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Snowshoeing for Beginners

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Do you ski? A natural first question when someone finds out we moved to Denver. Nope. However, I’ve fallen in love with snowshoeing for beginners and that’s my way of embracing our winter wonderland.

In fact, I found this fun workout in 2011 with a trip to Snowbird, Utah!

The dry air and lack of wind on the mountain makes the 20 degree temps feel just fine. Of course I’m bundled up in a base layer, soft shell jacket and insulated jacket. But I’ll say that after 8 years of living in Florida, I adjusted pretty darn fast.

Snowshoe Tips for Beginners

I understand that skiing and snowboarding are WAY cooler spots, so part of me really wants to hit the slopes.

However, the truth is I have tried it in the past and didn’t really care for it. I’m not a daredevil, I am a klutz and I definitely have no desire to repeat knee surgery!

So whatever your reason might be, these snowshoeing for beginners tips are going to get you out in to the snowy winter wonderland with  a big smile!snowshoe tipsThus I was REALLY excited (yes capital letters excited) when I found out snowshoeing was an option.

And as my friends get older or go through their own injuries, I find they are pretty darn stoked about this way of enjoying winter with a little less risk.

Snowshoeing is a great workout because it provides cardio, strength and balance all at the same time. It’s a highly recommended cross training tool for endurance athletes.

And in fact, the calorie burn can be quite high due to the combination of all those components. 400-1200 calories per hour depending on how hard you’re working!

Getting Started

  • Consider going on a guided excursion the first time. This will help you with fittings and feeling comfortable going up and downhill.
  • Walk forward with normal steps (no need to swing legs out to the side)
  • Use poles for extra stability on hills and to test out ground you’re unsure of
  • Absolutely grab waterproof layers (more gear below)
  • Remember you’re out to have fun!

snowshoe Estes Park

What is Snowshoeing?

Before we get in to gear, a quick primer. Snowshoeing allows you to walk on top of the snow thanks to a webbed shoe that looks a bit like a tennis racket on your foot.

By dispersing the pressure of your weight, you’ll stay on top rather than sinking down as you would taking a step in your boots.

Snowshoe Gear

The first few times you go, feel free to rent gear! I gives you a chance to see how different shoes might feel on your feet.

It helped me realize that I really do need women’s snowshoes because of my narrow feet. It ensures the bindings stay tight enough that I don’t have issues with my feet moving too much on the snowshoe.

  • Wear a base layer to keep you warm and wick away sweat (you will sweat)
  • Wear your snow boots or waterproof hiking shoes as your feet will be getting wet
  • Use ski pants or another waterproof outer layer, largely useful in case you fall or simply are having fun in the snow
  • Layer up, don’t forget sunglasses due to the glare off the snow
  • And wear a hydration pack! You will need to stay hydrated, often want snacks due to the effort and can stash any layers as you get hot.

where to snowshoe colorado

Picking Snowshoes

Snowshoes have three basic parts:

  • Frame/Webbing – this is the flat portion of the snowshoe which determines the size and weight
  • Bindings – similar to skiing, you will see bindings to attach over your shoe and keep you on the frame
  • Crampons – on the bottom side are spikes that help to provide traction when you step

Snowshoe Size Matters

A larger frame is designed for lightly packed snow to help keep you on top and also useful for a larger person (height or weight).

Smaller frames are ideal for more tightly packed snow, trails that have already been packed downs some and often a better fit for female feet.

Buying Snowshoes

We eventually bought our own snowshoes to make it easy to run out when a good snow falls. Because we aren’t yet super experienced or competitive, we started with some budget versions.

They’re working great, though I think we will likely upgrade in the next year or two!

This beginner set came with poles and offers different sizes and met our needs. Here’s how you pick size:

  • 14 Inches : 30 – 70 lbs – young kids
  • 21 Inches : 70 – 150 lbs – older kids or shorter adults
  • 25 Inches : 120 – 180 lbs
  • 27 Inches : 175 – 225 lbs
  • 30 Inches : 180 – 250 lbs

Can you Run in Snowshoes?

