3" on the ground so far, with 8-20" predicted by Saturday night.
It's snowing like mad, but it's almost dark. Dusting off the trusty snowshoes for tomorrow morning! :D :D
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3" on the ground so far, with 8-20" predicted by Saturday night.
It's snowing like mad, but it's almost dark. Dusting off the trusty snowshoes for tomorrow morning! :D :D
OK, so we got a deep 16" of great snow last night, no ice or sleet.
I snowshoed about a mile through the woods on a trail. But I actually was the only one to break that trail today (everyone else probably quit being outside after shoveling out today), and believe me, it was HARD!!! All that deep powdery snow- I sank about EIGHT inches down with every step, and had to really lift my legs REALLY high for every step. I even had to cross several streams over a narrow board in my snowshoes! :eek: I found out it is not easy to tightrope walk in snowshoes. :cool: Although the whole trip was about only a mile, it seemed like more work than a 30 mile bike ride. :o
By the time I made it to my destination (a wooden bench overlooking an icey pond) my legs were shaking and rubbery, and my heart was pounding despite having rested briefly several times on the way. I brushed the snow off the bench and lay down on my back to rest a good long while. Man that felt good. When I looked up overhead, the sky was white and the black tree branches were all reaching towards the center of the bench clearing, it looked like a giant black lacey snowflake pattern in the sky over me, and i was right in the middle of the snowflake. Very beautiful. The woods were silent except for some woodpeckers and the streams babbling.
Going back over my own trail was a whole different story, if I kept to my own footprints I only sank about an inch this time- BIG difference, and much easier and more fun. I was glad to get back home. Tomorrow will be easier to do the same trail again. I expect to see some other prints on the trail tomorrow, maybe crosscountry ski tracks or even other snowshow tracks, like I've seen before. It's fun to guess from the snowshoe tracks whether it was a woman or a man who had passed on the trail, and what brand shoes they had. Makes me feel like a real tracker. :p
Here's a picture from today- we had already shoveled off the porch and paths, and unfortunately the wind had removed the pretty snow from the trees. But I climbed our little "Mt.Everest" for fun, where the snowplow guy had dumped some of the snow this morning. So there I am showing off on "the summit" in my snowshoes, just about to go out into the woods. -I didn't look quite so energetic by the time I got back, however! :rolleyes: :D
Attachment 2785
Woohoo! Serious snow! and good for you for getting out there even though it was so hard!
And the black snowflake imagery was very cool. Aren't moments like that the whole reason we do these things?
Today I put the snowshoes in the shed, and we rode our BIKES. Spring is sprung! (sorry to rub it in).
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
I had the same experience as Lisa today. Went on a 3.5 mile snow shoe, and it was really hard, just walking on a relatively flat trail. Most of it, you could walk on top of the frozen crust, but in other places, you sank down and had to really work to step up. Usually this trail is 4.3 miles, but my friends were tired, so we turned around and went out for cafe mochas instead...
Hopefully, I will be on my bike Thursday or Friday.
Went out along the same woodland trail today for about an hour and a half, but took the longer uphill loop. I followed some big man's snowshoe tracks, which was not always easy because he took much longer strides than I can, but still it was easier than breaking another new trail. No crust at all here, still very deep 15" inches of soft snow in the woods.
The trail is about 8 feet wide through this reserve. Yesterday I was the only one to leave a trail through the reserve, and I followed my own trail back again, leaving lots of space on either side for x-country skiers to make their own pristine trails if they wanted. Today I saw that this man in snowshoes had rather inconsiderately made a mess of the whole trail- he shoe'd all the way in making a big trail to one side of mine, leaving giant deep footholes....and then on the way back he shoe'd on the OTHER side of my trail instead of using his own trail back! Thus, in place of one snowshoe track, there were now THREE and the whole 8' wide trail was covered with deep huge shoe holes everywhere- those X-country skiiers are not going to be happy- and I don't blame them at all! It was ugly looking too. Why did this fellow do that??
I saw today that an animal had made use of my snowshoe trail from yesterday- for a long distance there was a trail in my yesterday's footprints of what looked like a cross between a large cat and a small very lightweight dog- I concluded it was a fox. Looked like dog prints but very small, dainty and pointy. No French poodles would be out there, for sure! :rolleyes:
I got really thirsty midway out. I could not resist drinking from a stream, and I crawled to the edge on my tummy in the snow so I wouldn't break through to the mushy edges. I didn't want to scoop the water with my hands and make them too cold. I felt very "wild" lying on my stomach in the woods slurping from the rushing stream with my mouth...
