GREAT PRACTICE! We used snowshoes on sand at Illinois Beach State Park to practice before winter!

We FIBS needed snow shoes for our upcoming winter camping trips with NOW Outdoors. I bought us 3 pairs real cheap on ShopGoodWill.com for about $30 each pair. That's a really good deal... assuming they're quality snowshoes. Only one way to find out! Use them!

But it wasn't winter yet. So, how do we practice snowshoeing when there isn't any snow? Why not wear them on the beach?

The idea is that sand would be a great substitute for snow. Yeah, it's not exactly the same. But we'd at least get a feel for how the snowshoes strap on, how they fit, and how they feel while walking.

I started with the Pacific Outdoors Sub Zero snowshoes. They were the longest of the 3 pair, at 32 inches. I strapped 'em to my combat boots and took off walkin'. It was an interesting sensation, but I got the hang of it. They were also very loud on the rocky sand.

Next, I tried using them with military mukluks. They were hard to slip into the straps, but I eventually figured it out.

Punky strapped on her 30 inch Tubbs snow shoes and headed down the beach to a dune she wanted to try climbing. When she came back, she was really happy with the performance of her pair and suggested I try going up the same dune.

I strolled over to the dune and made my ascent. No fault of the snowshoes, but I found myself losing my balance and almost falling a couple times. The snowshoes were nicely dug into the sand, but I needed to work on my hill-climbing-with-snowshoes skills. Good thing we were practicing now instead of in some blizzardy wilderness.

Next I tried my Yukon Charlie's snow shoes. I really liked the handles that help you tighten or loosen the straps to your boots. They made things easier than the Sub Zeros.

Snowshoe test finished, we discovered a strange place on our drive home. Some kind of Egyptian-themed... I don't know what... called "The Gold Pyramid House" ( GoldPyramid.com ) complete with pyramids, giant statues, and sphynxes. It was a crazy sight to behold in Illinois.

We learned a lot about snowshoes on this short test. We're glad we did it. Now we just need to wait for the snow!

Gear We Used...

Snowshoes:
- Outdoor Pacific Sub Zero
- Yukon Charlie's
- Tubbs

Boots:
- Bates (military-type boots)
- Military mukluks