By Victoria Gaither
With freshly fallen snow on the ground, it’s time to get out the snowshoes.
“Snowshoeing is good outdoor exercise,” said Heather Smith.
Smith, who is visiting Killington with her family, isn’t into skiing, but snowshoeing is a different story.
“Killington area, you can hit different trails and difficulty ranges,” said the mother of two from New Jersey.
Base Camp on Route 4 in Killington offers snowshoeing tours this year. Store owner Ben Colona purchased Bear Trax Adventures, a snowshoe guide service, at the end of last season. Colona said he gets groups and couples that want to experience walking his two-mile loop behind the Base Camp store. The 90-minute tour utilizes mountain biking and hiking trails and includes mountain views and a waterfall.
“Snowshoeing in the winters in New England is always changing,” Colona said. “You could be doing the same trail as your daily routine, and every day it could be a little different depending on the snowpack.”
The difficulty level depends on the terrain, the amount of snow, and your ability level.
Arwen Turner, executive director of Come Alive Outside, uses snowshoeing as a part of their winter passport activities for kids.
Snowshoeing is one of our passport activities for kids and their families,” she said.
Turner, whose primary focus is getting families and people outdoors, says snowshoeing is fun, and everyone can do it.
She also explained that you don’t have to be a certain size or shape to enjoy snowshoeing. It’s for everyone.
Layers and gear are essential for snowshoeing.
“What to wear for clothing is very important. You will get warm, so you don’t want to overdress out of the gate because you will shed layers,” Colona said.”It is good to have some sort of backpack, water, and food just to keep you going.”
Plus, getting fitted for the right snowshoes will depend on if you are walking in the backcountry, on the local golf course, or trails.
Smith finds snowshoeing “an adventure and an easy activity” to do with her family.
