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  1. #21
    Registered User egilbe's Avatar
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    So, does the analagy of someone splashing mud all over your freshly waxed and detailed car work for you? Or someone driving on the wrong side of the road, causing accidents OK? Afterall , they are minding their own business. How about the guy who shovels all his snow out of his driveway into the street? Or the person who doesn't hold the door for the person following? We have names for people like that. They are ********. Are you really going to defend people being ********?

  2. #22

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    I tend to be somewhat charitable about barebooters. IMHO, the folks who tend to screw up tracks tend to be newbys who are clueless. Eventually they figure out that using snow shoes cuts the amount of effort required to hike.

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    No, they should have known better or turned around when the snow was over their ankles.


    I'm not getting that either. I'll hike in snow depths deeper than my ankles without skis or snowshoes. I'm not trying to be contentious. Perhaps you can elaborate in context of why that statement was made?

  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by peakbagger View Post
    I tend to be somewhat charitable about barebooters. IMHO, the folks who tend to screw up tracks tend to be newbys who are clueless. Eventually they figure out that using snow shoes cuts the amount of effort required to hike.
    Perhaps, some(most?) already know that but for whatever reasons still intentionally decide to go snowshoeless. In short, going snowshoeless might not mean the decision is callow.

  5. #25

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    If only there were some way to fix stupid once and for all…

  6. #26

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    Awesome!


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  7. #27
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Whats the proper way to hike on hard packed trails (or the monorail) in the Whites?

    Seems like a lot of people wear snowshoes (small ones, very small ones) when they are hardly needed. Fashion statement?

    when they are needs, they are — of course.

  8. #28
    Registered User egilbe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rickb View Post
    Whats the proper way to hike on hard packed trails (or the monorail) in the Whites?

    Seems like a lot of people wear snowshoes (small ones, very small ones) when they are hardly needed. Fashion statement?

    when they are needs, they are — of course.
    Spikes or snowshoes. Doesn't matter when the trail is packed down. It's when the trail is soft is when the damage is done.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by egilbe View Post
    Spikes or snowshoes. Doesn't matter when the trail is packed down. It's when the trail is soft is when the damage is done.
    Yes, but what about when it's mostly hard but one in ten steps breaks through? Or what if it's one in 5 or one in 25? What if it starts off packed out at the trailhead (like it often is) so you don't bring snowshoes and then, as you get further along, the trail gets softer? Do you stop and turn around? What if it starts getting softer three miles in? What if it's only soft in spots for a few 10s or yards every so often as it can be at times?

    Life in the outdoors is so complex! I think I'd better stay home and watch TV.
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by egilbe View Post
    LMAO


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  11. #31

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    This early in the season, to shoe or to bareboot is a tough decision. Once there's a couple, three feet of snow, it's a no brainer.

    This is the sloppy time of year where there isn't enough snow low down to really require snowshoes but that changes as you get higher up. You hit new conditions at about 3800 feet. That's about where it's been cold enough to snow all the time. Plus the snow has been on the wet side, with a lot of freeze - thaw cycles lately.

    Popular trails do get packed down rather quickly and the first ones up after a storm really should go up with snowshoes ready. Once the trial is broken out and packed down at least a little, the barebooters can come along and chop it up.

    But even on packed trail, snowshoes reduces the amount of effort needed over barebooting by a significant amount. And you don't need very big snowshoes around here. And since there are a lot of post holer's on the trail, having snowshoes keeps you out of the holes. If your also barebooting, having to hike in other peoples post holes is a real pain.

    In any event, after this latest storm clears Friday, the weekenders best have snowshoes. It just started snowing again a little while ago and there is already an inch of new snow and it's going to keep snowing until Thursday!
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  12. #32
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    Trail width is also a factor in whether or not you can avoid postholes. Except for the days long ago in which "bridle paths" or "carriage paths" were extant in the White Mountains, our trails were not designed to be wide enough for pack animals as most western trails were. Just sayin.
    Everyone has a photographic memory. Not everyone has film.

  13. #33

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    One PITA is that the width of the newer climbing snowshoes have reduced over the years. I have a perfectly good pair of Tubbs Katahdins that are semi retired as they are about an inch wider than the newer snowshoes resulting in snow shoe tracks that tend to be skinny for my Tubbs. The net result is my Tubbs dont fit in the established track so I catch the lip on either side the inner edge of the snowshoes overlap or rub. I finally had to join the crowd and switch to skinnier snowshoes.

