Snowshoes work by having a larger surface area than the bottom of your tennis shoe or boot. The larger surface area means you have more snow supporting your body weight from below than when you wear a regular shoe. The extra surface area helps distribute the weight coming down on the snow from above.

Do snowshoes actually work?

Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation". Snowshoeing is a form of hiking. ... However, snowshoeing in icy, steep terrain can be more dangerous.

What is the purpose of snowshoeing?

Snowshoes are footwear that help to distribute the weight of a person while they walk over deep snow, preventing them from sinking too far into the snow with every step. In the past, Indigenous peoples used snowshoes for winter travel in Canada, outside the Pacific and Arctic coasts.