Bareboots or Snowshoes?

[iceNsnow]

I am curious if you think it is wiser to wear your snowshoes than to remove them and carry them when crossing iffy ice.

Although I realize that snowshoes will help distribute weight and reduce the point loading of the questionable ice, my thought is that if I have any chance of breaking through the ice into water that is moving, of significant or unknown depth, I prefer to remove the snowshoes to prevent untanglement and facilitate easier extrication from the ice.

What's the general consenses?

Thanks,

Inge

 

[RoySwkr]

Depends on what kind of crampons are on your snowshoes. I'll never forget the time my sister & I walked across a brook in boots and then watched a guy in snowshoes fall through - apparently the Sherpa crampons concentrated his weight more than boots.

Unless the stream is flowing fast you shouldn't worry about having snowshoes on, in a pond pretend they are swim flippers

I remember a few years back on a nature hike we had to cross the inlet to a swamp which looked iffy. Some of the lighter people walked across, and one athletic fellow got a running start and slid across on both feet - half the weight of walking. The heaviest guy decided to belly crawl which reduced his loading to a very low number, and I finally did the same - getting my front quite wet in the slushy snow.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I's a depends for me. If it's mostly ice, I prefer snowshoes. If it's a mix of ice, open water and rock-hopping, I prefer bareboot.... except when the rocks are covered with wet smooth ice.

However... I'm lazy, and wil rarely change my footware just to cross a stream, unless it is a major one, of I am getting close to a time when I would change anyway.

 

[Stan]

Are you inquiring about a stream, river, pond or lake? The approach I'd take could be different in each instance. I'd leave the snowshoes on to distribute weight, such as on a pond, and take them off when they detracted from maneuvering and I wasn't worried (except for the need to change socks) about the depth. In either case, if it were at all "iffy", I'd either seek another route around or across or go back.

 

[sierra]

Personally I would never cross any signifigent water wearing snowshoes, a small steam ok but any depth at all I take them off.

 

[TCD]

And I'm even more conservative. Unless there's NO practical way around (fjord, for example) I just don't cross questionable ice over deep water at all. There are plenty of interesting places to go that don't involve deep water crossings; you can wait until the ice is good. The cost of an error is just too high.

 

[GlennS]

I had an issue with snowshoes coming back from Isolation. As I crossed a snow bridge, it gave way. My snowshoes acted like a ships rudder. With the water rushing against them, I couldn't move until I repositioned my arms to get more leverage. All the while, Jim Lombard was perched precariously on a rock behind me unable to help.

I learned my lesson, the snowshoes come off on any serious water crossings.