Best site to learn about snowshoeing and winter camping?

[dessertrat]

On AT in the north or otherwise. I am looking to do some snowshoeing and winter camping, without getting too vertical (meaning ice climbing is not for me, but ice axe and snow shoes might be).

Looking for a good online information source.

[Alligator]

I found this site to be pretty useful.

[Cookerhiker]

Just today I did some research here on WB about snowshoes and found this thread. I didn't know if you were interested in what snowshoes to get or where to go or both. Anyway, the thread discusses the former.

I've never snowshoed before but having moved to Western MD within the last year, I'm planning on starting this winter. Yesterday I dayhiked in the Canaan Mountain area of Monangahela Nat'l Forest in WV. Looks like an ideal place for snowshoing including doing overnights. At 3,000' base elevation, I'm sure there's sufficient snow.

[MOWGLI]

On AT in the north or otherwise. I am looking to do some snowshoeing and winter camping, without getting too vertical (meaning ice climbing is not for me, but ice axe and snow shoes might be).

Looking for a good online information source.

Here's what I would suggest. If you are not experienced with winter camping and want to learn how to snowshoe and cross country ski, Frost Valley YMCA in New York's Catskills is the place. It's a spectacular area with nice accommodations and decent food.

Checkout the site map at the following link;

http://www.frostvalley.org/

If you want to stay on the AT, High Point State Park has a great X-Country Ski Center. They rent snowshoes too. There are several shelter easily accessible from safe parking.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandf...highpoint.html

http://www.xcskihighpoint.com/

[weary]

On AT in the north or otherwise. I am looking to do some snowshoeing and winter camping, without getting too vertical (meaning ice climbing is not for me, but ice axe and snow shoes might be).

Looking for a good online information source.

There really isn't much to learn. Snowshoeing is like walking. You put one foot in front of the other and eventually you get to where you want to go. In some ways it is easier in the winter. The rocks and roots are replaced by a smooth incline plane. The weight of showshoes slows you down so don't plan on big miles. I rarely attempt more than five or six miles, allowing plenty of time to set up camp. Use your snowshoes to stamp down a foot print for your tent. Self standing tents are nice. You don't have to worry about stakes. But they are not essential. Usually enough bushes can be found to tie down a tent. Special snow stakes are available. Or branches can be used.

Books are available, though I don't have names at the tip of my fingers. Try a google search on "snowshoes, books."

The winter woods are the closest we in the east get to wilderness these days. It's a rare experience these days. JUst do it and you will be okay. Just practice a bit in areas where escape is easy if things become difficult.

Weary

[sarbar]

While snowshoeing is incredibly easy to do, as Weary points out...there is one big thing to consider getting training in:
Avalanche safety.

Now out East I don't know your terrain well enough to say do you need it out there. But in the West you do. Every year as snowshoeing becomes more popular, there are more people dying in avalanches. Simply put: there will always be a safe place to go snowshoeing, but not every place is safe. Out here we have a website that is updated daily showing what the dangers are. It depends on the type of snow, the temps, wind, etc. We always carry a shovel per person.

In the woods though? Just stay away from tree wells and water if you are in deep snow.

[peakbagger]

Several of the New England Hiking clubs run winter training courses. Worth checking out but may be a bit extreme. The folks at Viewsfromthetop.com has frequent threads on snowshoeing in winter, just search the archives. The biggest thing to learn in snowshoe weather is not how to snowshoe, it learning how to stay warm and dry by layering and wearing the right gear.

[take-a-knee]

I did a little snowshoeing for two winters as an arctic infantryman in Alaska. Five or six miles is a pretty good hump, with a pack on snowshoes on flat terrain is the equal of carrying the same weight uphill. You need to take it easy the first few times 'cause it is easy to pull a muscle in your thigh because you are walking sort of spread legged, very unnatural at first.

The more weight you are carrying the deeper you'll sink, which means longer snowshoes. This is why people use sleds (pulks), also to help carry the increased winter load. We used heavy abominable canvas squad tents and gasoline/wood stoves. The modern version of this is the Kifaru or Titanium Goat tipi with a woodstove.

The most efficient way to travel if the snow is deep and fluffy is in a group of four. Everyone has cross country skis. Everyone has a light pack with their sleeping bag and survival stuff. The tent/ stove and extra gear is carried in a pulk. The lead guy puts his pack and skis on the pulk and breaks trail with a pair of snowshoes. Everyone else skis behind in his trail, with the pulk bringing up the rear. As the trail breaker tires, he swaps the snowshoes out with someone else.

Also, Sportsman's Guide has surplus GI magnesium snowshoes for sale cheap. These were a coveted item when I was in Alaska in the 70's, just about indestructable. I don't know how they compare weight wise to new Tubbs or MSR shoes but you won't find anything cheaper that is worth owning.

[Cookerhiker]

I did a little snowshoeing for two winters as an arctic infantryman in Alaska. Five or six miles is a pretty good hump, with a pack on snowshoes on flat terrain is the equal of carrying the same weight uphill. You need to take it easy the first few times 'cause it is easy to pull a muscle in your thigh because you are walking sort of spread legged, very unnatural at first.

The more weight you are carrying the deeper you'll sink, which means longer snowshoes. This is why people use sleds (pulks), also to help carry the increased winter load. We used heavy abominable canvas squad tents and gasoline/wood stoves. The modern version of this is the Kifaru or Titanium Goat tipi with a woodstove.

