Going downhill

On descents, keep your poles planted in front of you, knees bent and relaxed, and your body weight slightly back. Walk smoothly and plant heel first, then toe. A few considerations: Your instinct will be to lean back on the snowshoe tails. This reaction works well on models with angled crampons built into the heel, which are designed to dig in as you descend. When wearing snowshoes without heel crampons, youll need to keep your weight over your feet, so your toe crampons will be planted firmly. Poles can provide a great deal more balance and control as you descend. Avoid overswinging your leg as this can cause your tails to flip out in front of you. If the slope steepens, be sure to keep your weight back. If you slip, just sit down.