Snowshoeing is a fun winter recreation activity whose popularity has stayed strong since its inception and right up through today. It’s also a popular and easy way to get around in snowbound areas during the winter. Nowadays, there are many types of snowshoes for many types of activities. Here’s a rundown of each type to help you choose the right snowshoes for your lifestyle and activity.

The three main types of snowshoes are:

Running & Aerobic Style

These snowshoes were built with lighter weight materials than normal snowshoes to allow for faster movement. They also feature an extra cleat or cleats for additional traction while you are running or walking fast. Also, the bindings will allow for you to insert running or athletic shoes, so they lace up and cradle as well. There are actually snowshoe races, and this is the type of snowshoe that is used in that type of race. This type of snowshoe is right for anyone who will need to move fast or just wants to walk around their town. These are not appropriate for snowshoeing in rugged terrain.

Mountaineer Style

Mountaineer style snowshoes are built much tougher and heavier than, say, running style snowshoes. This is for added traction and stability on steep and icy hills. They typically include larger crampons to achieve this added traction. The binding will also be able to accommodate larger shoes including climbing shoes and boots. Extra heavy duty material is used to create mountaineer style snowshoes, for better performance during different types of weather situations and various types of terrain. This also makes mountaineer style snowshoes the best choice for walking in deeper snow. Mountaineering snowshoes are the right choice for any serious snowshoeing enthusiast.

Hiking/Recreation Style

This type of snowshoe tends to be the most popular as it is appropriate for hiking, backpacking and light to moderate terrains. Recreation style snowshoes are made to be comfortable, with ease of use and value as a big selling point. This type of shoe is excellent for all around use, light use and the occasional hiker.