Snowshoeing

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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.

[Crankin]

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...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

3-8" snow in our forecast tonight.....ooooohhhhh, snowshoe time tomorrow perhaps! Hope the weather forecasters are not wrong (again).

[surgtech1956]

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.

[Crankin]

Lisa, we have the same forecast as you, plus more expected Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. It's looking good!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

OMGosh- we got about 10" of heavy snow. There's a break now and we are shoveling and cleaning off the cars, etc.

Will start some blackeyed peas in the crockpot and then head out to snowshoe for a while.

But.....we are now supposed to get ANOTHER 5-7" tomorrow!!!

Major snowshoeing in my schedule if I can manage to run away from the snow shovel.

Ironically, I bought a second pair of snowshoes on sale last week, and they still have not arrived! Otherwise DH could go out with me maybe.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well we got another 2- 3"- enough to have some nice fresh powder on top.

Another couple spent the night and we 4 went hiking and shoeing in a nearby land conservation preserve ths morning after breakfast. DH just walked with his big winter boots, I snowshoed. It was snowing. We had fun! I mentioned to DH that maybe I should get him some shoes as well, and he (finally) seemed interested...probably since our friends brought had their shoes too. So....I think I can now go ahead get a larger men's pair to have on hand for him (or handy for other male friends who visit as well).
It is so much fun to shoe with others. I am used to going alone. But I like doing both!
Here's one quick photo from this morning, New Year's Day.....

[Lifesgreat]

Re: snow in upstate NY

My mom grew up on Oswego and would tell us kiddos about how high the snow would get with the storms coming off the lake. I grew up in Central CA and we were like "yeah right, Mom". I never imagined it snowing that much. I know better now.

[AuntieK]

Lifesgreat,
Call me next time you plan to go. I also have a Sundance pass. I've been up to the Nordic Center several times this year xc skiing, and I have wanted to try snowshoeing, too. I'd be good for me to go with a seasoned veteran of s-shoe. Plus, I always have fun hanging out with you!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Oh you lucky gals, being able to get together! Be sure to take a few pictures and post them here!

Lifesgreat- I don't live as far "upstate" as you might think- more like central NY state. In NYC, anything more than 2 hours north is called "upstate". We don't get nearly as much snow here as Oswego or Buffalo, for example. But I'm ever hopeful for more.... The next few days however will be above freezing and no chance of snow. Who knows, I might even be able to get a bike ride in if the roads are dry!

[Lifesgreat]

Lifesgreat,
Call me next time you plan to go. I also have a Sundance pass. I've been up to the Nordic Center several times this year xc skiing, and I have wanted to try snowshoeing, too. I'd be good for me to go with a seasoned veteran of s-shoe. Plus, I always have fun hanging out with you!

Like I am a seasoned veteran

I would love to have you come, but as you know, I will need to stop often to admire the scenery (and catch my breath).

[Crankin]

Did my third snow shoe of the season. It was 40 degrees out and very nice. We went to the Stow Town forest, where I've done a bit of mountain biking, walking, and cross country skiing. We weren't sure if we should just hike, but we brought the snow shoes and decided to use them. The further we got into the woods, the snow became more powdery. There were more people than I've ever seen before using snow shoes. A few were skiing, but it's really not the greatest place to ski; they plow a path, but it's not groomed. Anyway, we found trails I've never been on, one being a hill with about 500 ft. of climbing. My endurance is definitely not great since the fibromylagia started, but I managed to slog up. I haven't really stopped exercising, despite everything going on with my health, but I have not been doing as much really hard stuff.
Still, it was great. We only ended up doing 2.2 miles in 50 minutes, but it was a pretty tough work out.
It's supposed to be 60 on Tuesday! I will be riding my Voodoo commuter bike, since the roads are just a mess of sand, salt, and melting snow.

[Jolt]

Did my third snow shoe of the season. It was 40 degrees out and very nice. We went to the Stow Town forest, where I've done a bit of mountain biking, walking, and cross country skiing. We weren't sure if we should just hike, but we brought the snow shoes and decided to use them. The further we got into the woods, the snow became more powdery. There were more people than I've ever seen before using snow shoes. A few were skiing, but it's really not the greatest place to ski; they plow a path, but it's not groomed. Anyway, we found trails I've never been on, one being a hill with about 500 ft. of climbing. My endurance is definitely not great since the fibromylagia started, but I managed to slog up. I haven't really stopped exercising, despite everything going on with my health, but I have not been doing as much really hard stuff.
Still, it was great. We only ended up doing 2.2 miles in 50 minutes, but it was a pretty tough work out.
It's supposed to be 60 on Tuesday! I will be riding my Voodoo commuter bike, since the roads are just a mess of sand, salt, and melting snow.

I guess it was just a snowshoeing kind of day around here--I snowshoed today too (first time ever)! There's a wildlife sanctuary/park here in Worcester that has quite a few trails, and occasionally I go there to run. Today I decided to go there, and figured I'd bring my snowshoes and do that if there was still enough snow on the trails. It was fairly packed down but I decided to snowshoe anyway, just to start getting a feel for it. It was fun and I'm looking forward to the next big storm so I can hopefully get out in fresher snow. It was easier than I thought it might be, with the exception of going downhill in a controlled fashion (I ended up doing what felt like a duck-walk that was about to turn into a run--not exactly graceful, but it worked)! As for the supposed 60-degree weather coming on Tuesday, that is officially just ridiculous for this time of year!! Sorry to hear about your health problems and hope you feel better.

[Crankin]

It is actually easier for me to run downhill on snow shoes than to run down just in hiking boots. I just push that foot forward and get the crampon to dig into the snow. You never fall that way.
The duck walk feeling is normal. You eventually get used to walking with your feet a little further apart than normal. Just remember to do some extra stretching of the hips and It band afterwards!