snow and snowshoes

[kingshimmers]

The need for snowshoes depends on a lot of things, not just the depth and extent of snow cover, but also the nature of the snow, the temperature, how recent the last snowfall was, whether or not it has been tracked out, etc. these are things you'll need to determine on a case by case basis.

AND sometimes you won't be able to tell what the end of your route looks like from where you're starting, so you bring them anyway just in case.

[AndrewLyonsGeibel]

Skis are for sure better than snow shoes, but there is a major price difference. You can buy top of the line snow shoes for less than 300, and it would be easy to drop 2k on a skimo setup (skis, bindings, boots).

[martinleroux]

it would be easy to drop 2k on a skimo setup (skis, bindings, boots).

You can probably do a bit better than that. See for example https://www.cripplecreekbc.com/collections/packages.

It's also easier to find decent-quality used AT gear than was the case a few years ago. Here's one forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1481122478829758/. Just make sure to get tech bindings, not old-style frame bindings.

[nomad_games]

gotcha. I'm not very familiar with AT skis or what it's like to use them uphill. but I can see the advantages for sure. out of my budget for this season, i think.

[Igloo Ed]

Like Kingshimmers said, take them along anyway. If you know the mountain well, you might be able to estimate the conditions you'll encounter from previous reports. It would be nice to be able to go to the trailhead the day before and ask the conditions. Or, ask here if anyone has been up recently. I mostly go into RMNP and the snow has been sticking up high. I would want to take snowshoes on any of the peaks up north/here.