Boots for Snowshoeing

Boots for snowshoeing: the essential criteria

Boots for snowshoeing: shoes designed to tackle the snow

You might guess, to face the snow that can sometimes reach up to your knees (even with snowshoes!), it is essential to opt for boots for snowshoeing that are high-cut. The first reason, obvious, is to keep your feet warm, but also to prevent any entry of snow into your boots for snowshoeing. Because once your feet are wet, it will be very difficult to warm them up and fully enjoy your outing in the powder! To avoid shivering during your hike, high-cut boots are therefore more than an option; they are a necessity. The second reason, more subtle, concerns your stability and ankles. Indeed, in the snow, it is much more complicated to be stable, especially on snowshoes. Thus, to support your foot and your ankle, high-cut boots for snowshoeing are ideal. However, while high-cut boots provide good protection for your feet against the snow, that is not enough. If your boots are wet, indeed, no matter the height of the shaft of your boots for snowshoeing, your feet will be exposed! And you have probably already experienced this: against the snow, non-waterproof boots do not last long, especially in the face of powder! This is where the second selection criterion comes into play, which is none other than the waterproofing of your boots for snowshoeing.

It is wise to equip yourself with waterproof boots for snowshoeing... unless your boots are not breathable. Indeed, to avoid the sauna effect in your boots for snowshoeing, it is necessary to consider the level of breathability of your boots for snowshoeing. Thus, to prevent your feet from getting soaked not from snow, but from sweat, opt for boots for snowshoeing with a good level of breathability, especially if you plan to undertake physically demanding hikes. For simple walks, however, breathability is less important and will therefore be a less significant criterion in choosing your boots for snowshoeing. However, one criterion is common to all levels of practice: warm boots! In the face of low temperatures, your boots for snowshoeing must be both warm and breathable, to keep your feet comfortable throughout the day.

Boots for snowshoeing: what about insulation?

If the waterproof membrane protects your feet from water and moisture, it does not provide any warmth to your feet, which they desperately need! In this regard, many boots for snowshoeing come with linings for increased insulation and thus a much greater thermal contribution. Depending on the conditions you will face and the varying temperatures, it is possible to find models that give you, like sleeping bags, the comfort temperature of your boots for snowshoeing. This will allow you to choose a model or another of boots for snowshoeing based on your practice and the temperatures you are used to facing. If you are more of a Sunday hiker who takes short walks, prioritize significant insulation, which will keep your feet warm enough during your outing. For an intermediate hiker, slightly less insulation will suffice, as you will normally be almost continuously moving and thus will need less of a significant heat contribution (which does not apply at high altitudes, however!).

If insulation, waterproofing, and breathability are the three basic criteria to respect when choosing your boots for snowshoeing, practice also plays a role in this choice. Hikes, walks, or true expeditions, your needs will not be the same, and thus your boots for snowshoeing will be impacted.

Choosing your boots for snowshoeing according to your adventures

Hiking boots for snowshoeing: short hikes

Versatile, hiking boots can also serve as boots for snowshoeing if you plan to undertake day hikes on moderately technical terrain. The important thing is that your boots for snowshoeing are waterproof, insulated, and breathable. It is also important, of course, that they are high-cut, just like any boots for snowshoeing. Offering a certain lightness and a natural stride, hiking boots are ideal companions for your winter hikes that do not require particular technicality. Our models of hiking boots for snowshoeing:

-Bugaboot Plus III Omni-Heat -Columbia

-Renegade GTX Mid -Lowa

-Renegade GTX Mid Ws -Lowa

Winter boots and après-ski for snowshoeing: short walks

Another option, winter boots and après-ski can serve as boots for snowshoeing. This is especially true if you occasionally use these boots for walking in the snow and they are waterproof. However, this is only possible if you only plan on short walks, on nearly flat terrain and without excessive powder. Indeed, this type of boots is not suitable for a true hike, as their breathability is extremely low, as is the support for your feet. However, for a simple walk, they will do perfectly: no need to invest in special boots to enjoy a short walk in the snow without difficulty! This is not the case for the more seasoned who embark on long and technical expeditions. Our models of winter boots and après-ski for snowshoe walks:

-1964 Pac Nylon -Sorel

-Caribou -Sorel

-1964 Pac 2 -Sorel