What do you visualize when someone says lets go snowshoeing?  Do you see a mountain man trudging through the deep snow with animal pelts from his trap line slug over his shoulder, and snowshoes with heavy bent-wood frames and rawhide webbing. Those days are gone. Today's snowshoes are made of lightweight hi-tech alloy frames and special fabric netting with improved bindings. The mountain man and his pelts have been replaced by recreation-minded folks with daypacks out enjoying winter's beauty. The advancements in snowshoe design have made it one of the easiest winter sports to learn. Fifteen minutes of practice and a few inches of snow is all you need to get started. Equipment is easy to use and inexpensive when compared to gearing up costs for other sports. Snowshoeing can be enjoyed by people of all ages and levels of physical fitness. It isn't just for serious athletes, it's a winter sport that almost anyone can enjoy. 

Ease of learning, relative low cost of gearing up, and minimal requirements for physical fitness have contributed to snowshoeing becoming one of the more popular winter activities. Snowshoeing enthusiasts say if you can walk, you can snowshoe. Beginners can start by renting a pair of snowshoes from one of the local outfitters. They can also suggest the best locations for your outing. Professional guides can take you into Central Colorado's scenic backcountry and provide tips that will help you get the full enjoyment out of the sport of snowshoeing. The Central Rockies have exceptionally scenic snowshoeing trails. Backcountry huts linked by over 300 miles of trails are available for rent. A word of caution, all backcountry travelers should check local weather and avalanche conditions before entering the backcountry of Colorado in winter.

Snowshoeing Trails

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General Backcountry Safety--This training program was prepared by Charley Shimanski of the Mountain Rescue Association Education Committee. It is an introductory course in backcountry safety for those with little or no experience in mountainous and backcountry terrain. This file is in Adobe Acrobat (PDF). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file. If you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, click the image below to download it now.

(All backcountry recreationist should read this. It could save your life in an emergency.)