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Obviously snowshoes are to keep you from sinking into the snow and make it easier to walk. "Postholing" where you sink in up to your knees or hips is slow, tiring, and can be dangerous. By remaining on the surface of the snow, you move more easily and reduce the danger of twisting ankles and knees that arises when your lower leg gets caught in the snow. You can also move faster, which can get you out of avalanche zones quicker.

However for mountaineering, snowshoes should do even more. Going uphill and downhill puts extra demands on your snowshoes as well as on you. In addition, you may face varying snow conditions, from firm to very soft. With this in mind, mountaineering snowshoes should meet the following requirements:

1. They should have good crampons built-in, preferably both in the center of the shoe and near the edge. You need this to get good traction on the snow.

2. The binding should pivot so your heel can come up as you walk. Most modern snowshoes have this feature, but check it out. You don't want to have your heel fastened down to a snowshoe that is on a 45 degree angle, you want your foot to pivot so it can be fairly flat while the shoe conforms to the slope.

3. It is very useful to have a heel lift, similar to mountaineering ski bindings. This is simply a rigid wire bail that you can lift up to raise your heel as you walk uphill. It helps greatly with comfort as you ascend, helping keep your foot flat while again the shoe conforms to the slope. Without it, your ankle and foot will get very tired.

4. It should be easy to walk in, if possible allowing an removable tail for extra flotation in soft snow. When snow is firmer this should be removed to allow for easier walking.

It is also useful if the snowshoes are relatively light and have good bindings, easy to put on and take off with gloves on.

The one snowshoe I know of that meets all these requirements is the Denali Evo Ascent. There may others, but this shoe is wonderful. It has great crampons, offers two lengths of removable tail, a heel lift and all the other features you are likely to need.

One caveat: if you are extra large, the Ascent may not be big enough for you in soft snow, even with the longer tails. If that is the case for you, you may just have to find a bigger shoe, even if it lacks the features of the Ascent. The size of snowshoe required depends on both snow conditions and weight to be supported.

Beyond the snowshoes themselves, it is also useful to have good trekking poles. These help with balance and can be used for self-arrest should you fall on a slope. The best ones for mountaineering have larger baskets ("powder baskets") for soft snow and are adjustable in length. You can even adjust them so the uphill pole is short and the downhill pole is long. There are two styles of length adjustment, "cam-lock" and "flick-lock." The cam-lock requires twisting the pole parts to adjust it and this can be difficult with gloves on. Flick-lock has a lever to open or close and in my opinion is easier to use in cold weather and with gloves. Some poles can even be equipped with a self-arrest handle, similar to the pick of an ice axe, though these are usually sold as ski poles.

Learn more about this author, Hal Lillywhite.
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