by Jane Allyson

Created on: January 23, 2008

For thousands of years, the use of snowshoes has been an invaluable and vital addition to the equipment needed to travel in heavy or hard to traverse snow conditions. People have been pretty much limited in their choice of snowshoe in the past, but nowadays there are many kinds available in numerous colors and trendy designs.

Because of the huge choice you are faced with, it can sometimes mean that choosing the type of snowshoe that is suited to your particular need can be a daunting and costly experience. However, by narrowing down the choices that are available to you and by looking at the price, quality and what you like the look of, may make things a little easier for you.

Mountaineering snowshoes are also known as backcountry, back-packing, or hiking shoes and are needed for the difficult to traverse terrains including deep slopes and ice and the areas you need to be able to get a good traction and being able to maneuverer with the optimum efficiency.

As with anything that is made to last and is of good quality, compared to recreational or sporting snowshoes, they are the most expensive to buy having much more sophisticated bindings, large cleats on the bottom, and made out of extremely hard wearing materials.

A number of tips to get you started with making the correct choice:

1. Renting your snowshoes is a good way of finding out what you want from a snowshoe. Try out a few different types before deciding on the right pair for yourself. Once you have found a pair that suits you will be able then go on and buy your own pair with confidence if you so wish.

2. Snowshoes can be expensive and they range in price from $100 to $250. You may get them a little cheaper if you keep your eyes open for out of season sales or you may pick some up really good bargains from online stores such as eBay.

3. When choosing your snowshoes it is important that you remember to take the boots that you will be wearing with you. This way you will be able to try them both out together to find the best fit.

4. If you are new to ice sports and are unsure about the type of shoe you will require it will be well worth getting a little advice from someone who already has some experience.

5. Although the backpacking or hiking snowshoes can handle a much more difficult route, if you intend to tackle steep ascents and descents, then you are going to need the tougher customer the backcountry snowshoe. They offer the best and safest choice for mountaineering terrain and can accommodate the larger footwear

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