Yes! There are plenty of snowshoe races, but for the average person you may like what I started using last year.

This rocker style from Cresent Moon made running much easier (though note it’s still a workout!). These are made from foam, so slightly different than traditional snowshoes, but I’m a big fan! And the foam makes them quite a bit cheaper than other options.running in snowshoes

Where to Snowshoe?

In Colorado, we have admittedly gone right out our back door when there’s over two feet of snow. But if you’re looking for something a little more groomed then most ski resorts have areas set aside for snowshoeing.

  • Start out on the cross country areas offered by many resorts
  • Checkout local trails (we use ones near our house and help pack things down for trail runners)
  • Local and state parks are a great place to play around
  • Don’t be afraid to forge your own trails in new snow (just make sure you aren’t in avalanche prone areas)

Where to snowshoe in Colorado?

As noted above we have often gone on trails near our home, but a few other favorites:

  • Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat
  • Estes National Park
  • Brainard Lake – this is high on my list for this year, but note it’s often very windy
  • Golden Gate State Park
  • Basically all of the big resort towns like Winter Park, Vail, Aspen

Snowbird Utah

This is where I first learned to snowshoe and it’s a great vacation spot.

About 45 minutes outside of Salt Lake, Snowbird is a full service resort with a variety of places to stay, eat and activities — heated outdoor hot tubs, snowshoeing, the Snowbird tram that goes up to 11,000 ft, skiing, snowboarding, heli-skiing, TONS of instructors and then of course all the great summer activities.

For hard core skiers/snowboarders, I can’t imagine a better place to go. There are runs everywhere, but without the chaos and lines you find in Colorado.

We were lucky enough to have a guide on our snowshoe tour who told us a little more about Snowbird.

  • Fantastic place for hiking in the summer
  • Their water is 99% pure, it barely gets filtered before drinking…man it tasted great
  • Mining tunnels still exist from the 1800’s from silver ore
  • Over 89 total ski runs

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Snowshoeing for Beginners

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Amanda Brooks is a Certified Running Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and long time distance runner with a passion for every facet of running, which leads her to do more reading, research and running than necessary. Find all the tips, tricks and tools you need from this running coach for your best injury free running. Read More…