Because the snow was a bit wetter today (no crust though) and I was able to use previous footprints much of the time, it was not as grueling as yesterday's trail breaking. Still a good workout though, for legs and heart. I'm getting faster at getting my shoes strapped on and off.
Hey, snowshoe fans! :)
Just checking in this fine Autumn to say hi and are you getting excited yet thinking about snowshoeing this coming winter?
I wanted to post this link to some nice thermal waterproof Merrill hiking boots I just ordered:
http://www.onlineshoes.com/productpa...n=w&pcid=64085
One cool feature on them is that they have heel ridges that are specifically designed to hold snowshoe straps nicely in place without the straps slipping down! So great! :p :p I have to get the boots big enough to wear two pairs good heavy wool socks in them for the frigid cold. Will get back with a review once I wear them a bit.
Nice looking boots, pretty good price too. Give us an update. I'm thinking about snowshoeing this winter. Do you have to have lots of snow in order to snowshoe? What do you do, just put your snowshoes on and go for a walk, hike????
Glad to see this thread return to life...I'm interested in getting into snowshoeing (think it might be more convenient/affordable than XC skiing). I don't even know where to begin as far as equipment goes. There are two golf courses near our houses that are beautiful and groom trails for XC skiing. Thinking that might be a good place to start...
I just received an email that the boots have shipped, haven't gotten them yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by surgtech1956
You can snowshoe in about 5 inches or more of snow. We usually get a few good deep 8+" snows every winter here and a few 5 inchers....but last year was not much, just two big ones. :( Hope it's not a trend.
We live on a hill at the edge of our little small country town. There is a 2 mile trail through the woods that starts a block from our house, so there's always that. And I went into town once during a blizzard- now THAT was FUN!!!! It was just me and the snowplow guys out in the heavy snow flakes- beautiful. I shoed all around the streets of the village and no one was shoveling yet.
Another time I went with a agirlfriend to a nature reserve with rolling fields and ponds and we have a great time hiking all over there- no paths at all!
Once they plow the streets and shovel the sidewalks my options are more limited and I have to do the woodland trail here or go in my car somewhere else to some fields to shoe. There's a bird sanctuary with trails in a nearby town I could go to.
Yes it IS cheaper than getting cross country skiing equipment. But a decent pair of snowshoes will cost at least $125 i think. Cheaper than that and they dont have much crampons/teeth on the bottom and you'll slip on any hills you encounter. We have steep hills around here everywhere, so I got some with major teeth. Mine were good ones and I think I recall I paid about $200-225 for them. I've had to use them, too, climbing up and descending steep hilly trials in the woods! :eek:Quote:
Glad to see this thread return to life...I'm interested in getting into snowshoeing (think it might be more convenient/affordable than XC skiing). I don't even know where to begin as far as equipment goes. There are two golf courses near our houses that are beautiful and groom trails for XC skiing. Thinking that might be a good place to start...
One thing i bought and don't think I'll need much is poles. I find i keep my balance better without poles (for now) I suppose they are essential for mountain shoeing, but I've found I get annoyed at having to lug them with me.
I would think golf courses would be GREAT for snowshoeing! But you'll have to be aware that you should not "wreck" the nice smooth trails that the x-country skiiers go on- not polite to riddle their smooth grooved trails with giant Yeti pot holes from your shoes! When i see and groomed trail I stay to one side of it out of consideration for the skiiers.
Other than the snowshoes, all you need are good warm clothes that keep the snow and cold out. :) Some leg gaiters (gaitors?) are really handy- they keep the snow from flipping all over your legs and from getting into your boots. I found that any of my hiking boots fit just fine into my snowshoe straps- the straps are very rugged and very adjustable to various boots.
I am hoping for some decent snowfalls this winter. :p
Yep...I'd be sure to keep off the nicely groomed trails! :) I do need to make sure it's ok for me to get out on the golf courses though. They're public courses, and people go sledding out there in the winter, so I'm pretty sure it is ok for me to snowshoe around out there. Just want to be sure, though. They're beautiful...hills and trees, and quiet! :) Can't wait!
I've looked at shoes online at REI and also wandered through the section in the store and boy, do they have a nice selection. Looks like they start right around $125, just like you mentioned, Lisa. Do you think I would regret getting something in the $150 range? Are there any really nice features missing from that level of shoe that might really keep me going?
After such an active spring/summer/fall, I really want to carry on getting outside and enjoying the outdoors this winter. I think this might be the ticket! And no shortage of snow in MN, you know! :eek:
Hi Northstar,
I am no big expert, but I can only tell you about my own experiences.
I got Tubbs women's snowshoes. I am VERY pleased with them!
