Snowshoeing

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I wear my glasses all the time. When I'm out biking or snowshoeing I wear some sunglasses that go right over my eyeglasses. They are called "fitovers". They look like regular sunglasses, but i like the way they protect my glasses and also keep them insulated against fogging, pebbles, bugs, wind, etc.
I wear these:
http://www.eagleeyes.com/products/staclips/fitons.lasso

[Wahine]

I was supposed to go to a friend's place today and learn to make naan. While the naan was rising we were supposed to go snowshoeing around her pear orchard.

But we got sooooooooooo much snow last night it was too dangerous to drive. That's saying a lot coming from me. So we ended up snowshoeing around our little town. That was pretty funny. We saw all kinds of cars literally buried, you couldn't see any actual car, just a big lump in the snow and 2 accidents from people trying to go someplace when they should have stayed home.

We had fun. But I'm going to have to pay an extra day on the snow shoe rental... I can't get them back into town.

[Crankin]

We had about 8 inches of beautiful powder yesterday. I went snow shoeing today for the first time in a month. We went to some trails that are usually good only right after a storm and the conditions were perfect. It looked like a winter wonderland; some of trails had unbroken snow and it was work! We only did about 2.2 miles, but almost all of it was climbing; at least 2/3.
It's funny, I have been hiking, skiing, mountain biking, and snow showing in this place, but it looks different for each sport.
Of course, afterwards we went and had a nice big mocha latte (with skim milk)...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We had about 8 inches of beautiful powder yesterday. I went snow shoeing today for the first time in a month. We went to some trails that are usually good only right after a storm and the conditions were perfect. It looked like a winter wonderland; some of trails had unbroken snow and it was work! We only did about 2.2 miles, but almost all of it was climbing; at least 2/3.
It's funny, I have been hiking, skiing, mountain biking, and snow showing in this place, but it looks different for each sport.
Of course, afterwards we went and had a nice big mocha latte (with skim milk)...

Oh Robyn, you are so LUCKY! That same snowfall only gave us about 4"....not enough to snowshoe in. Only enough to be a nuisance to have to shovel.

I'm glad you had a beautiful snowshoe winter wonderland experience though.

[Jolt]

I went snowshoeing today as well since we got a good snowfall yesterday (8-10 inches here). The trails were already pretty well packed down from everyone else having been there first, but it was still nice to get out.

[Crankin]

I am now getting ready to go x country skiing; the snow is so nice that I got up at 6:30 on a Sunday!
Actually my friend has to be somewhere this afternoon, so we are going to the local x country ski area this morning. That way, I can get ready for work tomorrow in the afternoon . I thought I might be able to get in a quick snow shoe tomorrow afternoon, after work, before acupuncture, but alas, I have a English teacher meeting...

[PAP103]

Here are some pictures from my snow shoe adventure at Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary. We had a beautiful day and the birds were out feeding!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&x=0&y=-cxmd0r

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Our weather forecast:


Hazardous Weather Outlook
Heavy Snow Warning

Today...Partly sunny this morning...then becoming mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 20s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight...Snow. Snow may be heavy at times after midnight. Snow accumulation of 5 to 10 inches. Near steady temperature in the lower 20s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent.

Saturday...Snow in the morning...then snow likely in the afternoon. Total accumulation of 6 to 12 inches. Not as cool with highs in the mid 30s. South winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph...becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of snow 90 percent.

Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy in the evening...then becoming partly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Lows around 16. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

[Crankin]

Patty, those pictures look great. I have driven by that sanctuary, but I have never been there. Must put on my to do list.

Robyn

[bambu101]

I finally went to the x-c ski place near us and rented snowshoes. It was such fun, and I will definitely be buying my own shoes for next year. I have gone x/c skiing for the last 30 years or so, but this is a great workout in a different sort of way- more of the quads involved with lifting the legs up.

I have to say that this whole thread inspired me to go out and try something that I have wanted to do for years! THANK YOU!!!!

We live on the edge of 12,000 acres of watershed property for the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, and there are miles of old logging trails to explore, with lots of hills and reservoir views. It is perfect for hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, amd maybe a mountain bike someday!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

....this is a great workout in a different sort of way- more of the quads involved with lifting the legs up.

I have to say that this whole thread inspired me to go out and try something that I have wanted to do for years! THANK YOU!!!!

Hey I'm so glad you enjoyed your first snowshoeing and that this thread inspired you! How great!

