[pct-l] Snow Shoes vs. Timing for snow on a thru

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

Bravo, Mark! And this is what we mean by "test hikes." Listen to what others 
have to recommend, then go out and see if it works for you in the conditions 
you expect.



Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Hudson" <mhudson89521 at att.net>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>; "Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes" 
<diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 1:05 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snow Shoes vs. Timing for snow on a thru


I have spent most of this year working up to longer sustained hikes. I have
worn full boots on all of them until now. Just last week, I bought a pair of
merrill trail runners, and went on a 15 mile day hike.

What a difference. I was truly shocked how much better it was in the trail
runners vs my boots. My average speed increased significantly over the total
hike, and I was not as tired at the end. I read somewhere of an army study 
that
cited that one pound on your foot was equivalent to 5 lbs on your back.


In my switch I took over 2 lbs off the weight of my footwear and I wont go 
back
unless I am in snow full time.




________________________________
From: "gwschenk at socal.rr.com" <gwschenk at socal.rr.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net; Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes
<diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
Sent: Tue, October 26, 2010 10:10:07 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snow Shoes vs. Timing for snow on a thru

I've come to prefer good fitting boots again after having tried trail 
runners
for a few years. The dirt that works into the shoe is very hard on my feet,
especially the decomposed granite grit of the Sierra.

Gary

---- Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:
>
> On Oct 25, 2010, at 9:06 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> >
> > Someone wrote about hiking in Chaco's.
>
> That was me. They don't work in the snow. The snow accumulates under
> your toes making it hard to walk. Every few steps I had to shake the
> snow out. Chacos also have piss-poor traction on snow or anything. I
> have been thinking of having them resoled at the cobbler to put a
> real sole on. Chaco USA will just put the same sole on.
>
> > I haven't tried them, but we have
> > gravitated toward simpler and lighter shoes. Our current shoe
> > preferences
> > have almost no support. They are a slab of foam with some mesh to
> > hold it
> > under the foot. They're very light, and our feet are stronger and
> > ache less.
>
> What shoes are these?
>
> I have been moving toward simpler shoes, too. First I switched from
> leather boots to light canvas boots. Then from high tops to low tops.
> The switch to low tops was miraculous for me. I have ankles like tree
> stumps and finally I could USE them! Then I made a mistake and bought
> motion control shoes on the trail and broke my feet completely and
> had to get off. So I made sure after that to get shoes that were
> flexible. Still wasn't quite enough because all the heel rise and
> especially that crater your forefoot falls into caused pain. Not to
> mention that they just don't make shoes shaped like a real foot.
> Chacos have a huge arch bump which can bother me, but otherwise are
> pretty simple. Hopefully I will be able to make something that works
> for me. It's pretty much come to that, I'm afraid.
>
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