I'm posting this here cause we don't have a Winter Newbie sub-forum yet (but this might get one going.)

I've been reading everything here in Winter Hiking & Snowshoeing for a couple months now since I moved to CO and want to get in on some winter trekking, starting with snowshoeing.

I bought a pair Tues., actually a kit of shoes, poles/baskets and bag, at Costco for cheap to get me thru this first season. Something to learn on. They're 9 1/2 by 30 Yukon Charlie's. I had been watching craig's list, perusing the garage sales, even getting an offer of an old free pair from food (thanks!), but I couldn't take a man's back-up pair in case he or a guest hiker might need them.

So the day after I buy them we got a couple feet of snow down here in the South Suburbs of Denver. There's a little park next to where I live, so first I tried them on and fitted the bindings in the apt. -- I even watched some "How To" snowshoe videos on Youtube, which were pretty basic, even for me.

I suited up and walked over to the park and put the shoes on where they shovelled the walk and took my first babystep into the snow, which was about 20" deep. My shoe went straight down to the grass (still green, BTW). Two more steps and the same thing.

My first reaction was thinking I should return them claiming that they didn't work. I backed out and took them off to regroup.

Someone told me you only snowshoe in the mountains, but there has to be more to it than that. The snow has to be so deep to pack itself down to walk on it? I realize this is a naive question, but I'm curious on when/where I can use these %&$! things. (I hope to someday look back on this first attempt and laugh.)

(Note: I did have enough sense, for the sake of others, especially those with the COLORADO NATIVE bumperstickers, to not drive in it -- I live close and walk to work, sans the snowshoes.)
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- kevon

(avatar: raptor, Lake Dillon)