    MSRs do offer extension tails for their Denalis to increase the surface area somewhat but I find they screw up the balance. Small snowshoes are better than no shoes in powder but if you are planning on breaking trail in powder the bigger shoes are better. If I am roaming the woods and not climbing steel slopes in powder I run an old pair of Army Surplus magnesium snowshoes https://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...tm_campaign=CI . They have far more surface area and width then a climbing snowshoe and much better for breaking trail. Note to anyone looking at the Army shoes is that the binding is pretty well useless and probably the reason why they went to surplus. I got an Iverson binding for mine and its night and day. They also are not good on icy uphill slopes like what is occasionally found on packed down hiking trails. There used to be strap on climbing claws that strapped onto wooden snowhoes but I expect the only place you may see them are in an antique shop.

    The NH F&G staff and many of the S&R volunteers use extra long Sherpa snowshoes for rescues. They have been out of production for many years but they last a long time and they pop up on ebay frequently although the long versions are lot tougher to find. There is company in canada that still sells a clone for folks like trappers, forestry crews and oil service workers. https://www.irlsupplies.com/0/produc...97581&cat=5846. They are truly impressive in deep powder or snow with layers of light crust.

    One thing to be careful is that in addition to modern climbing snowshoes there are recreational snowshoes. They look the same from a distance but the rec shoes dont have a rotary binding and dont work well on slopes. There are different variations on the rotary binding but the key is if you grab onto the binding and hold it level, the entire snowshoe deck should pivot and hang vertical. There will be a claw under the toe section of the binding that hangs out below the showshoe deck. If the snowshoe is put on correctly the pivot will be under the ball of the foot and the toes will be on top of the claw. If on an icy slope the claws can be kicked into the ice. If you try that with rec snowshoe with a fixed binding its far less effective. Some folks dont understand this and let their foot sit too far back in the binding. If put in correctly its very impressive how steep a slope can be climbed.
    Last edited by peakbagger; 11-27-2018 at 06:39.

  14. #34
    Registered User egilbe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nsherry61 View Post
    Yes, but what about when it's mostly hard but one in ten steps breaks through? Or what if it's one in 5 or one in 25? What if it starts off packed out at the trailhead (like it often is) so you don't bring snowshoes and then, as you get further along, the trail gets softer? Do you stop and turn around? What if it starts getting softer three miles in? What if it's only soft in spots for a few 10s or yards every so often as it can be at times?

    Life in the outdoors is so complex! I think I'd better stay home and watch TV.
    If you posthole, put the snowshoes on. If you are climbing in the mountains, you will need them.

  15. #35

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    Last nights snow made snowshoes not optional for most folks as my years is getting up to the 2' range, I expect heading up high the snow pack is going to be waist deep in the typical drifting spots.

  16. #36

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    We're getting buried! It will be a while before I can even get down my driveway again. This is seriously wet and heavy snow and a lot of it.
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  17. #37

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    Yup, Its nasty stuff, it packs down and nothing will move it. My snowblower was right on the edge of clogging. I went out in my woods to knock the snow of some branches that overhang my cable and its waist deep. I am at 1400 feet so expect the trails up the summits are beyond barebooting. I hope no one got caught in the woods without them.

  18. #38

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    I should have used snowshoes to get down my driveway It's gonna take a while to dig out of this and it's not going to stop for a while.

    There's the start of a trail in this picture. Can you find it? Better keep the hood up on your jacket if going up a trail or your going to have a lot of snow down the back of your neck!
    SAM_4437.JPG
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  19. #39

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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    I should have used snowshoes to get down my driveway It's gonna take a while to dig out of this and it's not going to stop for a while.

    There's the start of a trail in this picture. Can you find it? Better keep the hood up on your jacket if going up a trail or your going to have a lot of snow down the back of your neck!
    SAM_4437.JPG
    Holy smokes. I keep forgetting that we don't really get winter down here - there's a dusting of snow in the high country of the park this morning and they nearly cancelled school.
    Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.

  20. #40

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    I do live in a town known for it's especially excessive amounts of snow.
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