Getting Fitted: Float Depends on the Snow, Not Just Your Weight
Okay, let's talk fit. This is the lesson I actually get wrong-headed answers on the most, because everybody assumes it's just about your weight and it's honestly not.
Here's the thing. Snowshoe sizing is about float, which means how well the shoe keeps you on top of the snow instead of punching through it. And float depends on two things together: how much weight the shoe's holding up, and how the snow's behaving that day. Same person, same shoes, two different days, two totally different experiences. I learned this one the hard way.
My postholing lesson
I rented a pair once without asking a single question. Told the guy my weight, he handed me a pair, I said thanks and left. Snow that day was fresh, soft, maybe a foot of new stuff sitting on an unconsolidated base. Those shoes were sized for my weight fine, but they were too small for what the snow needed. I was punching through with almost every other step, sinking to my shin, hauling my leg back out, over and over. Miserable. My legs were toast by mile two and I hadn't even covered any real ground.
That's when it clicked. Snow density changes the math completely. Dry powder needs more surface area to hold you up. Snow that's gone through a few freeze-thaw cycles and firmed up, or got tracked out by other people, holds you up just fine on a smaller shoe. Same weight, same person, different shoe entirely.
So now I actually ask the rental guy questions instead of just giving my weight and walking off. Worth the extra two minutes.
What to actually ask for
When you're renting or borrowing, tell them three things:
- Your weight, plus your pack weight. If you're hauling a kid or a full day pack, add that in. Doesn't need to be exact, just don't lowball it.
- What the snow's been doing. Fresh powder in the last day or two, or has it settled? Been above freezing lately, or cold and dry? This is the part people skip and it's the part that matters most.
- Where you're going. Groomed trail versus breaking your own path through untouched snow needs different sizing. For this class we're groomed only, which actually makes things easier on you, more on that in a different lesson.
If the rental place is any good, they'll ask you this stuff before you ask them. If they don't, ask anyway. A decent rental shop would rather size you right than deal with you coming back annoyed.
The at-home version
If you're using shoes you already own or borrowed from someone (looking at you, if you borrowed off a Darren-type friend like I did), here's a rough way to think about it without overthinking it.
Bigger, wider shoes: better float in deep or soft snow, worse for hardpack or narrow trail because they're clunkier to walk in.
Smaller, narrower shoes: fine on packed or firm snow, will absolutely posthole you in fresh powder.
Most groomed foothill trails, which is where we're spending our time in this class, run on the firmer side because they get tracked down by other hikers. So a mid-size shoe is usually the safe call for what we're doing. If we get a big dump the night before class, I'll say something ahead of time so you know to size up if you're renting.
Opinion time
Fancy trekking poles are, honestly, overrated for beginners. People spend way more time picking pole brands than they spend thinking about snowshoe fit, and it's backwards. Fit matters way more than what's in your hands. I hike without poles half the time. Get the shoes right first, worry about poles later if at all.
The Keith afternoon
My dad came out with me once, mostly to prove to himself he still could. We got him into shoes that were honestly a size bigger than he needed for how firm the trail was that day, just to be safe, since he's not out there often and I didn't want him working harder than necessary. He made it about a mile and a half, planted himself on a log, and announced that was "plenty." I didn't push it. We just sat there a while. Good afternoon anyway, no drama, nobody needed to prove anything past that log.
That's kind of the point of getting the fit right. When the gear's working with you instead of against you, you can just be out there. You're not fighting your own feet the whole time.
One real caution here: if you do end up punching through wet or slushy snow near any low spot, pay attention to whether there's water running underneath. I've gone in to the knee before on a spot that looked like solid ground. It's covered, not gone.
Before next time: if you're borrowing or renting for our first trip, take five minutes and actually think through recent snow conditions before you show up, and don't be shy about asking the rental counter what they've been seeing that week.