There’s nothing like a quiet, snow-covered day in the woods. Having the right pair of snowshoes can make your day easier or harder. No one wants achy hips and sore knees from having to change your gait to accommodate large or clunky snowshoes. There are several things to consider when choosing which snowshoes to buy.

Where do you want to go?

What size snowshoes you need is based not only on your weight (don’t forget to consider any gear you may pack and carry with you), but also where you will use them most often. If you plan to stick to trails, you can often get away with smaller shoes because the snow will be packed down. However, if you prefer to break your own trails or travel more in the back country in deeper snow, you’ll need the float provided by larger shoes to prevent sinking. Generally speaking, walking is easier with the smallest shoes necessary for the conditions.

Most brands offer women’s specific snowshoes. These are designed for those with shorter legs and therefore a shorter gait. The green shoes above have a steeper angle at the front than the blue ones to accommodate shorter strides. Women’s snowshoes are likely to be more narrow as well. These differences can allow for more comfortable walking.

Fancy features

Once you’ve got an idea of how you want to use your snowshoes most often and the surface area required for your weight, there are a couple other features to consider: traction and bindings. Traction is provided by crampons or spikes, usually metal, on the bottom of the snowshoes. If you will mostly wear them on relatively flat ground, you won’t need anything too aggressive. But for more technical or steeper walking, either larger spikes, under the toes especially, or rails along the sides will help prevent you from sliding down. Bindings attach the snowshoes to your boots. From hook and loop, to BOA bindings, to ratchets, it’s important to find a system easy enough to do even wearing gloves or mittens. If your bindings are easier to use, you will use them more often.

Heel lifts are another nice feature for uphill snowshoeing. Heel lifts do exactly what their name implies and support your heel. This can relieve calf strain on long uphill sections. When not needed, they can either be flipped down or tucked away.

What about accessories?

Poles can help you stay balanced and in control while snowshoeing. (As a bonus, should you fall in deep snow, they are definitely a helpful aid in getting back up!) Snowshoeing poles have a larger basket just above the tip than regular trekking poles to prevent them from sinking too deep into the snow. However, since they will sink a little bit, they should be sized just a touch longer than trekking poles. Just like when trekking, poles get your upper body involved. Uphill sections can be a little easier on your legs by using your lats for additional support.

For you runners…

If you run all year long and want to got off the roads and into the woods, running snowshoes are lightweight and shaped with a more pronounced rocker in both the front and the back. These EVA snowshoes from Crescent Moon are made of EVA foam and have simple hook and loop bindings, both of which keep them lightweight. The curvature of the shoes themselves are designed for an easy walking or running gait.

If nordic skiing is more what you’re looking for, check out this post about how to size skis.

At Stone Harbor, we’re committed to helping people find the best gear for them. We encourage folks thinking about buying to rent first and try it out. If you decide to buy when you return your rental gear, we’ll apply the cost of a one day’s rental toward the purchase price. For more information on our rentals and policies, click here.