Here is the Tubbs site:
http://www.tubbssnowshoes.com/
On the site, you can enter your weight and terrain, and find the right size and style recommended for you:
http://www.tubbssnowshoes.com/products/shoefinder/
Be sure to follow their weight/size recommendations.
I highly recommend the "dayhiking" good crampon shoes like the "Wilderness:"
http://www.tubbssnowshoes.com/produc...ens_Wilderness
(if you don't have good crampons (underneath steel teeth) you will slide on clines and hills.) I also love these shoes because they have a quick easy-in/easy-out strap loosener so you don't struggle so much when sitting in the snow getting them on and off. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to fit my big chunky muckluks into them, but the shoe grip system they have fits a wide range of sized boots.
I'm in the 155 lb range with my gear on, and I got the 25" shoes, as per Tubbs' recommendation.
Here is the women's Wilderness shoe for sale at EasternMountainSports for $169:
http://www.ems.com/catalog/subcatego...531&i=1&n=1000
I think that's a really good price for an excellent shoe that's like mine from last year's models.
Some women's ankle gaiters (I got the first ones pictured, but they have cheaper ones):
http://www.ems.com/catalog/subcatego...=1192553998937
I also got this snowshoe tote bag:
http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_d...=1192554480220
The small sized one fit my 25" shoes beautifully. It's great to hang your shoes in the closet off-season, or throw them in the car, etc.
If I were you I wouldn't bother with getting poles for now, unless you plan on climbing the Swiss Alps. :rolleyes:
I hope some of this helps you hone in on what you might need. There certainly are a lot of GREAT shoes out there to choose from these days! :p
Thanks Lisa, very helpful. Great links! :)
Lisa - what type of clothing do you snowshoe in? any recommendations? thanks
Hi Surgtech,
The only things I wear ONLY for snowshoeing are my snowshoes, my leg gaiters, and some lightweight biking rain pants over whatever warm leggings I am wearing.
The rest of my clothes are just various combinations of my usual warm baselayers and winter clothes I also wear for cold weather biking.
Stretchy warm leggings I can move in....extra heavy wool socks....insulated hiking boots....ski gloves....wool hat and maybe a balaclava or a neck gaiter if it's windy....soft thin merino wool base layers under everything.....vests or jackets I can move in.
I DON'T wear heavy thick sweaters, padded snowpants or snowsuits, scarves, or puffy jackets that just weigh me down and make it hard to move well.
Sunglasses or tinted goggles might be necessary for the snow glare or wind.
Definitely a cell phone for emergencies. If you fall into a ravine in the snowy woods and break your leg, you need to call for help. :(
Putting a thin layer of cold weather skin protectant on your face and lips really keeps them from getting windburn from the cold. There are lots of nice fancy ones available, but vaseline will do in a pinch.
Skiiers are experts on cold weather clothes and the art of layering.
(I am not a skiier)
Thanks Lisa. I need to revamp my winter attire. I cross country ski, but fine myself over dressing, I forget the rule that you should feel a little cool when starting out.
Is a soft shell jacket too heavy to wear snowshoeing?
Or you should start with an almost empty pack to hold the clothes that you are going to take off.Quote:
Originally Posted by surgtech1956
I always wear a hard shell (non-goretex non-waterproof shells breathe much better) but am usually down to that and a baselayer.
Well I got the boots and they seem just great- very comfy and warm.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
I was surprised to find that the uppers are actually made of a non-leather heavy waterproof material, flexible and strong like rubber. They look and feel rather like leather, but are not. I like these boots, and they should work well with heavy wool socks and gaiters. They have Thinsulate lining for the cold.
Aside from the snowshoe ridge in the back of the heel, I found that they also have a little D-ring for your gaiters to hook onto right in the front top of the foot, at the bottom of the laces (the photo sort of hides them). That will be very convenient to hook my gaiter hooks onto. :) Gaiters are good with this boot, since the boot is not overly high.
Now all we need is some deep snow to try them out. Might have to wait another month for that. :o
What about cheaper snowshoes? I don't know if I want to spend almost $200 on snowshoes. But then I don't want to waste my money on cheap ones either. I was looking at the ones in LL Bean, don't know who the manufacturer is.
MSR Denali Classics $140, almost identical to the Denali Ascents but without the televator. Exceptional crampons for traction on steep slopes or sidehills. Easy to use pivoting binding. These are mountaineering quality shoes at an exceptional price.Quote:
Originally Posted by surgtech1956
Deb, can you post a link to those? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by DebW
Quote:
Originally Posted by DebW
http://www.msrcorp.com/snow/denali.aspQuote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
Available at LLBean
Lisa...it snowed at my house last night! However, it is enough to cover the roof and the grass still has green poking thru, but non the less..IT SNOWED. thought I would share that with you. I am sure you are getting ready for the snowshoeing season.
