DayTrip
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 13, 2013
- Messages
- 4,015
- Reaction score
- 256
I was eventually going to ask this question but with all the winter-related posts popping up of late I figured I'd just go ahead and ask it: what footwear do I need for winter hiking? After many years of wanting to do it I finally did a few winter hikes in snow last year to see what it was like. One was in fresh snow (Mt Hale at moderate grades), one in melted and packed but deep snow (Cannon Mountain on the relatively steep Kinsman Ridge Trail). I always have MicroSpikes for the off season hikes but I bought my first pair of snowshoes to experiment. I read up on weight and height, type of terrain, blah, blah blah and settled on a 25" hiking model as a good all around option. They arrived at my house just after a large snow storm so I strapped them on, walked out into the yard....and sunk in up to my thighs. (I should point out I'm 6'3" and weigh about 220 lbs before gear). I reordered a 36" pair and they hold me fine. Did a stroll up Mt Hale after a fresh storm and they worked great. Problem solved.......
But I noticed on that hike and my next one that nobody I ran into had snow shoes. Many people had nothing and many others were using short "mini" snowshoes that looked like nothing more than crampons with a 12" platform type frame. ??? Am I missing something? How do they hold you up in the snow? These were not all broken and packed trails. There was powder, particularly on Hale where the guy I passed in those short snow shoes looked like he was really struggling. They were great on Cannon too which had very deep postholes everywhere at the top in the firm snow but they were very awkward descending the steep slopes where the crampons underneath didn't bite in enough after clawing through the 3-5" of fresh powder on top.
I'd like to venture above treeline for a summit this winter and eventually do an ascent of Mt Washington but clearly I need more advice on gear. From everything I've read online the snow above treeline is generally very firm and hard and I'm more likely to need crampons than snowshoes. But what if it snows? Drifts? Are my 36" snow shoes destined for the basement? What do I need to bring for my feet? I have the cold weather clothing but I need advice on what else I should be carrying. Seems to be a lot of disagreement with what I've read online on common items like ice axes, etc. Figured I'd ask the experts.
Also, what is a good "starter peak" for a legitimate above treeline practice run (not an in the trees until the top hike but something with exposure and varied terrain)? Any feedback would be appreciated. Would like to do something with a decent stretch above treeline for the practice. I've done all of the 48 4,000 footers so I have a general familiarity them but many of the trails are no doubt very different in the winter.
But I noticed on that hike and my next one that nobody I ran into had snow shoes. Many people had nothing and many others were using short "mini" snowshoes that looked like nothing more than crampons with a 12" platform type frame. ??? Am I missing something? How do they hold you up in the snow? These were not all broken and packed trails. There was powder, particularly on Hale where the guy I passed in those short snow shoes looked like he was really struggling. They were great on Cannon too which had very deep postholes everywhere at the top in the firm snow but they were very awkward descending the steep slopes where the crampons underneath didn't bite in enough after clawing through the 3-5" of fresh powder on top.
I'd like to venture above treeline for a summit this winter and eventually do an ascent of Mt Washington but clearly I need more advice on gear. From everything I've read online the snow above treeline is generally very firm and hard and I'm more likely to need crampons than snowshoes. But what if it snows? Drifts? Are my 36" snow shoes destined for the basement? What do I need to bring for my feet? I have the cold weather clothing but I need advice on what else I should be carrying. Seems to be a lot of disagreement with what I've read online on common items like ice axes, etc. Figured I'd ask the experts.
Also, what is a good "starter peak" for a legitimate above treeline practice run (not an in the trees until the top hike but something with exposure and varied terrain)? Any feedback would be appreciated. Would like to do something with a decent stretch above treeline for the practice. I've done all of the 48 4,000 footers so I have a general familiarity them but many of the trails are no doubt very different in the winter.