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Amanda Brooks : Run Coach
A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might alr A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might already know what’s best for you, but aren’t doing it consistently. That’s the only way we really make changes.
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A PLAN can help, but I often don’t think that’s step one to making lasting change.
//
HABITS AND ROUTINES✴️
-Eliminate the need to make decisions.
-Which reduces brain fatigue.
-Which increases your chance of success.
//
TINY HABITS✴️
This is the smallest step you can take towards your goal. Often so small it seems insignificant, but is easy to make it a habit.
🌟
That leads you to another tiny habit, then another and suddenly it’s just your lifestyle.
👆👆👆
When people ask how I easily kept off 35lbs for over 15 years, while enjoying pizza, taking rest days and not obsessing about food.
👇👇👇👇
When people ask how I stay motivated to run year round and rarely race. Tiny habits.
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Day one isn’t eat perfect or run for an hour.
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Day one IS drink a glass of water when I wake up. Put on my running clothes.
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Day 30 is then more like after I drink my glass of water, I do 5 push ups. After I put on my running clothes, I do a 5 minute warm up.
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SLOW PROGRESS IS BETTER THAN NO PROGRESS, it builds momentum and is sustainable.
❔❔❔
Have you ever practiced creating tiny habits???
1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR? M 1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR?
Mine... satisfying.
😊
1900 miles blows away previous years.
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(swipe to see...because yes I love tracking.) Unfortunately I’m not positive what it was 2001-2007 because I wrote it on calendars.
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SATISFYING
🥰I needed the long miles early on to process my business being thrown for a loop. Bye bye book tour and partnerships.
😊I needed it after that to get away from the news and pretend I wasn’t spending all day alone. Then as my business shifted again to keep ideas flowing.
🌲I loved the time outside to think, get lost in a comedy podcast or audiobook. Otherwise I’m at home working!
🤩Without a single race, I still checked a big goal off my list of running an ultra distance (solo was very interesting!).
//
I’ve seen some posts that make it seem like we’re wrong for talking about what we achieved this year.
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It was a HARD FCKIN year for everyone, but guess what lots of years are. And not every year is great even without a pandemic.
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For all the lows this year, I also worked my ass off to make some really good things happen. And I’m extra proud of that.
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So let’s hear your word for fitness in 2020??
⬇️
Hard, easy, strong, powerful, consistent, cleansing, relaxing, nature, grace, grit, grind, triumph, building...
HAIR EMOJI POLL!!! Seriously hair...it’s a lot r HAIR EMOJI POLL!!! Seriously hair...it’s a lot right?! Figuring out what to do with it, color it don’t color it, keep it healthy, breakage from ponytails, long, short. And yet a good hair day😃 🔥 🌟
//
POLL:
🥰Love your hair
🤪Frustrated with your hair
1️⃣Natural curls
2️⃣Stick straight
👇👇👇
Curly friends: share your favorite tips!!
Long hair friends: what helps you keep it healthy?
👆👆👆
//
At 7 I could sit in my hair it was so long.
At 10 we started perms.
At 16 I had a full mane of hair I loved.
At 20 I learned I have naturally curly hair 😂after years of perms as a kid.
At 25 I was going blonde blonde blonde.
At 29 I began losing hair and it got so brittle I had to chop it off, due to the hormone issues.😭
At 35 my hair started to recover (as did my body), but never like that mane I loved as a teen.
At 39 I got my first curly haircut! I’m still figuring it out, but was amazed at how it looked.
//
I don’t wear much make up, but I do admit to really caring about my hair and it was a tough time when it felt so unhealthy.
//
I’m still struggling to figure out this new curly style 😂but keep hearing from other curly girls ya just gotta stick it out. So we’ll see.
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#curlygirlmethod #hairtalk
ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO RUN? Why don’t you just ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO RUN? Why don’t you just enjoy a day off? Don’t you feel guilty about the time apart?
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Yes.
It makes me happy.
No, if I’m happy our time together is better.
👇👇👇
MY VIEW IS THIS...
❌If you aren’t working out because of food guilt
❌If you aren’t missing big moments because you must workout
✅If you enjoy it and it improves your day
✅THEN GO FORTH and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for improving your mental and physical health.
//
❓Do you have guilt or get guilted about workouts for n holidays?❓
//
This has been my lifestyle so long that our families just know to expect that I’m gonna sweat. And of course, I’m lucky David wants this lifestyle too.
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BUTTTTT I remember those first trips to David’s family, where it really threw them for a loop. They still find it weird, but I sneak out before everyone gets up or have gotten them to do family things like the rec center.
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My best advice when asked has always been to try and calmly explain why it matters to you and then just go. They get over it or used to it.
🎁 🎄🕎
TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIZZA MY HEART 😂a reminder TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIZZA MY HEART 😂a reminder this holiday season that we all need to be loved differently...and pizza transcends all.
//
🍕Do you have a favorite local pizza place?🍕🍕
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Yes, I knead to know for when we can travel again.
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Here we fell in love in love with @saucyspizza and I wouldn’t be sad if I got it as a gift 😆
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#pizzamemes #eatlocal #denvercolorado #ilovepizza #lovememes #pizzagram #digiorno #papajohns #foodisfuel #longrun #womenwhoeat #carbsarelife
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Website written, managed and maintained by Amanda Brooks, a certified running coach and personal trainer. Any advice should be taken as general information and not a personalized plan. All opinions, tips and reviews are based upon her personal life experience and the experiences of those she has coached. View our full privacy and review policy.

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