OK...It's official. I belong to the snowshoeing club here on TE now. I found a pair of shoes per everyone's suggestions in my post about s-shoes. I tried them out yesterday. We finally got some real snow, and it came down so fast that we had like 4-5 inches in no time at all. I was very hesitant about even wanting them, would I use them, would I like them, I have xc skis, isn't that enough type of thing. DH removed the twist tie things so we could re-apply, put garbage bags over them and taped the crampons so incase I found them awkward or not my cup of tea I could return them with as little wear on them as possible. I took them out for their test drive yesterday and what fun! The bags came off about my second trip around the hills. What a fun workout. Better than doing the elliptical inside anyday. I talked to my riding partner last night to tell her she needed to get some also, she said Santa was going to put them in his sleigh via the virtual world after she got off the phone.
Yay Shelly!!! :D :p :D :p
I hope you can encourage your friend to go shoeing with you- I once went with a girlfriend and it's SO much fun to go together. :p
Yes, we had about 7 inches of snow yesterday!
Last evening just before twilight I HIKED through the woods for 2 miles on a nature trail near our house. This morning though, I snowshoed the same trail, 2 miles through the woods. I did take some pictures but don't have time to get them organized yet. The snow was deep, wet, and very pretty. I stayed warm.
Take some pix if you can and post them here! :)
I will post mine in the next day or two when I get the chance.
Here are the photos I took this morning while snowshoeing behind my house:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Strumeli...eForestDec2007
What's the best boots to wear for snowshoeing? Could I wear some Goretex all leather hiking boots(with gaitors) or are pac boots a better choice??? Thanks
I don't know- try the boots you have, and if they don't work ok then you'll need to buy something else...not much help I know. :o
Gaiters are definitely the best thing to have though!
Did my first snow shoe of the season yesterday. Our neighborhood association cut a new trail in our common conservation land that connects with another trail. So we walked down the street with our snow shoes, put them on and explored. The snow was great and we stayed to the side of some fresh cross country tracks someone had made, so it was deep. A total of 4 miles, including the walking part without our snow shoes.
It snowed again today, but now it is covered with a layer of ice. I hope to get on my skis this week, but not sure if it will be too icy. Anything other than the 35 minutes I just spent on the trainer...
I have a boot suggestion. Instead of just plain gaiters, I wear overboots, like Neos http://www.overshoe.com/recreational/ over my regular hiking boots. My feet stay drier and much warmer.
Also, when considering snowshoes, think about what terrain you'll be on. If you're just going to be on packed trails, then the crampons really don't make a difference. If you're going to be off trail you want to get one with good front AND heel crampons. Otherwise when you're traversing, the shoes will twist out from under you. A great backcountry one is the MSR, which has a serrated edge rather than a tubular one. So it can grab into the snow from all over the shoe. The MSR does tend to be heavier than a lot of the others, though.
If you're going to race then look into the Northern Lites brand. They advertise themselves as the lightest on the market. I replaced my old (15 year old, died of metal fatigue) Tubbs with a pair of these. They are LIGHT. And they have a soft binding that molds to your shoe that hangs on very nicely.
Just finished reading this thread and can't wait to get out! I'm getting snow shoes for Christmas, or perhaps just after to catch a good sale. I bought new snow boots last year with SS in mind and they are so comfy that I often leave them on all day at the office - heh heh.
My snowshoeing tends to be over fields and through woods. Over fields is of course easy enough. Through the woods it's on trails, sometimes I'm the first one to break the fresh deep snow, and sometimes the trail has been used already and is packed. But my need for crampons comes in when I am going through the woods (my most common outing) and the trail climbs up and down sloping elevation woods. Without my good crampons I'd just be sliding on my behind and colliding into trees left and right, like what happens when I hike those same steepish trails in the deep snow in just my big tread hiking boots. ;)
Also, we live at the top of a VERY steep 1/4 mile hill, and if I want to go down into town after a blizzard I need those crampons bigtime.
My snowshoes are the Tubbs "Wilderness" model. I just love them. That's their model for mid-to-tough terrain, and it has the steel crampons rather than the slightly cheaper aluminum crampon-ed "Venture" model.
Tubbs has one more model that is made for super-tough terrain and has even more aggressive crampons than mine.
I agree, if you only snowshoe on level ground then big crampons are overkill and in fact may just slow you down.
