG
Here's how deep my snowshoes sank. This sinkage was not because my snowshoes were inadequate for my weight (oh... I hope this is true), but because this snow was extremely light. IMG_4113.JPG
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The unbroken trail in front of me. These little conifers looked like they were decorated with Christmas tree balls.IMG_4114.JPG
Some little critters had been hopping about on top of the snow.
IMG_4115.JPG
At some point, the trail ahead of me started having visible tracks. My best guess was that the hiker did this hike yesterday as it snowed. The snow filled in the tracks for most of that person's hike, but as the hike continued, the snow diminished. That left the tracks at the end of the hike visible to me at this point on the route.IMG_4122.JPG
 
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liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Here's a water crossing on a very narrow bridge. I fell onto my knees crossing this bridge; my snowshoes went too wide, losing the support the the wood planks below the snow, and down I went.
IMG_4118.JPG
I am uncertain why some pics are neutral, and others are blue. Below are my tracks behind me after I broke trail. This was so much fun. Adventure!
IMG_4119.JPG
 
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liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
For some unknown reason, probably related to wind, this area had more snow in it that the rest of my route. The tracks from yesterday in front of me, which had been for a while so visible, were now filled in a bit more.IMG_4122.JPG
My feet sank so deep.
IMG_4123.JPG
The beauty of nature, without the presence of humans, was strong. I love this. The trail goes between these trees.
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After slogging through this area, the single track trail I was on dropped me onto a fire road. Here it is. What a physical relief to be able to get to finally walk on solid flat snow that others had pressed flat before I got there. This wide trail led back to the parking area. It was a great 2 hour hike.IMG_4128.JPG
 
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liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Today's snowshoe adventure was a two mile loop in the recreation area south of us. Trail was well marked, snow was packed down and crunchy. Got the shoes on the right feet this time, left the gaiters off since we were sticking to the trail, but decided we should just put them on every time, since the snow kicks up onto your calves. Not a big issue, though. Still a bit overdressed, but I’m getting that dialed in. There wasn’t really any wind, temps in the mid 20s, no real sun to speak of.

View attachment 17790

View attachment 17791
Stunning cloud formation up there.
 

shadoj

Angel Diva
@liquidfeet That looks so peaceful! I'll have to take my snowshoes out for a spin the next time (crossing fingers) we get a dump. I take my adjustable ski poles with me; super convenient.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Beautiful, @liquidfeet! Hope your knees aren't feeling the fall too much.

I said to DH today that I was looking forward to snowshoeing in quiet snow. Today was a lot like skiing here - loud and crunchy. We're supposed to get a bunch of snow Tuesday and Wednesday, so maybe soon . . .
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
^^ Knees are fine. They landed on soft snow. Thanks for asking.
It was difficult getting up on that very narrow board bridge as I tried to avoid falling off to the side.
But I did it. The fall surprised me. I didn't expect to fall on snowshoes.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
This thread is making my regret leaving my snowshoes in Maine yesterday. We have a ton of snow in central MA right now. I’m not sure why I decided to leave them behind, except that I was in a rush to get on the road.
 

lisamamot

Angel Diva
Quick question - If you have gaiters, can you snowshoe in something like these without getting a footfull of snow?


I have these that I wore and they worked great, but I'm on my second pair since December and the hooks at the top keep popping off.

I snowshoe in gaiters and hiking boots. I prefer the closer fit of the hiking boots rather than my snow boots. If it is quite cold I wear heated socks instead of my thicker Smartwools.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I went snowshoeing yesterday with high hopes of magic on the trail. Nope. As my friend and I approached the trailhead, a woman leaving said "Good luck!" - with no explanation.

The snow looked good. But... it was a thin layer on top of glare ice. By glare ice I mean if the fresh snow were brushed away, what would remain would be transparent ice, that which one could read a newspaper through.

The Tubs Flex RDG snowshoes that my friend and I have grip the ice just fine with their strong metal grips underfoot. My poles have the type of tip that will grip ice as well. But not all poles have that type of ice-gripping tip, and yesterday on the ups and downs of the trail we definitely needed the support of our poles. My friend's poles don't have the grippy type of tip, so she was having trouble with her poles sliding out on the short but steepish ascents and descents. When the woman said "Good luck" she must have been referring to the ice.

I love the silence of snowshoes on soft snow, but we didn't have any of that. Our snowshoes were noisy. So we cut the hike short. It was good to get out, but not good enough to spend two hours on that loud unfriendly surface.
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
When you say 'grippy' pole tips, do you mean the little serrated teeth at the tip or something different? Just curious. I don't have a lot of opportunity to go snowshoeing in my area, but I'm interested. Thanks for sharing your expertise, @liquidfeet , and your photos that show the trails you traverse.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@VickiK, yes, the configuration of the tip needs to be a circle of shark teeth or something else that will not slide away on ice. I think there's another configuration that grips.

I've had ski poles that slid on ice. They were worthless when getting onto the chair when the surface below was icy. I tend to use my ski poles for snowshoeing. My trekking poles don't have baskets. I suppose I could put some on, but I always have trouble screwing those baskets on and off.
 

skibum4ever

Angel Diva
I'm starting to consider snowshoeing if I am totally prohibited from skiing next season. I think that I will take a lesson or two if I decide to try it, and will then decide the type of equipment to purchase. It looks peaceful and less risky than downhill or even cross country skiing.
 

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