Snowshoes vs. Cross Country Skis – Which One Should You Choose?

Posted by

When the weather becomes snowy and the winter seasons are upon, what better way to cruise through the winter than having some fun skiing activities with friends. Most outdoor activities lovers might have stored away their gears for the season, however, going dormant is not the way to go. Winter is as well a good time to create memories and taste the sweetness that lies on and deep within the snows.

It’s sure true that downhill skiing is not the supreme, neither is it the only sport to enjoy, snowshoeing and cross country skiing are interesting sports to indulge in as well. Incredibly thing about them is that they are quite affordable and readily available as compared to downhill skiing. But the question that comes to mind is definitely around the differences that lie between snowshoeing and cross country skiing, as well as the similarities, which one is better.  More importantly, you would want to have the knowledge of what a snowshoe and a cross country ski looks like.

NameFeatures
G2 GO2GETHER Snowshoes Kit AdventureEasily Adapts to Any Type of FootwearPRICING
Atlas Elektra Access SnowshoesVery Adjustable BindingPRICING
Lucky Bums SnowshoesVery Lightweight With Aluminum FramePRICING
Yukon Charlies Sherpa SnowshoesQuik Clik II Ratcheting BindingPRICING
Alpina Control 60 Cross Country Ski PackageSpeed Lacing SystemPRICING
Rossignol Evo XC 60 Tour Cross Country Ski PackageNo-tool AdjustabilityPRICING
SALOMON Escape 5 Grip Cross Country Ski PackageG2 Plus Base Provides Secure Grip and GlidePRICING

Snowshoeing

When you think about snowshoeing, you can consider it as a prolonged hiking season because virtually any high rising hiking trail can come to be a trail for snowshoeing when winter starts. This of course gives the activity a more enduring prospect to enjoy to the fullest.

Yukon Charlies Sherpa Snowshoes (Amazon)

Talking about snowshoes, they are a piece of skiing gear that are easy to store almost in any manner you had keep your boots. You can easily stack them up in the car or you can fasten them to your backpack for proximity sake. In actual sense, snowshoeing is as simple as hiking on trails covered by snows with the use of simplistic and dedicated gears to keep your weight spread as you slide down the snow.

Snowshoes come in different types and include Flat Terrain Snowshoes, Mountain Terrain Snowshoes, Rolling Terrain Snowshoes. The flat terrain snowshoe is perfect for people who are just starting out as a skier and also for families. They come with easily adjustable binding and offers a soft and less hostile traction system. The rolling terrain snowshoes are created exclusively to function on almost all terrains except icy or very sloppy terrains. They usually come with sturdier bindings and more hostile crampons than the flat terrain types. The mountain terrain snowshoes are meant for very difficult terrains which are very sloppy, icy, and mountainous. They are feature very strong crampons and rocky bindings.

Cross-country Skiing

Cross-country skiing is sometimes referred to as Nordic skiing and as opposed to snowshoeing, cross-country skiing is quite strenuous and takes time to be really good at it. However, compared with downhill skiing, the fact still remains that it is a lot easier to do than downhill skiing, and that is not at the expense of the thrills that come with it. No wonder it is such a great outdoor sport for families during the winter times with their young kids. It is also as affordable as the snowshoeing.

SALOMON Escape 5 Grip Cross Country Ski Package (Amazon)

There are some differences that differentiates cross country skiing from the others and that includes it being done on gentler terrains. Also, it takes a lot of effort to balance as you coordinate your ski movement across the snow terrains. So, yeah, it gives you a lot of opportunity to enjoy some level of cardiovascular workouts.

For each of these skiing types are different ski gears and we have carefully selected the best of the bests in the market.

Snowshoes

1. G2 GO2GETHER Snowshoes Kit Adventure

The G2GO2GETHER Snowshoes are one of the best snowshoes you will find in the market today. It is well recognized for its strength and the durable materials it is built from. It is ideal for skiers whose weight is 15o to 250lbs or thereabouts. It is highly accessorized and comes with features which make it all the more of a perfect choice for very icy winter snows. The whole G2 GO2GETHER consists of trekking poles made of aluminum and foam handle, winter baskets, and a ski (travel) bag for packing your gears.

To ensure durability, the G2 GO2GETHER snowshoes are designed with aluminum alloy which are essential for offering traction as well as decking especially when you are skiing on very steep and rough terrains. It comes in different sizes with respective weight capacity -30 inches specifically designed for maximum weight of 250lb, 25 inches designed for a maximum weight of 200lb, and 21 inches for 150lb.

The G2 GO2GETHER features a dual ratcheting binding which has been stuffed with foam to provide comfortability and readily adapts to many types of footwear. Its resistant flexibility reaches as high as (-)40 Fahrenheit. When moving up the hill, its heel lift system is certain to help you all along. The crampons are durable, being made of Manganese steel alloy and is compatible with all terrains on which it offers superior traction.

One other interesting thing about the G2 GO2GETHER is that it is excellently lightweight. It features an aluminum frame of Alloy 6061 which offers a dependable platform and the HDPE decking it comes with offers fantastic floatation.

Pros

  • Provides excellent traction
  • Very lightweight
  • Easily adapts to any type of footwear
  • Durable crampons
  • Very strong support and sole construction

Cons

  • Stores up snow and may freeze up at the bottom

2. Atlas Elektra Access Snowshoes

The Atlas Access Elektra Snowshoe is a one of a kind recreational snowshoe with stylish design and aluminum body parts. The snowshoe comes with a number of trail kinds and levels of expertness too and can work just fine either on thick snow, icy or powdered terrains.