Robyn, nice to hear about your shoe outing! :)
Ummbdb- I know just how excited you are about getting your snowshoes for xmas!! We want a report after your first adventure, hopefully with pictures! :D :D
I went ss for the 2nd time today. DH took my truck downtown and I realized that I had my snowpants in there-d/t the weekend weather I didnt' want to get stranded on my way home from work and not be prepared. So I debated-do I wait for several hours for him to come home or do I get on a pair of winter tights and go? I put on the tights and went. I realize what gaitors are now and the need to get them. I had a blast but my feet were wet from all the show that got packed into them. I didn't notice it really until I came home and started undressing. My boots are drying now. I went out xc skiing later, and without being on any packed trails, it was rough skiing d/t the icy coating that was on top of the snow. I enjoyed my ss outing today compared to the skiing. Lisa, I would love to take pics, I am tecnilogically challenged. I don't have a digital and if I took regular pics I have no way to scan them to download them. I keep thinking one of these days my nephew will have to help me teach me all this stuff.
Good for you Shelly! :p
Wow, you went snowshoeing AND x-country skiiing in the same day?? :eek:
Yes, gaiters are really pretty essential when snowshoeing I have come to realize. I can't imagine what I would do without my gaiters protecting me from the knees down! I would get pretty wet and frozen. :(
I've gone SS a couple times now without my waterproof snowpants, with just double winter tights instead. That seems to be enough protection for average conditions as long as I have wool knee socks and my gaiters on.
I found that when layering two pairs of tights, it's best to put the smooth tights on the outside. The fuzzy/wooly tights get snow stuck on them that doesn't want to brush off, whereas the smooth ones you can just brush the snow off.
We are in a mountain ski resort area right now vacationing. Did my first day of snowshoeing this year..and found at higher altitudes I really needed to acclimatize. But really lovely going through protected trails amongst soaring trees dripping with lush snow. With mountain panoramic views along the way over the edge.
I wear a pair of outer semi-water resistant pants over 2 pairs of tights. Plus the gaiters.
Our hotel lodge rm. is only 10 ft. away from a steep slope parallel where I just saw a snowboarder fly by..at 8:00 am.
We're doing more snowshoeing in about 2 hrs. after I fill myself with abit more breakfast.
We've been snowshoeing for the last 4 years, every winter.
Heads up on a pretty good sale I came upon....
I just bought an extra pair of snowshoes so that visiting friends or daughter might be able to show with me sometime. I found these at a VERY good price of $85:
http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_d...=1198791586080
Shipping is additional, was around $12 for me.
This Tubbs Venture model for mixed terrain is usually $120-150. It's just one small step down from my Tubbs Odyssey shoes- the difference being my Odysseys have steel crampons and these Venture ones have aluminum crampons (which will wear a bit quicker) But that's fine because these won't get nearly as much use as mine and they are cheaper. Both have pretty good crampons for steep slopes, and I can vouch for them being easy to get in and out of.
My next step is to find an equally good deal on a men's size 30 equivalent so my 6 ft. DH could go, or my one daughter's heavier partner.
I found out about some snowshoeing outings in Jan and Feb right in our area, organized by our local Land Conservancy organization. One outing is a "Full Moon nighttime snowshoe trek.... woo-HOOOO!! I just hope there is enough snow on the ground for that date.
Sometimes I am not sure when to go snow shoeing or when to just hike... for example, Wednesday we went out on a rolling trail that is about 4 miles round trip. There is a hill climb of about 300 feet that adds another mile, but we skipped that part. I thought the conditions would be icy and not great and I was right. Both my husband and I felt like our snow shoes were lead weights on our feet and we were slogging up the little rollers. We should have just hiked.
Today we went on a different trail, and decided just to wear our hiking shoes. I have only been ons this trail twice, on my mtb and once walking, but not in the winter. The further we got into the woods, the more we began sinking into the snow. It made for some slow hiking and we only did 3 miles, stopping to eat lunch on a nice rock.
It has rained a bit over the snow pack and the conditions are hard to judge. Tonight it is supposed to rain hard, through tomorrow, so this will probably be my last snow shoe or x country ski for awhile...
3-8" snow in our forecast tonight.....ooooohhhhh, snowshoe time tomorrow perhaps! :p Hope the weather forecasters are not wrong (again).
Friday we were suppose to get 5" of snow, so we were all set to go snowshoeing Saturday morning. We barely got
3", big disappointment not enough snow. Its suppose to snow Tuesday and Wednesday - we'll see. Anyways, we decided next weekend we will either snowshoe or cross country ski.
Lisa, we have the same forecast as you, plus more expected Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. It's looking good!