Snowshoeing

[BoogleMcGroogle]

We are off to the Alps this half term. DS is 8, has additional needs and had lost confidence with a lot of things lately and has categorically decided 'no skiing' this year. The jury's out on sledging, but I reckon that'll take up lots of afternoons. I'm happy to spend mornings with him while DH and DD throw themselves down the mountain ( I didn't need much persuading!). I'm wondering about trying snowshoeing. There are lots of signed showshoe walks near DFIL chalet and wonder how we'd get on. We love these walks in the summer. But is the technique hard to learn? Anything I need to know? How would a strong, fit but bloody-minded and dyspraxic child get on?

The other thing I'd love to try is cross country skiing. I reckon DS would enjoy it more than downhill but don't know where to start with that one! Any thoughts?

With cross country I guess the questions are - is it available at your resort and what is the youngest that they take them. For us 12 was the youngest age I think (mainly I suspect due to availability of rental equipment) and there is only one instructor so had to book in advance. Ds started with classic and quickly moved to skate cross country. He started at 13 and was a fit and fairly coordinated boy. Picked it up fast (better than dh!) He took a few 1/2 day private lessons, then just started going off and doing the local trails alone. You need suitable clothing - I think he favours tracksuit bottoms and fleece top or wool sweater. Far to active to wear normal ski stuff. Take a water bottle.

I’ve done snow shoeing once and loved it. I was on a skiing holiday but wanted some peace and quiet. The woman in the rental shop told me what to do and it was very doable. I think an 8 year old could definitely do it. The path I took was extremely steep so it was a hot walk, but very beautiful - but most resorts have a range of routes.
I would totally do this with him if I were you!

Ps forgot to say: it’s kind of like walking but you need to remember to keep your feet apart so you don’t tread on your shoes. You use poles to help you along and there may be a correct technique but if there is I didn’t learn it!

Thanks for those ideas. I'm going to arrange to hire some snowshoes and give it a go. There's a walk from our chalet and I think the local tourist office also does little guided walks. The learning process you describe sounds like it might be best done with just the two of us at first- I forsee lots of tripping!

We are quite close to Chatel which is a biggish resort, so I'm going to look a XC ski options there. I'm now wondering if I'm not thinking of XC skiing at all but actually Nordic Skiing? I want to do the slow one, beloved of older outdoorsy types!

The hassle with the snowshoes is not so much the walking but the snowshoe coming off again and again if the snow boots they are tied to have a high sole.
If you have Moonboots for example, you can't use them at all, but other after skis which look more like mountain shoes, should be fine.
My DC's after skis were fine, but my fancy ones, were not compatible and I would lose the snowshoe after 4 steps. In the end I rented a pair of boots from the ski rental and was fine then

I love cross country skiing! Some places do call it Nordic Skiing, but I think that's more of an umbrella term that can include Telemark downhill too. If you're going to France you're going to be looking at the local information for ski du fond.

There are 2 main types of cross country

• Classic. This is the one that uses the 'tram tracks' and the motion can be either steady away shuffle or quite energetic depending on terrain.
• Skate. This is done outside the tram tracks and is bloody tiring.

In general, the trails are graded in a similar way to downhill, greens/blue/red/black. The default option for a trail on a map is classic, or classic + skate alongside. Not many places have skate only tracks.

Cross country ski can be a co-ordination challenge when you first start. It's all about weight transfer to go anywhere, and timing the poles can also be a bit strange initially.

kitty that's so helpful! There are 'ski du fond' signs everywhere in the station, I had not put two and two together! I'm not sure there are tram tracks- I think we might be talking the tiring version. We are 40 mins from Chatel, and I'm tempted to try it there. How much did you need in terms of lessons/ prep before you felt happy to go out on your own?

They probably do have the tram tacks cut in the snow as classic is the dominant style still. As they are fairly shallow (maybe 3 inches) you wouldn't necessarily notice if you're looking from the side.

I did about 3 hours of group tuition, and then went around with my husband (slowly with poor form and style!) on flat tracks (so greens/blues) . Up and down hills/sharp curves require a lot more technique. Some blues will have short steep sections (e.g. over /under bridges) which are a challenge to beginners, don't be ashamed to clip out and walk around.

In terms of getting competent, I'm still learning to be honest.I had lessons for a few holidays, but now I just go out and potter around. I will be honest, I've only ever gone out twice completely by myself. Usually people around are very helpful though if you take a tumble.

Snowshoe is definitely faster to pick up technique - I did a guided tour for a couple of hours to learn the technique and how to put on the snowshoes and then could get around fairly well.

Given the current snow conditions, the snow shoe trails are likely to be completely accessible in snow boots. We have kids and the snow shoes are heavy and cumbersome. Useful in heavy snow but if the snow is hard packed, just walk without or be prepared to carry the snowshoes.