Snowshoes?

saskskier

saskskier

Active member
Yo. So I haven't done any backcountry/sidecountry touring, but am looking at getting into it (will probably do my AST 1 in the next month or two).

Once I get that under my belt, I'm thinking of starting off with some pretty easy side country stuff at Sunshine. I know a few people with more experience than myself, so I'm not planning on wandering off into the wilderness myself.

That's that. My real question is around the use of snowshoes instead of a dedicated touring set up. I'm wondering if anyone uses snowshoes for the trip up and their normal alpine gear for the trip back down. Is it doable? Because I'm just getting into it and don't have a ton of money to drop on a new set up, I'm looking at ways to access relatively easy terrain without having to drop too much on new gear.

Thoughts? Experiences? Other ideas?

Thanks!
 
I should add, my current set up is:

194 Surface New Life w/ Deadbolt 18's

186 ON3P Jeronimo's w/ Attack 16's

Nordica Firearrow 120 boots (pretty heavy, but they fit well. Might invest in something different before next season)
 
Hey man,

First off, awesome to see someone building a knowledge base before heading out.

You asked if it was doable, and it certainly is, I know I did it for a handful of tours when I was first starting out. Whilst it is very much doable, it's neither practical nor greatly enjoyable.

In my experience the key to getting the most out of your touring experience is being efficient in everything you do. As you become more experienced and competent, you'll find your processes such as changeovers and layer drops become quicker and more efficient. Whilst you can't buy this experience, you can certainly jump start the process by using simple, functional equipment. Snowshoes are certainly not as functional as a dedicated touring set up, and they add another layer of complexity (more gear = more faff, more faff = complexity). Also it's worth pointing out the obvious at this point, snowshoe travel isn't nearly as efficient as skinning.

If your serious about touring, pick up a pair of F10/F12s, as your first set of bindings, for most tourers they balance weight, price and necessity best.

Hope this helps, safe shredding, J
 
That's kind of what I figured and from what I've been reading, generally not considered an amazing idea.

Perhaps I'll look for deals and work on building something up over summer.

If I go this route (which I would like to eventually, regardless of what I do in the interim), would a frame or tech binding work better for a big dude (6'4, 280ish, but slowly dropping)?

(Maybe it's been answered in another thread or perhaps worth making a 'larger than average dude touring thread'? Maybe it doesn't make a difference?)
 
At your size, I'd suggest the newest edition of the Marker Duke.

As posted above, snowshoes suck compared to skis for winter travel. I've used them exactly two times ever, and that was a different era (
 
I too have just started getting into backcountry skiing here on the east coast, but haven't made the financial commitment of an AT setup.

Yesterday my brother and I did a 5 mile 3100 vertical foot tour in the White Mountains of NH with snowshoes on our feet and skis on our backs. It was certainly doable but difficult. Coincidentally, a skier with tech bindings and a split-boarder left the trailhead 15 minutes before us and we kept pace with them for the entire hike. With that being said it should be considered that there was no new snow and the trail had a good pack already. I'm sure if we were breaking trail the advantage of skis and skins would have been far more evident. Furthermore hiking with skis and boots on your back kinda sucks.

I think snowshoes are good for getting started and seeing if backcountry is something you want to seriously get into. For me, I just borrowed snowshoes so I wasn't paying anything to get out, and the trip convinced me to invest in gear this summer when I'm not broke.
 
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