The hardest workout I ever got was a hike through a trail in the woods last year on my SS over a freshly fallen 12" fluffy snow. It was only about 3 miles but it wound uphill and downhill through the forest and each step I sunk about 8" down and OMG I thought I would die, my legs and quads were in agony....and this after cycling about 100 miles per week in hilly country all summer and fall! Monster workout.

We were supposed to get 4-8" this weekend....but yet again we got GYPPED and only got 2"....not enough to do diddly poop in.

Lucky I have my roller skating at the rink to fall back on....
(ooops...never say "roller skating" and "fall back on" in the same sentence! my tailbone shudders just thinking about it... )

[Miranda]

OK, I'm enjoying reading this thread, and seriously considering some ss gear. I have a bit of buyer's remorse with my xc skiis I got last year, and also with my recent rink skates. I hate that.

Sooo, my question is, from what I read, it is "better" to have heavier duty snow shoes, vs lesser ones. It increases your terrain options. However...

How much flat snow do you need to not get hung up on the heavier ones? Like the bottom claw thingys (sorry, really techinical term I know, or need the crampons, etc.).

I don't want it to be total overkill, but it's upsetting having wasted money for being "under-geared" even MORE so I think. That, I want to avoid a repeat of.

Thx!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Miranda,
without knowing exactly the type of terrain you will be on, I will give you a 'short answer' based on my own experience.
Here is the Tubbs website, which clearly shows the various 'levels' of shoes.
http://www.tubbssnowshoes.com/produc..._snowshoes.asp
I know the Tubbs shoes so I am using them to help explain the various levels of shoes.

I seriously doubt you will need either of the top two "back country" heavy duty shoes the Tubbs site shows. They are for treacherous mountainous shoeing or heavy backpacking on steep terrain.

As to the low level Sojourn shoes- they are the cheapest but are for flat recreational light duty shoeing. My girlfriend had them and did have some trouble slipping when we were going up and down trails through the woods. Also the fasteners and strap system is a bit cheesy.

I would recommend the two day hiking shoes shown. I have the Wilderness model for myself, and the slightly cheaper Venture model for guests. The wilderness has MUCH better buckles/straps system, and I would say spend the extra money to get the Wilderness over the Venture for ease of use getting in and out of them in the cold snow. They both have good crampons. I find the Wilderness to be a great rugged shoe that I can turn and maneuver in very well.

Unless you are over 180 pounds, get the 25" or 26" shoes- they are PLENTY long enough. The bigger ones are good for heavy people or big tall men, but they are harder to manuever and turn in because of their big size.

Once you pick the model and the size you want, you can compare prices online and get a decent deal. I got one pair through an Ebay dealer and was delighted with the quick service. You can get last year's models sometimes for less- find out the previous model name and level.

Don't bother with poles for the time being...i never used mine after the first time, and I go through hilly woods a lot. Leg gators are a great investment however- they totally keep the snow from getting into your boots or from freezing your calves or ankles.

How much snow do you need? Well it doesn't really matter much whether you are wearing light duty or heavy duty snowshoes....you still will need at least 6" of snow to snowshoe effectively. Any less than that and there's not much point to snowshoeing- better to just wear boots.

I do think that snowshoes might come in handy during a big blizzard (hey I remember those!) and for fun use, they are a relatively cheap sports equipment investment compared to other recreations. And they last a long time without tuneups.

Hope this is helpful...

[Miranda]

Unless you are over 180 pounds, get the 25" or 26" shoes- they are PLENTY long enough. The bigger ones are good for heavy people or big tall men, but they are harder to manuever and turn in because of their big size.
...Hope this is helpful...

Thx BSG for answering that! It was very helpful. My only pondering thought now is what size to order. Weight wise, on the skinnest days I'm between 115-120#. Recently more like 120-125# and holding. Last winter, I was approaching the 130# mark, but went back down to stay in the 120#s (5'5" tall, btw). I will weight myself with the boots I have now, and clothing layers, but I think I would still be in the smaller shoe range for Tubbs chart of 80-150#.

HOWEVER, the next size, what you have, is 120-200#s. Those would work too obviously. But, I wondered which would be the lesser of the evils: 1) longer shoe = harder to move in, but better snow float; or 2) shorter shoe = less to move around, but I might sink in the snow more.

[Crankin]

I was actually happy to see this thread! Not that the cycling season is over, but it's getting there...
I would get the shorter snow shoes, if I was on the edge between 2 sizes. But that's only because i would trip over my feet on the longer ones.