I grew up cross-country skiing and loved it. My husband has never skied and our daughter just turned 3. I’d like us to get into a winter activity that fits our abilities & our budget.
I was thinking snow-shoeing might be a good start but don’t really know anything about it. It appeals to me because of the smaller size of equipment and you can use your own boots so it must be cheaper to start with.
So I have a few questions - is 3 too young to learn either sport? Are poles ever used for snow-shoeing? What else can you share about either activity? Thanks!
No, 3 is not too young but I’d be careful about taking someone that young out in deeper snow. Snowshoeing is very quick to learn; it’s just walking. There are some relatively cheap kids snowshoes. I’d definitely bring poles. They help in almost any situation but are most needed when climbing or descending.
IMO, skiing is more rewarding in the long run, but snowshoeing is a great way to get out there and enjoy the woods in winter. 3 is not too young to learn either, but it’s be easier to get your husband on snowshoes then it will be to get him on skis.
The problem with snow shoeing is that you get no glide. It’s just walking, but walking in big, clumsy shoes. I find it to be hard, hot work. XC skiing involves more falling down when you’re learning, but you do get a glide, and some minor thrills when going down hills. So it’s considerably more fun and you can cover more distance faster.
So, in my opinion, snow shoes for very deep snow, areas with lots of undergrowth and branches, or very steep ascents. XC skis for trails, any kind of snow except the really deep fluffy stuff, and open areas.
My idea was to go to popular cross-country ski trails in our area. But maybe they are not snow-shoe friendly? I definitely don’t want it to be a frustrating experience!
Do you think 3 (she just turned 3 yesterday) is too young to learn cross-country skiing? I am leery of the $$$ investment for all three of us if she doesn’t take to it.
I did one camping trip where everyone else had cross-country skis and I had snowshoes. I haven’t picked up a pair since. It was a completely and utterly miserable experience. You have to walk in an unnatural position with your legs apart, lift your feet high after each step, and constantly worry about the snowshoes getting hung up on obstacles. All of my friends arrived at the cabin an hour before me (one hung back so I wasn’t alone). They arrived a bit tired, and I arrived exhausted, sore, and dripping with sweat.
I prefer snowshoeing to skiing. I think it’s actually easier than cross-country skiing. Of course, how hard snowshoeing is really depends on the conditions - if you’re on a packed trail, it’s just like walking. If you’re in deep snow, it can be pretty hard, especially if you’re the one breaking the trail.
Snowshoeing is more versatile, IMO. You can just take off anywhere, whereas skiing more or less depends on a trail.
I’m not sure about a 3-year-old, but I did learn to cross country ski when I was 5. I heartily recommend getting into skiing at a young age. My family skied a fair bit when I was between the ages of 5 to, say, 10 or 12. Then I stopped for many years, and moved to Colorado. The first time downhill skiing I had absolutely no problems, and was doing black runs by the end of the year. It’s amazing how being confident of the simple skill of snowplowing to a stop can take all fear out of a big long steep downhill.
Oh yeah - my parents got me ski classes when I was 5. I think that helped a lot. But make sure you dress the lil’ one warmly, I have not-so-fond memories of coming home with frozen feet because my mother assumed I was smart enough to wear something other than frilly white socks.
Depending on the conditions, snowshoes will FUBAR a ski taril, so XC ski places are not likely to let you on the same trails. Call ahead first.
Snowshoes are more versitile, but more physical work, since you can’t glide. If you’re doing much uphill, I’d go for the snowshoes. Trying to do that herringbone thing on skis to get up hills sucks.
If you opt for snowshoes, definitely go for the modern metal and plastic ones. They’re much more narrow than the huge old wooden ones, and have almost as much floatation. I’ve used both, and the only time the old ones are better is when you’re on a few feet of fluffy powder, which isn’t that often in my area (YMMV). They force you to walk like yosemite sam, and it takes a lot out of you. The more modern ones only have a few inches sticking in between your feet, so it’s pretty much like a normal stride.
Snowshoes are easier to learn - as someone said - they are just walking, albeit with clumsy shoes on. You need to lift your feet a little higher and kinda kick off the snow, but it isn’t as tho you will fall down. And if you do, you can stand right back up.
Skis OTOH require at least some technique. They are not at all difficult, but a beginner will certainly fall a time or 2, and when they do, they need to know the proper way to get up. Skis can also pose problems going up or down hills.
When I used to run, I used to snowshow while my wife skied. Keeping up with her was essentially like jogging. A great workout. I tend to prefer things that require less specialized equipment - which leans me towards snowshoes over skis. Snowshoes are also easier in virgin snow.
If you snowshoe on ski trails - stay off the tracks. Nothing gets skiers more pissed then snowshoers destroying a set track. Well, people without snowshoes postholing is worse, but I digress.
If you’re on flat terrain, skis win all the time. For people new the to sport, hilly or uneven terrain is much easier on snowshoes then on skis. It’s easy to underestimate the difficulty facing a newbie on skis.
Modern snowshoes are smaller, narrower, and lighter then in days of old. They’re much easier to travel on then they used to be.
Not personal experience with snow shoes, but generally, snow shoe walks are advertised /offered in very different terrain = rugged, too steep for skis than Cross-country trails = little incline.
Do your ski resorts not have ski shops that offer the option of renting the full equipment (boots, skis, poles) for one day for about 20-40 Bucks???
If not, are there no special sales of used kiddies winter sport stuff right before the winter starts? Popular over here because kids grow out of stuff so quickly, the stuff is hardly used, and everybody needs new things.
Although I learned cross-country skiing later, I think that 3 is not too young if she can move well for age (kids vary a lot at that age). True, Alpine skiing schools start at 5, but then the boots are heavier and cumbersome than Cross-country ski boots. I think because those boots are soft, they will be easier. You also don’t have to spend money on lift tickets, so if she’s tired after half an hour (a lot for a small kid!) she can sit out for some time and you don’t loose money. (Bring a sled and a thermos and lunch, so she can take a rest, and gloves, and let her build a snowman or have a snowball fight. And check to see if her feet are cold - the boots are thin).
I would also advise, because she is so young, to make it all a game and play, not a learning experience. The real sliding movement will probably take some time to learn - though you can buy soft ice skates and soft inliners for the other times of the year. Once she has learned the basic glide, the related sports will be easier and fun for her. If you don’t make any stress, she will probably have fun being together in the snow with Mom and Dad playing, and not notice that some games are practises to learn a specific movement.
Also, small kids learn best (though inefficent to our eyes) by simply fooling around and trying out everything, and gradually finding among all the “wrong” moves the movements that work better. (Older children and adults start ice skating by moving in that slide already; younger children try to walk like normal shoes and eventually discover sliding on their own - what an awesome discovery for them! And fun. If you have enough time, the least stressful and most rewarding teaching method for kids.
Unless she really gets stuck in a wrong movement, then you suggest a different move and show her.)
One thing that sounds like a good idea to use with snowshoes - but I haven’t tried it myself yet - is the ruckxbob. Rucksack = backpack + X = cross-country + bob = sledge. It’s a plastic cube that’s used a sledge downhill, but can be fitted with a strap system to carry like a backpack uphill. Downhill, you stow gear either inside the bob or use the strap system to carry the snowshoes on your back. (At the mountain closest to my home town, Brauneck, some ski schools/lenders offer packaged deals of borrowing snow shoes and a ruckxbob together for one day to try out on a mountain trip, but we didn’t have a lot of snow the last two years.)