Snowshoeing 101

With Dy's new snowshoes for Christmas, we are excited to get out and enjoy the beautiful white stuff that is so plentiful in Utah at this time of the year. I have had snowshoes for a few years, but this is Dy's first pair. To help encourage others to join this great winter activity that is cheap and fun, I thought I would put a few snowshoeing tips on here.

One of the most basic things to remember is keep your stride natural. Don't try to modify or exaggerate your gait. When you maneuver up steep slopes, a good technique involves aggressive use of the front crampons. When you are traveling downhill, avoid leaning backwards onto the tails of the snowshoes whenever possible. When you are traversing slopes, stay upright and lean into the hill with each step.

There is one last tip that is probably the most important tip of them all to ensure an enjoyable time snowshoeing...DON'T FORGET YOUR SNOWSHOES! Sadly enough I am speaking from recent experience. It will, however, help verify just how well snowshoes really do work. A few points if that does happen to you; crawling will work if you follow behind someone who was smarter than you and actually has snowshoes, but using just one snowshoe doesn't work. You will still sink past your knees with every other step (Michelle may try to tell you otherwise).

Besides the inconvenience of being short one pair of snowshoes, it was still an enjoyable time and made for a great story to laugh at. Below are some of the pictures from our New Year's trek. For those wanting to do a little snowshoeing and are in the Salt Lake area, there is a few of us going on Monday, January 21 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day). The more the merrier.