I plan on being on some snowmobile trails that go thru the woods, but I would have to slug up a hill and over a field on fresh snow to get to the trail. From there it's pretty much a flatter terrain. My riding partner wants to use them more for a speed type of thing. She wants to incorporate this into our workout in hopes that it will keep us in shape over the winter and get to work different muscles. So i would probably be using them more for speed than enjoying the scenery. (shes like a drill sargeant when it comes to sports-I think she would make a great coach!) and I might get the hang of it when spring gets here. There won't be any backpacks or such, just going out my back door, up the hill and to the trail and back home for lunch type of thing. We started doing stairs and hilly trail walking at a local park but that will be closing soon so we were looking for something to do to mimic that. Hence, snowshoeing came to mind. HOpefully we will be blessed with lots of snow..However, she's never done the sport before either so we are both trying to find info out. Lisa, I had read that post and that's what kinda got me excited about trying that sport. I will check that site you posted, thanks. DebW-never thought about conditions, I assumed all the shoes were versatile for every condition. I didn't realize that there were different crampons and different shoes for different terrains/conditons, I did do some reading about bindings and such for over your shoes and what others had told me to look for..SEE that's why I came to ask you ladies..always full of knowlege and information to keep one on the right path..Thanks