skishoes, snowshoes, cross-country skis, ski-snowshoes, snowshoe-skis, gliding snowshoes, sliding snowshoes, backcountry skis, powder skis

 

Using Trackers Skishoes

 

Familiar techniques with a twist

skishoes, snowshoes, cross-country skisski-snowshoes, snowshoe-skis, gliding snowshoesski-snowshoes, snowshoe-skis, gliding snowshoes

Using Trackers gliding snowshoes is easy! While schussing on them may be similar to the snowshoeing or skiing you already do, a few new techniques come into play. Most of the time, you’ll find yourself kick-and-gliding like you would with cross-country skis on normal snow surfaces and stepping like you would with snowshoes on treacherous terrain.

 

Going down moderate slopes, you can keep the skishoes straight and continue the diagonal stride. In fact, if it's a powder day, this is what we live for. Straight-line skiing through pow, like downhill skiers do in knee-deep soft stuff, is the ultimate skishoeing experience - you've hit the sweet spot!.

 

On steeper trails, you can use a telemark-like back-and-forth maneuver to spread your base and improve stability. If you get even steeper, you can snowplow just like with conventional skis and even make turns to traverse back and forth to control speed. With our shorter length, you can do this on a narrower trail than with conventional skis. One thing to keep in mind is that for crustier snow, the sliding crampons will grip and slow you on the downhills. In some cases, you can just walk down a slope.

 

For climbing, you can glide the hybrid snowshoes as conditions allow, but on steeper slopes, it works better to pick them up and take steps, allowing the tracking fins to grip better. You can herringbone the skis, just like with the cross-country variety. If it gets too steep, or you have a long slope to climb, you may want to use the climbing skins.

 

Videos

Harold Schrawder of Limestoneville, PA, on only his second time ever on skis,
romps through a foot of powder with his dog Chase:

Music: "Upbeat Forever" by Kevin MacLeod