Snowshoeing is gaining popularity every year. What is the reason? It is available for everyone. You don’t need to have special skills or training for snowshoeing. Other winter sports and activities claim some kind of readiness for them but not snowshoeing of course.
Also, snowshoeing can be done with the whole family, with grandparents, and with kids.
The only thing you need for snowshoeing except for snow are snowshoes.
If you go with your family you should buy men’s snowshoes and women’s snowshoes.
For kids, it is easier just to type “kids snowshoes Canada” and you can find a lot of good options.
Some people may ask why to buy snowshoes when you can go with your normal boots. Here’s why.
Most winter hikers are relieved to not have to carry snowshoes on a winter trip because they are inconvenient and weigh between four and five pounds per pair. But how do you know when you won’t need them? Many winter hikers find this question to be confusing. Shedding those five pounds of snowshoes is quite alluring when you consider the whole amount of equipment, clothing, hot water, and food required for winter hiking.
Flotation
To prevent sinking into snow when trekking, snowshoes’ main function is to offer float. When trying to cross unconsolidated snow without snowshoes, or post-holing, hikers risk falling knee or waist-deep. Postholing wears you out quite a bit and causes you to sweat a lot, which might make you cold in the winter and cause hypothermia. Postholing can also endanger hikers who follow you since it leaves a rough, uneven surface and voids that they could step into or fall into, twisting their ankles or knees. Snowshoe hiking is the proper way to hike in the winter to prevent post-holing.
Barebooting
You can probably bare-boot it if you can find a route that has been worn away. When you hike barefoot, you don’t use snowshoes or microspikes; instead, you rely solely on the lugs on your boot to provide grip. You can generally trek a well-packed route even if it has snowed since the last time you did so as long as the fresh snow is only a few inches deep and well below your ankles. You’ll probably find it simpler to hike with snowshoes for floatation because it’s much higher.
Do you need them?
This conversation has been predicated on your intention to hike on slope-level winter routes. What about hikes that traverse mixed or mountainous terrain, where the snowpack might change greatly depending on the kind of terrain and the wind? To decide if carrying snowshoes is worthwhile in this situation, you’ll need to incorporate data from several sources, including trail condition reports, snow depth histories, and snowfall tracking. Wind can also have a significant impact, clearing certain parts of snow while stacking massive snow drifts in other places. It’s awful to spend hours hiking without snowshoes only to find out you need them to reach your target.
Visual Analysis
If you haven’t been able to uncover any details regarding the trail you plan to treks, such as weather predictions and background information, you can make a good estimate as to whether snowshoes will be necessary when you get there. You probably won’t need your snowshoes if the trail leading away from the trailhead is well-maintained. Even while it’s not always a given, it’s a good assumption if your destination lines up with the hikers who blazed the trail before you.
Snowshoe etiquette
When snowshoeing, you don’t have to adhere to the trails, but you probably will for your first few outings. Cross-country skiers may occasionally be using a trail that you are using. Make sure you walk in single file and don’t step on the ski tracks on certain trails because those skiers pay greater trail fees to support the machinery and employees that maintain these trails. The greatest place to stroll when snowshoeing is along the trail’s outside edge because snowshoer slips can also spoil the easy skate-skiing surface in the middle of trails. Because it is simpler for a snowshoer to walk off the trail safely than it is for a skier to halt or go around, skiers also have the right-of-way on trail systems.
By reading trail markers attentively, try to steer clear of snowmobilers’ preferred routes. Snowmobilers (and snowmobile grooming vehicles on cross-country trails) have the right-of-way if you do happen to be on the same trail. Watch for or listen for moving automobiles in your direction. Simply veer off the trail so they may pass.
Drink water
Drinking during exercise in chilly weather is just as vital as doing so in summer. Water not only keeps your muscles active, but it also protects your body from hypothermia. It is advantageous to have a pack with an insulated tube sleeve if you utilize a water reservoir. If you use a water bottle, apply an insulating cover to prevent it from freezing. You can stay warm and hydrated by using a vacuum bottle filled with hot beverages or soup.
