Snowshoes vs x country skis

I have heard and read a couple times now that skis are much more efficient at covering snow covered ground than snowshoes. But the only people I’ve seen using cross country skis have been hippies on groomed trails. Can anybody educate me on when and why a guy picks one over the other?

I used skis trapping beaver with my dad back in the 60s. You can cover ground faster with skis but if you are packing lots of beaver its probably better to build a good trail with snowshoes. That way in cold mornings you can usually run the trail without snowshoes.

If your in deep soft powder snowshoes work and skis do not. Get a trail packed in with snowshoes and you can scoot right along on skis. Or just regular dense snow. Sharp turns and hills are tricky. An argo with tracks is good when you get old and fat. Lots better than dragging a sled behind you.

there was a very good thread on this last year

someone who trapped a lot a few years on both had very good comments

I will go back and see if I can find it

ok I searched but didn't find it , now I am wondering if I read it somewhere else.

the short version is

it all depended on snow conditions

the guy as I recall it trapped the same line for 5 years first 2 on skis and next 3 on shoes

breaking trail is harder on skis but if you have a nice trail broken it becomes faster day the next day and day after that, however if you have blowing snow or new snow and your tracks fill in your breaking trail again and lose your glide.

snow shoes made breaking trail easier and it was still easier day 2 and 3 and such but it never got as easy as skis but it also wasn't as hard as breaking trail with skis

where skis get very efficient is when you have a bunch of people going one place or you can take advantage of down hill runs

like the Finnish army and their ski patrols in the winter war each man could take turns breaking trail and once the 2nd or 3rd guy was over it it was very efficient for every one else behind
established trails stayed more efficient

if you have the right snow conditions late winter where the freeze thaw has left a nice hard crust you can glide over it might also be much easier to ski

but if new deep powder every day shoes are the way to go.

I prefer the Mechanical snowshoe.
In the deep powder of the boreal forest sometimes you need to go ahead of the mechanical snowshoe with the non mechanical snowshoes to make sure the mechanical snowshoe doesnt get stuck.
I always carry a pair of non mechanical snowshoes on my mechanical snowshoe.

When I had to I have a pair of outback skis. They are wider but shorter than cross country skis

I have been using a scaled base backcountry skiing set up. Wider than cross country skis and much better control in steeper terrain. Breaking trail in powder is much easier than snow shoes or xc skis. I just keep my toes clipped in “walk mode” and able to ski trap all day long comfortably. They run great on groomed trail and hard packed narrow forest service trails as well. Been impressed with the efficiency of these for over snow travel. One of the disadvantages would be a trap line repair(a boots or binding or if i broke a ski tip would be unlikely but difficult to fix miles from the trailhead)

Many years ago the skis were much wider and much longer. I would guess that they would stay on top of snow better than todays cross country skis. My 3xgreat Uncle said they would use skis on their trapline to cover more ground. I’m guessing if the trail was started early and continued being used, it would be a solid trail. If a trail needs to be made in deep snow, I would say the snowshoes are the way to go. I’m not talking about them “snowshoes” the yuppies use on a groomed trail. I’m talking a real pair like Boco’s picture shows. I have a nice pair of Iverson Green Mountains 12x44 for when the snow is deep. I also have a pair of the old military magnesium shoes for the “shallow” snow. I don’t own a pair of skis but my Dad does have my Grandpas old wide and long wood skis. I should wax them up and give them a try.

I thought this was about rabbits!

Did someone say cottontail?

You got me! I guess snowshoes are hares aren't they?

Lol, yup

I got a big pair of Trapping snowshoes custom made in Fort Albany-I would break trail all day long in the deepest powder and never tire.
I also have a pair of winter moose hunting snowshoes made in Moose Factory.Smaller than the Albany shoes for quieter slower travel.in heavier bush.
The ones I carry on the snowmachine are just a commercial snowshoe,for checking ahead on the trail or for walking out on the snowmachine trail in case of breakdown.
You would tire very quickly in those shoes if you were travelling all day breaking trail in deep powder.

Good explanation Boco
But we all know you're maniacal

Boco, can you post a picture of the other 2 pairs of shoes?

Fort Albany trapping shoes.many hundreds of miles on those.


Moose Factory hunting shoes-not used much.


Traditional Cree snowshoes flex like a spring when you put your weight down and help lift your foot and shoe with each step when you learn the proper technique,why you dont tire on long treks especially with a heavy pack.
Poorly made commercial shoes will tire you out after a relatively short distance..

Are shoes made like that still available?

Awesome Boco

https://us-store.altaiskis.com/product/hok-skis-with-universal-pivot-bindings-copy/

After reading comments, I looked around and found these. There’s a few reviews of em out there from hunters and woodsmen. They certainly are interesting in concept.

Boco, i can't tell with the pics: are the toes on those wrapped with something and or dowled/screwed/rivited?

