Where to go snowshoeing

It’s a bit like the difference between jet skiing and wild swimming. One gets you from A to B fast, with dubious environmental impact. The other gets you there slowly, serenely, with care for wildlife and the environment and way off the beaten track. So, although you might go snowshoeing in Chamonix, for example, you will access parts of the mountain that the downhill posse don’t go near. You can combine the virtuosity of volcanoes with snowshoeing up Mount Etna or in Iceland. Discover parts of the Alps unknown to downhillers, such as the Écrins or Mercantour National Parks. Or discover countries such as Albania, Romania and Bosnia for a whole new cultural experience in mountain life.

Tom Wilkinson, showshoeing expert at our supplier, Exodus Travels, shares his snowshoeing travel advice: “If you can walk you can snowshoe. There are of course techniques/tips for going up and down, and through deeper snow, but really this is the winter sport anyone can do. With snowshoes a beginner can access places usually reserved for red hot off-piste skiers – and you’re far less likely to crash into a tree on snowshoes! Aside from thinking you’ll be using tennis racquets (modern snowshoes are sleek and light) people can forget that if you’re walking in deep snow, walking in single file means the person at the front does all the work breaking the trail, though good etiquette is to take turns doing that!”

Eric Lasserre, proMONT-BLANC, an organisation that seeks to protect the Mont Blanc massif, gives his advice on safety in the mountains: “In the Chamonix valley alone there are 130 avalanches corridors. So, if you are going off piste snowshoeing or cross country skiing, or even hiking, you need to be aware of this, as it is likely you will cross one of them. Avalanches can often last up until the month of May with big springtime avalanches, so you need to be wary of avalanche warnings.”