It’s that time of year…Snowshoes?

You really have to think about conditions. Bigger size (for flotation) will be beneficial in power snow and/or breaking trail on fresh snow. But, in firmer snow or when hiking on previously broken trails, the extra size is a big disadvantage.

I bought 25 inch MSRs. Hiking on trails in the White Mountains, that's as big as I would ever want and, honestly, 22 inchers would have been fine. I have the flotation extensions, but have never used them. Breaking trail on snowshoes is NO fun, in my book, so I am happy to stick to trails where early risers have tamped things down a little bit!

But, you might need something very different for fresh powder in the Rockies.

If you want an adorable pair to try out, check out Sierra Trading Post. You can get the Tubbs Flex TRK for under 70 using one of their email coupons (35% off usually).

I bought a pair. Haven't used it yet, but it seems pretty high quality. Out also has heel lifts so good for uphill.

Well…I have no snowshoe experience, and I'd probably have little chance to use them in MO. I go to the Smokies occasionally, and I'm open to other winter destinations. I'm not sure how much rentals are…but…I figure picking up a decent pair for $120 would be "worth it".

The Xpeditions can be had in either 25s or 30s…FWIW.

-Mark

And E…I wonder if the Xpeditions are "worth" the extra $50???

-Mark

Take a look at the Evo line from MSR. I'd recommend these in particular: http://www.orssnowshoesdirect.com/msr-evo-tour-snowshoes.html

The full length rails underneath provide a ton of traction (in all directions), and the televator heel is nice on ascents. I use a pair of the Evo Ascents, but I like the simplicity of the single toe strap on the Tour model.

For the most part, unless you are going deep into the backcountry, I would not worry too much about deep powder. The more popular snowshow trails are usually very packed down from the traffic. The smaller snowshoes usually work well for most situations.

Do you know where in particular you plan on snowshoeing?

Hey Paul…IDK that we'll even be snowshoeing at this point. We're thinking of Lost Creek on the 12/12 for a few days…

Thoughts???

TIA
-Mark

That's been my experience, too, here in NH. Unless you go the morning after a big snowfall, all but the most obscure hiking trails around here will already be packed down with a good snow shoe track. Which is absolutely fine with me because breaking trail on snowshoes is hard work. With our conditions in the east, I'd say traction and maneuverability are probably higher priorities than size and flotation.

I will put in a plug for heel lifts if you are going to walk up mountains or sustained hills. It does make it much easier on the legs.

Hi Mark – Stephen M and I were out in LCW last weekend. Based on the forecast we left snowshoes at home and brought microspikes which stayed in our packs the whole time. Snow depth was never more than 6-8" and trail runners worked fine. I suggest you keep monitoring the weather forecast, and be aware that some of the roads in to THs may be closed if there is heavy snow in the next two weeks.

We took the Hankins Pass trail from Goose Creek TH, and optimistically hoped to complete the loop with McCurdy and Goose Creek in three days. A late start on Friday put the kibosh on that, but it was a good time out anyways.

The Tubbs Flex TRK and the MSR Evos are very similar. Both have full rails running down the bottom and are of the plastic body design.

The Flex has some decent fled to it, as the name suggest, so it's supposed to be more comfortable to wear/walk in compared to tubular framed snowshoes.

Also, the flex has heel lifts, so it's more comfortable/less exhausting if you're going up hill.

The MSR ones are pretty much the standard to go by, but the Tubbs Flex is s much more affordable option for beginner snowshoers like me.

Now if only I can get my butt up there to try em out!

That would be perfect, if the weather holds. I will be monitoring it, of course.

How high did you guys go? Did you ascend McCurdy?? What do you think of Bison this time of year???

Thanx Stuart.

-Mark

OK…Anyone want to throw out an opinion before I finally get off the pot tonight?

I'll keep it simple (and cheap)…Would you guys get the cheapo Tubbs TRK Flex for ~$70 or spend a bit extra and get the Tubbs Xpedition (probably 30s in my case, but they have 25s) for ~$110???

TA
-Mark

FWIW, I ended up buying Xpedition 25s…we'll see how they work out, or if we even need them this time around.

As of now, thru the 7th the forecast is only showing small chances of light snow near LCW/Kenosha/Bison.

