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Everything you need to know when buying snowshoesWhen you are looking into buying snowshoes there are a couple of questions you need to ask first. Think about what you want to do with your snowshoes, what kind of terrain you will be on and how heavy you and your gear are.
What do you want to do?So when you think about spending the day snowshoeing, where do you see yourself? The size of the snowshoes matter if you want to break trail on fresh powder but these same size shoes will trip you up if your walking on a trail. Below is a table with the recommended sizes (in inches) for a persons weight (with gear) for powder. Weight (in pounds)
If you plan on breaking trail, your snowshoes should be wider and longer, to allow you to float on top of the snow. The Redfeather Guide in the technical series and the Tubbs Mountianeer are both good choices. If you will be climbing steeper slopes, try to get one with the metal bar on the back. MSR calls this a Televator and in Tubbs it's call a ActiveLift™ heel lift.If trails are more your style then consider the MSR Lightning or any of the Tubbs flex series. I rented the Flex NRG for $5 from The Mountain Shop in Estes Park for a day of snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park. These shoes were so comfortable with the binding system that holds your boot from the side. I could also feel the difference with the way I walked, putting less stress on my joints, with the flexible tail. The Mountain Shop also sells demo models and at the end of the season they sell the rentals. It's worth stopping in on the way to RMNP. On a side note, did you know that the mean elevation of the state of Colorado is 6,800 feet above sea level, making it the highest of all 50 states. There are a lot of good deals you can find when buying snowshoes, you just need to check out all you options. Need to see what's out there on the market for snowshoes? Click on a manufacturers name below to see what they offer.
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