Snow Shoes

Explore with Snowshoes for Great Adventures

Embrace the winter wonderland through snowshoeing, an excellent way to traverse snow-draped landscapes. These special shoes distribute your weight across a broader area, preventing you from sinking into the snow. This allows you to reach spots that would be nearly inaccessible with ordinary hiking boots. Whether it’s open landscapes, gentle hills, or challenging inclines, the correct snowshoes make these adventures a reality. Plus, you’ll enjoy a cost-effective and straightforward workout while taking in nature.

Discovering Snowshoes

Snowshoes function as platforms underfoot, expanding the area of contact to alleviate sinking in snowy terrain. Today’s snowshoes have evolved significantly from the classic wood and rawhide designs. They are now lightweight, robust, and come equipped with features such as crampons (metal spikes) for navigating icy surfaces, and adjustable bindings to secure your feet. Consider retiring those traditional designs above the mantelpiece and explore our collection of contemporary snowshoes.

Choosing the Right Snowshoes

Select snowshoes based on your weight, the snow conditions, and the terrain gradient you'll encounter. Each snowshoe model specifies a maximum load (weight), which you should not surpass. This 'load' encompasses your body weight along with all clothing, footwear, and equipment you’ll carry while snowshoeing.

If undecided between multiple models, consider the snow type you’ll encounter. For deep, powdery snow, snowshoes with expansive surface areas are preferable as they will more effectively “float” atop the snow compared to smaller ones. When dealing with steep terrains, features such as heel lifts and extended crampons are advantageous for climbing, though these are typically present in specialised mountaineering snowshoes.

There's no such thing as unsuitable weather, only incomplete attire. Ensure you dress suitably for the outdoor conditions. Anticipate the weather, wear your favourite winter boots, and layer your clothing appropriately. A backpack accommodating an additional layer along with other essentials like sunscreen, water, snacks, and a first aid kit is recommended. Feeling the chill of inactivity? Visit our Apparel Category for snow gloves, trousers, jackets, and much more!

Another activity sharing many trails with snowshoeing is cross country skiing. For further information on this, see our section on Cross Country Skis & Cross Country Skiing Equipment.