A beginner's guide to snowshoeing

Snowshoeing is easy for the whole family to enjoy together, but challenging enough to take even hardcore adventurers deep into the wilds. Here's everything you need to know to get started.

Put on everything you plan to wear while snowshoeing, including your winter layers, gloves, boots, and backpack, and step on a scale. Note the number, then take your boots with you when you hit the store. Check the weight range listed on the tag for each pair of snowshoes; you want something that includes the "fully loaded" weight you just measured. The larger the snowshoes, the more weight they can support and the softer the snow they can handle — so if your total weight falls at the upper end of the listed weight range, or you plan to spend a lot of time in soft powder, buy one size larger.

You'll be out in the cold, so you'll definitely want to avoid cotton. When cotton gets wet from sweat, rain, or melted snow, it stays wet, chafes, and sucks the heat out of you. Wear wool, polyester, or other synthetic fabrics instead. Dress in layers so you can remove a layer as you warm up, then add it back once you start to cool down.

Pack the essentials — the basic outdoor gear you need to survive in case of an emergency. This includes a headlamp, a map and compass, first aid supplies, fire starting supplies, a Thermos with your favourite hot drink, snacks, an extra layer of dry clothing, and a pair of dry socks just in case you need them.

An open, flat field is the perfect place for your first snowshoe outing. Once you feel comfortable with the basics, go for a walk in the forest. That fresh blanket of snow lets you wander in all sorts of places that you can't get to during the summer because of mud, water and brush.

Snowshoeing in the hills and mountains is a lot of fun too, but it's all too easy to end up in avalanche terrain before you know it. If you plan to venture out of the flatlands, take an avalanche safety class so you can tell the difference between what's safe and what's not.