Snowshoers?

[Hovannes]

Snow shoes address the problem of post holing, right?
X-C skis are generally too narrow to float over deep soft unpacked snow.
Wider off-piste skis with mountaineering bindings will do much better than X-C skis, but those are very expensive unless you can find used ones.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Looks like my regular hiking boots or snow boots will work? May just need gaiters or those @condorlover1 "puttees" (I see people on Etsy actually make them!) for the mid-high hiking boots, although I'd just pull my jeans over and could care less if I accumulate snow outside of them as cold as it is they won't be "wet", wool socks solve a lot of problems.

 

[kcghost]

It is easier to walk on top of the snow rather through it. So, snowshoes are a good way to travel provided you get a good pair and get enough snow you can actually use them.

 

[skeeter456]

We use snowshoes quite a bit when we go rabbit hunting.

 

[Hovannes]

If you're sinking to the ankles, I wouldn't bother with them, but
if your sinking to mid calf or deeper, snow shoes or skis will help get you where you want to go with less work.

 

[carlomarx]

The terrain where you will be snowshoeing is important in choosing the style of shoe, open country or thick forests for example. Traditional Alaskan for open country and bear paw or modified bear paw for thicker brush a forest because they are easier to maneuver around trees. I use an old pair of wooden Alaskans but I lean towards codger style in most things I do. I'd check out REI either on line or a B&M if there is one in your area. Either can supply good advice.
Snowshoeing is a good workout especially for people like me who don't have the coordination for cross country skis!

 

[scloyd]

Snowshoeing is a good workout especially for people like me who don't have the coordination for cross country skis!

Same here. Cross country skis... I spend more time in the snow than I do  on the snow. I'm fine on flat open terrain. In the woods, on the trails, forget about it.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Thanks for the replies. We went with some snowshoes from Crescent Moon - wife has tested hers in the backyard and is thrilled! That’s what matters. Will be trekking about in a couple days.

 

[scloyd]

Here's ours. Mine are the 36" Redfeather's Hike and my wife's Tubbs.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

LOL, until Sunday afternoon, nobody had played in the snow in our backyard since our kids were pretty young -- she was tramping all over our 1/2 acre (which has well over a foot of snow laying on it) - so at least I know she likes them not just because I was able to find pink ones.

 

[Davy]

I am a big fan of snowshoeing!
I didn't go through all posts, so, if it wasn't said, let me suggest you need boots with solid, firm soles to protect your feet from the brake system. If the soles are soft you might have foot pain (in the area joining your toes to the rest of the foot). This is not fun 'cause it could last a few days and is an uncomfortable sensation.
That will make the activity simply great.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I am a big fan of snowshoeing!
I didn't go through all posts, so, if it wasn't said, let me suggest you need boots with solid, firm soles to protect your feet from the brake system. If the soles are soft you might have foot pain (in the area joining your toes to the rest of the foot). This is not fun 'cause it could last a few days and is an uncomfortable sensation.
That will make the activity simply great.

I do but it is coincidence, this makes me feel better about my boots!

 

[Davy]

I do but it is coincidence, this makes me feel better about my boots!

Good stuff! Comfort is everything.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Sunny, 29 degrees, fun!

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Wife captured my best side!

 

[mso489]

I suspect a lot more snowshoes and cross country skies are sold than are used regularly. You have to have long stretches of snow that doesn't melt to really put them to use, except for the first day or two.

Here in N.C., even sleds are a gamble. Not much sledding this year or for several years. It's a festival when it happens, but meantime, the sleds get buried in lawn furniture.

During our last real snow a few years ago, I put on my lug sole hiking boots and ventured down to get the newspaper that was approximately at the curb. The driveway is long and on a hill, and gets iced. So I ventured along the edge in the grass and leaves under the snow, bearing in hand a pruning pole with a pruning saw on the end. I used this to reach over and snag the plastic bag the newspaper was in and then trudged uphill in my own bootprints. I call this my Everest expedition on the installment plan.

 

[ConnorD]

I currently keep a pair of Arctic Sport Muck boots near by for when the temperature gets down to freezing or below 0. They boast that they'll keep your feet warm down to -40F, they're steel toe which might explain why my feet still get cold (despite doubling up on thermal socks) if I'm not moving around. I'll have to look into those leg warmers I think I've had same model from local sports store!

Yeah, steel toe kinda messes it up, had those for 2 or 3 years(still a fan of Mucks to be honest, but stopped using 'em during winter 'cause my feet would get cold too fast. Switched to LOWAs, so far pretty good, went through this winter with no issues).
Not sure if those warmers going to solve steel toe problem, but probably going to make it slightly better :D

 

[alaskanpiper]

We have a pair like that hanging on the wall. They look to be fully functional?
My first time snowshoeing was on Army gear in Alaska while Attending Northern Warfare school for the army back in 1981. A pair of these.
View attachment 194748

I have a pair of those! Only snowshoe to get from A to B when necessary not recreationally. And certainly don’t use these hahaha.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

MSR Evo Trail Snowshoes - Unisex | MEC

Evo Trail Snowshoes: Engineered to provide bite on hard snow and slopes. Traction rails on the decks and crampons underfoot make them stable when you're moving over rolling terrain and t

www.mec.ca

I have an older version of these and over the last five years I've put about 100 miles on them hiking across Canadian prairies.
Biggest problem is they're LOUD, but if you can deal with that and a broken strap every few years (rubber straps just get old, I've replaced my toe straps with a combination of paracord and stretchy bands) they are otherwise very solid.

For someone who weighs 250lbs it might seem counterintuitive to use compact snowshoes but 22" shoes still make a world of difference in preventing foot fatigue, hiking through the snow in just your boots is like walking with pegs on the middle of your feet, this eliminates that problem.
Plus the spikes grip ice perfectly so there is zero chance of slipping, and speaking of ice even if it's late spring I like to wear these just because the layer of ice on top of the snow will cut through your boots incredibly quickly.
One time I wore regular hiking shoes in crusty snow and it ate through the sides of the shoes in just a couple of miles.

The upside of a compact snowshoe is you're still decently maneuverable crossing fences and logs, and you can actually sit down in a chair without unstrapping.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Late to this thread, but I noticed a couple things. I used to snowshoe/backpack in the Porcupine Mountains of UP-Michigan. I love that place. Gaitors, or nylon/water repellent pants, are a worthy accessory for shoeing. A lot of people have snowboarding gear, so there you are. Another purpose for it, though because shoeing is arduous, you might sweat, which is not good in winter activities if you aren't going straight home and into a warm car afterwards. I too have a pair of Atlas with a neoprene bed. They're lighter than the old woods or military surplus tennis rackets, but they're heavier than the new plastic ones. Lighter is generally better in this unnatural motion of snowshoeing, but the trade-off is, as another poster stated, they are very loud. Though snowshoeing affects my hips like crazy, and I really feel it with a 40LB backpack, I'm willing to foot that extra weight rather than listen to loud shoes the whole day.