TA
-Mark

We planned to do the Hankins / McCurdy / Goose Creek loop clockwise, but realized on day 2 we were behind schedule so turned back early. We were going at a pace of little more than a mile an hour, and with about 9 hours light a day that limited our max mileage. Once out of the blowdown zone it was really attractive in the snow. I'll definitely be back in the spring.

Worth calling the forest service to find out which roads are still open before you leave STL.

As a backcountry skiier I've found themore flotation the better when it comes to snowshoes.

I have the longest MSR Lightning Ascents AND extended tails. Usually I don't need the tails but when I do they are great to have.

Compaired to the length of skis snowshoe length is very minor.

If you live in hilly or mountainous terrain I'd recommend 'shoes with heel elevators for long ascents.

Hey Stuart…I will definitely check with the USFS on road conditions before we leave. We are gonna have a couple trip ideas in play.

What did you find was slowing you down the most? In your first post you seemed to be saying that the snow was minimal (no shoes) and you didn't even take your microspikes out of the bag…???

Were you planning the long clockwise loop, or the shorter one that uses McCurdy Park?

TA
-Mark

Mark – We'd planned the shorter loop going across McCurdy Park and back around via Refrigerator Gulch – I've seen it described as 22 miles and 26 miles.

A number of factors slowed us down. Having both flown in from NJ and MI respectively on Thursday afternoon, we'd planned to leave Boulder at 6am for an 8.30am start from the TH. Car trouble (a dead alternator) screwed up those plans, and we finally hit the trail at 1pm, giving us about 3 1/2 hours daylight hiking on the Friday.

Secondly, the blowdown section of the Hankins Pass Trail required a lot of creek crossings which took time to negotiate with snow and ice. And we took it slow on the first day to help with acclimatization to altitude.

On Saturday we made a mistake and passed the last decent water access just below Hankins Pass without refilling. We opted for the Lake Park Trail at Hankins Pass rather than descending 650ft to Bison-McCurdy and climb another 1700ft. There were no suitable water sources on Lake Park. Stopping to melt snow would have put us further behind schedule.

Stephen had an 8am flight out of Denver on Monday, and completing the loop by sunset on Sunday would have been type 2 fun. Next time we'll be equipped with the knowledge from this trip, and I'm sure we'll do better. It's all good experience, and we had a good time.

Thanx Stuart… Latest forecasts seem to indicate a bit of snow heading that way towards the end of the next 7-10 days…we shall see.

TA
-Mark

I've cross-country skied a number of times in the past, but until last winter, I'd never snow shoed in my life. All I can say is thank goodness for REI's return policy (although I heard it is not what it used to be). What a miserable experience. I bought snowshoes that were supposedly appropriate for my size/ weight. The night we arrived in Mammoth, they got about 4 feet of snow overnight, so of course I figured it would be perfect the next day to try out my new snowshoes. You know what is coming…I post-holed up to my thighs with every step, lifting a shovelful of snow each time I tried to dig my feet out and lift them up. I may as well have been wearing 20 lb weights on each foot for all the good the shoes did me.

So then I went out and walked on the trails, instead of cross-country, and to my surprise, plain old Danner boots without the snowshoes worked great. So of course I'm jaded now. My experience has led me to believe that snow is either a-soft enough that snowshoes are no help at all, or b- hard enough that you don't need them. From here on out I'm sticking to skis for my back-country winter adventures.

There are many others who would disagree with you about the utility of snowshoes. There is, by the way, a good reason to snowshoe with others and take turns breaking trail.

I'm sure there are…otherwise they wouldn't make them. I'm just saying my one brief experience put a very bitter taste in my mouth. Since that experience I've heard similar opinions from others, including some on this forum, so I know that I'm not completely alone. ;-)

I usually take MicroSpikes and snowshoes. If it’s been a few days since it’s snowed, the spikes are all I need on packed trails. However, if there is fresh snow on the trails the snow shoes are great. I’m not talking about 4 feet of powder here in the east, but if the trail is choppy and hasn’t been packed smooth, the snowshoes are easier.

Most of the time, you could go either way. Here’s an example of a hike that was borderline. I did most of it with just microspikes, but I did have to put on the snowshoes across the frozen lake to keep from postholing in the fresh snow.

Spikes or snowshoes

Snowshoeing is a lot of fun if you can get out the morning after a snowfall, just late enough for a few people to have broken trail in front!