They work in a variety of conditions from packed snow to very deep snow. Snowshoes are generally not as fast as skis, but they will get you where you need to go. You shouldn't be in a hurry in the border country anyway. I would recommend snowshoes to people new to winter travel in the border country. After you master snowshoeing get a feeling for some of the different conditions you will face while on the trail you can try skiing.
Snow shoes come in many shapes and sizes.
I really like the Ojibwa and Alaskan style snowshoes to the border country. I also prefer the traditional wooden shoes over the new metal and plastic ones. The main reason being that I think the wooden ones are easier to clean slush off of and snow and ice builds up under the claw that it found on the bottom of most metal snowshoes. However, like anything else snowshoes are snowshoes and the best thing to do is get yourself a pair and go out and use them. All content copyright D. Freeman, 2000-2001.