I use both, but prefer snowshoes. Skis are great if you've got a good trail that you can keep broken in but are terrible for traversing thru trees, brush or any kind of hill. You can pop the skis off and walk, but then you're post holing. Also, x-country ski boots aren't the best for hiking, or driving for that matter, if you're in and out of the truck a lot on your line. I've got a pair of Tubbs snowshoes and use them hard. My original pair blew out after 15 years and they replaced them for minimal cost. They're durable and can be strapped on/off quick without changing boots.

One of those marten became lunch.

I've only ever used snowshoes. Went through a few pairs. The best I've found for my use are no longer made. Cabela's used to sell an outfitter series snowshoe that was just a rebranded Atlas (even still said Atlas on it, but was never mentioned in info and when I asked a salesperson on the phone before I bought a pair who made them, they told me that they weren't at liberty to divulge. ??) that had the good ratchet bindings that you can do and undo quickly with gloves and stay tight, good solid decking (the woven stuff, or stuff with holes in it, doesn't work for me, I hike through too much brush and break too much trail, always getting limbs stuck through holes and tripping you up) and were well balanced so that the toe lifted and heel dropped when you lifted your foot without being too extreme, but I never had an issue with the toe going under the crust and tripping me up. They also had some spring to them like Boco describes (I'm sure not as good as his wood ones, but better than any other metal framed ones I've used) and good smooth stainless "claws" that gripped ice without having warm wet snow pack in them nearly as bad as the aluminum ones most snowshoes come with. On steep, icy/crusty ground I find those "claws" invalueable. Unfortunately I wore that pair out after about 10 years, actually wore through the decking from wearing them so much. Next pair I got were the same, except they had changed to a smaller lighter frame and I broke them. Lifetime guarantee but they had quit making them, so all I could do was get my money back. First pair I still have with the thought that if I can ever find the material they decked them with I will redo them myself. Now the only snowshoes I can find with the good ratchet bindings are various cheap chinese knockoffs. Which is what I am currently using, but I've tried about three different brands and I've got almost two years on my current pair, best I've done, but they look like the decking isn't going to last much longer, and none of them have been as comfortable or user friendly.

Nice

Doesn't anyone uses wide (7-8'') skis in North America, and moose leg hide skis in particular? Over here, virtually nobody uses snowshoes, except snowboarders and such. Good hunting skis have all the advantages of showshoes except you can move at 5mph easily....

Tatiana, I would have to dig for a picture of my own but used one of these a lot.

I agree with Tatiana and Jbro. With the right skis you can go further and faster than any snowshoe ever designed. In any depth snow.

Boco, Thanks for the pictures. The intentional curve out at the tip is nice.

40 years ago my older brother and I used bear paws to grouse hunt in deep snow in upstate NY each year. They worked ok but I always thought a slimmer style would have worked better.

The two pair on the left have Rottefella binding on them and I refinished the second pair from the left, and took off the old bear trap cable bindings. None of my skis will handle very deep snow. I like the Rottefella binding though, and I might make a pair, 10' long and 4-5 inches wide for deep , dry, forest snow.

I would be very interested to see a picture

I have seen some 4 to 4 1/2 inch skis but not many and not common

Voile skis

These are the skis I have similar to Jbro's 4ish at the waist 5 at the tips. Keep in mind, skiers trek/tour up mountains to ski back down them and powder is what they are after. Skis are definitely way more efficient in any condition in the backcountry, that said you need the right kind. Old cross country skis aren't made for powder, they are for groomers.

Here. This pair is made of Siberian pine wood (split, not sawn, for strength) by a Khanty craftsman. It's about 10 years old but still not much wear on it, except along the edge on the front part. The moose skins are sewn together with a nylon thread and glued to the skis with fish glue. Thanks to the stiff hairs you can trek up relatively steep slopes easily, because they don't slide backwards at all, and ski down, and the fur also makes them very quiet, which is necessary for stalking moose. This particular pair is about 5.5 feet long and 8 inches wide, which is enough to hold a total weight of ~200-220 pounds comfortably on any kind of snow. We use skis to check shorter traplines (up to 10 miles long) and for population surveying (which also usually involves 5-10 mile routes).






the straps are very simple. The bag is tied around the leg above the boot and serves to prevent snow from getting under the soles, so that it doesn't creak. You can use such skis with any type of boots. I usually wear insulated EVA boots, but for moose stalking, people wear soft insulated boots made of tanned moose leather or furred reindeer leg skins, to reduce noise.




Some people buy cheaper mass-market hunting skis, sold in all hunting/outdoors stores, usually made of thin aspen boards, and glue strips of moose leg skin to them. Some use cow and horse fur, but it doesn't work as well). Reindeer leg skins are also used sometimes; otter fur is a rare but also the most sought-after variant - otter skis are slightly less efficient for climbing steep hills, but they're also the quietest. There are also some commercial models made of laminated plywood with fur replaced by tufts of coarse hair glued into the lower surface, but I have no experience with them...

what a great read I have all ways used snowshoe ,

Great stuff Tatiana! Thanks for the pics and info.

I've heard a pole drag like this is a good early step in preparing a well groomed trail

1 thing that can make skis more effective is wax. Even the waxless skis (which are nice) can often benefit from glide wax properly placed on the skis