The most efficient way to travel if the snow is deep and fluffy is in a group of four. Everyone has cross country skis. Everyone has a light pack with their sleeping bag and survival stuff. The tent/ stove and extra gear is carried in a pulk. The lead guy puts his pack and skis on the pulk and breaks trail with a pair of snowshoes. Everyone else skis behind in his trail, with the pulk bringing up the rear. As the trail breaker tires, he swaps the snowshoes out with someone else.

Also, Sportsman's Guide has surplus GI magnesium snowshoes for sale cheap. These were a coveted item when I was in Alaska in the 70's, just about indestructable. I don't know how they compare weight wise to new Tubbs or MSR shoes but you won't find anything cheaper that is worth owning.

Thanks for your informative post. In general, do you recommend X-Country skis over snowshoes? Does it depend on terrain (level or gentle grades vs. steep uphill) and depth of snow? I'm a novice here.

[rafe]

Half-Assed Expeditions. Seriously. For example, How to Take a Dump With Snowshoes On, or JB's Sub-Zero Sleeping System. Here's a shot at the HAE guys in action

[shelterbuilder]

The last few years, there hasn't been much snow south of the Blue Mountain (the ridge where the AT runs). This is not good for me, because I have sled dogs and prefer to mush on snow, instead of using the 3-wheeled carts for training. Northern Pa., NY, and points north and west of there have more dependable snow fall accumulations.

I have both X-C skis and snowshoes - personally, I prefer snowshoes (although most of my friends delight in telling me how backward I am). Both are hard work, so dress in layers, but be prepared to walk dressed very lightly unless there is a wind blowing. The tails of the snowshoes will tend to throw snow up on the backs of your legs, so high gaiters can be useful.

If you buy snowshoes, buy ones that are rated for your weight plus the heaviest pack weight that you expect to carry. If this combined weight is on the border between two weight classes, I would go to the larger size to provide more floatation in deep snow.

Practice with the snowshoes FIRST before adding a loaded pack, so that you can get a feel for how they handle before you use them for snow camping. Walking may feel awkward at first because you must stand with your feet a little farther apart than normal, but you'll get used to this. Turns are wider, so that you don't step on one snowshoe with the other one - this is funny ONLY when someone else does it!

By the way, winter camping without snowshoes can be fun if there's less than 6 - 8 inches of snow. Dress warm, stay dry, eat lots!

[Sly]

I've only snowshoe'd twice. Once in my teens in the Whites on a 4 mile flat trail and it was exhausting. Maybe it was the canned goods!

The second time was this year in the South San Juans in Colorado We did thirty-five miles at about 10 mile per day. Some of it was flat, much of it wasn't! It wasn't all that bad but I had only 1.5 days worth of food left with 35 miles to go, so we bailed early.

Just get out there and do it, but if you don't feel like buying, rent or borrow some shoes with the built in crampons and heal lifters for ice or hills.

Check the weather and bring a warm enough bag etc.

[take-a-knee]

Cooker hiker, I would reccomend showshoes first. When the snow is really deep and powdery it is hard to stand on a pair of skis, you have uncompacted snow under the skis, it makes for unstable, very tireing slogging. You skis sink under the snow, defeating the glide that they offer on compacted snow. If you have some sort of compacted trail and a properly pair of waxed skis, you can really cover some ground, and you can really break a bone until you get used to it. A vacation to somewhere like the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont would be a great way to learn from some people who know how to instruct you.
Also, you can work on a pair of snowshoes, ie, gathering firewood etc, this is a little more problematic on skis, trying to do kick turns in the thick woods.

[oruoja]

Up here in Vermont I ski and snoeshoe quite a bit. I find snowshoeing much easier than skiing in the backcountry. I think you will be surprised after a few outings how much distance and terrain you will be able navigate. Another benefit of snowshoes is that the quality or type of snow is not too important as it is when you x-c ski. I basically started snowshoeing to stay in shape and to prepare for upcoming requirements with the Mountain Battalion I am attached to up here. I really got hooked on it and of course up here I can just head out into the woods anywhere. For just starting out I initially bought some cheaper Atlas brand snowshoes. Just make sure you get the right size for the total weight rating. For the steeper stuff like up on the Long Trail you can always upgrade to better quality shoes later and even though you technically don't need them poles with snow baskets do help. Kind of hard to get out of the summer mode when I use them all the time.

[Woody48]

If you are planning to snowshoe or winter camp in the New England or Adirondack areas check out the AMC web page or Views From The Top.
I would also recommend a book from the AMC called "Winter Camping" by Stephen Gorman. You could find the book on the AMC web page as well.

Winter is the best time of year for hiking and camping if you are prepared for it!

[Cookerhiker]

Thanks for all the good advice - looks like I'll start with snowshoes. Plenty of opportunities out here in the Allegheny Plateau where I live but I may also make a trp or 2 to New England or the Adirondacks.

Shelterbuilder, I have winter camped - in fact, I backpacked several nights in about 6-8" of snow with higher drifts in '05 SW Virginia as part of my AT section hiking. I liked the solitude, fresh clean air, views from leafless trees, no bugs, sunrises against snow -nothing like it.