One of the things you will also find interesting especially if you are a woman is how the snowshoes have been shaped with a narrow tip and elongated trails. This allows for the biomechanics of women’s inherent style of walking. You will also find that the binding is designed in such a way to fit a woman’s shape of boot. This binding is also easily adjustable for ensuring maximum comfortability when you ski on longer trails.

Its NYTEX decking offers the snowshoe enough lightweight and adaptable durability. With this snowshoe on, you are prepared to take on and tackle rough and rolling terrains; thanks to its Heel Lift bar feature which helps by absorbing legs fatigue on steep terrains. As you tackle these uneasy slopes, your feet are well secured by its WRAPP trail binding specifically meant to offer comfy support for your feet. The LRS suspension feature also works altogether to offer you a great blend of usefulness and comfortability.

Pros

  • Very strong and durable
  • Incredibly comfortable
  • Very adjustable binding
  • NYTEX decking

Cons

  • Made only for women

3. Lucky Bums Youth and Adult Snowshoes

Perhaps you are embarking on a ski adventure with your family and you need some pair of snowshoes for your young kids, the Luck Bums will certainly be a great fit. It doubles as a perfect snowshoe for adults as well. Over time, it has been the best pick for most parents when buying for their kids. This is largely due to its outstanding quality and affordability.

The Lucky Bums was founded in 2004 by Julie and Jeff who are core outdoor lovers. For Lucky Bums, high performance as well as versatility is the real deal. These snowshoes are for all ages and are claimed to be almost indestructible by the manufacturers.

So that you can easily bring the kids along with you for skiing, the snowshoes have been designed to be kid friendly with adjustable bindings. No matter how you or your kids use the Lucky Bums, it is built to last as it was designed with weightless aluminum frame. The decking provides a long lasting sturdiness and the Lucky Bum’s metal toe crampon offers a uniform and concrete traction in the dense snow.

With the Lucky Bums carry bag, you can store away your gears and easily fasten it to your back with its shoulder straps while you move from one part of the terrain to the other.

Pros

  • Very lightweight with aluminum frame
  • Kid friendly
  • Versatile and can be used by both young and adult
  • Straps on bag for fastening

Cons

  • Some come with low quality binding
  • Sizes not accurate as labeled

Cross-country Skis

4. Alpina Control 60 Cross Country Ski Package

Cross country skiing is one exciting sport to indulge in, it gets all the more interesting with the right gears handy. Cross country packages are fantastic and they come with almost everything you need to go all out and make the best of your skiing adventure. The Alpina Control 60 is a brilliant package of skis, ski shoes, and poles. It is one of the best cross-country ski packages you will see out there.

The manufacturers claim you can select the boots, poles and skis based on your size, weight and height just so you can have the right fit and boost your performance. The ski is perfect for groomed trails and will carry you through your skiing in an excellent fashion and style.

If you are a beginner and just looking to have a bite of what it feels with cross country skis, this is the right fit for you. The Alpina Control 60 has been designed to be stable, versatile and readily set for any ski adventure on virtually any winter terrain. The ski features a wax-free grip zone which provides a dependable glide and kick.

The Alpina features a Thinsulate insulation system –perfect for keeping your feet warm even in the snow. It features a superior heel counter to keep your ankle and feet in good position ensuring maximum comfort. The collar of the Alpine is incredibly soft and wouldn’t scratch the wrists of your ankle region all through your time in the snows and beyond. With its Speed Lacing system, you can always lace up the boot in a quick manner and hop on the track as fast as possible. The shoes can be worn on and off the ski trails. It also features a soft boot flex which provides a unique and classic ski function. Its straps are adjustable and the pole has a high-compatibility basket.

Another interesting feature of the Alpina Control 60 is the Rottefella Auto Tour Classic Binding which comes installed with it. Furthermore, the binding adjusts automatically and fits just quickly with the newest models of the NNN/Rottefella soled cross country boots. More so, the binding is easily adjusted to both forward and backward so as to achieve more grip and more glide respectively.

Pros

  • Fantastic traction for uphill tracks
  • Superior Rottefella bindings
  • Thinsulate insulation system for great comfortability
  • Adjustable straps and universal basket
  • Speed Lacing System

Cons

  • Boots punch seem weightier than they look

5. Rossignol Evo XC 60 Tour Cross Country Ski Package

If anything can alter the mindset that cross-country skiing is tedious, it definitely has to be this. The Evo XC is perfect for beginners who are having a hard time getting their foot in the skiing world as well as the experts who are looking to keep up their winning space. It is one of the best cross country Ski for Rossignol company because of its lightweight, superior glide and fantastic versatility.

The Rossinol Evo XC features a soft tip which offers a high performance glide in varying snow conditions. It comes with a ski boot which is very comfortable and incredibly warm to the feet. The kit also comes with the Men’s Salomon Escape Prolink Boot or the Women’s Salomon Vitane Prolink Boot depending on the user choice. The boot is designed with a Salomon touring fit, a single material outsole, a heel reinforcement on the inner, a cover for the lace with zip on the middle. For the Women’s Vitane, it is designed with a fleece and fit lining.

The installed Turnamic bindings of the Rossignol are automatic and very seamless to use. It works superbly by sliding right unto an already mounted plate on the ski. The binding plate is very wide and are safely attached so as to provide all-out transfer of power to the skis. It offers easy adjustment feature which does not require any tool to achieve. You can always move both forwards and backwards to achieve superior grip and sufficient glide respectively.

Pros

  • Very comfortable and warm
  • Available for both men and women
  • No-tool adjustability
  • Superior grip and glide power
  • Internal heel reinforcement feature

Cons

  • Quite pricey

Conclusion

The lists of skis available out there in the market may be the endless but the best of the bests are always different from the pack. Whether snowshoeing is your taste or you are ready for a cross-country skiing over the mountain trails, you have got the right company with any of the above skis.

You may also like: