Finally got out on snowshoes

[eckilson]

The good thing about living in southern New England is that we can usually paddle all winter. The bad thing is that we rarely get enough snow for snowshoeing. This year, the temps have been too cold for paddling, but we’ve had snow on the ground for the last few weeks. Last weekend we got about 18” of nice fluffy powder, and I finally got out to enjoy it yesterday.

It was 3-degrees when we met at a nearby state forest. We stayed off the busier trails, and spent most of the trip breaking our own trail through the woods in the fresh snow – it was great. The guy with the GPS (always have one) said that we did 2.3-miles, and averaged 3-miles per hour when we were moving. Its a good work-out and we took a lot of breaks. No rush - it was nice to get out.

Few pictures here:

Snowshoeing at F. Gilbert Hills State Forest - January 31, 2026

Explore this photo album by Erik Eckilson on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[tketcham]

Great to see you got a chance to get out on the shoes and take advantage of the storm! And breaking trail is the way to go, that's what snowshoeing is all about. Perfect cold weather activity.

I love snowshoeing, ever since I was a kid. My grandpa used to salvage snowshoes from the trash pile behind the VT Tubb's Snowshoe factory and repair them. They were rarely ever a matching pair (those would end up being his to use) so the snowshoes we were given were oddball pairs, often different widths/lengths, with an assortment of webbing, frame repair materials, and leather pieces to make bindings. We didn't care, it was just fun to snowshoe up on the hill and have a picnic in the snow.

I did get a pair of new Tubbs snowshoes for Christmas when I was in high school and used those for decades but now have modern aluminum frame shoes with nylon bindings. Not as aesthetic as the old Tubb's shoes but they don't break and have serrated-edge frames and cleats for icy conditions and steep pitches.

 

[scoutergriz]

I used to snowshoe extensively because a few of my friends live off grid on unmaintained logging roads, plus I like winter camping
when it comes to breaking trail in anything deeper than about 6" traditional Huron-style shoes were my go to, I've always found that modern shoes don't have enough flotation in deep powder and that snow would constantly collect on the decks, making them heavy, even the cleats drove me crazy because they'd often ball up with snow, making it feel like you were walking on stilts if you hit a hard crust or icy spot. the traditional shoes have a larger footprint so spread your weight better, are somewhat self- cleaning, and you can even glide down hard packed slopes. for traction I can alway take some shi**y yellow rope and wrap it around the toe bar if needed. I also like the wider track for pulling a toboggan- less riding up and rolling over.
But, because conditions can vary from packed trails to powder, and even condition of the snow,
it's really down to preference and type of snowshoeing you do