Best foot foward: Using snowshoes is as easy as walking.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Stuck in the lodge while your family schusses down the slopes? Or simply shut out of your regular weekend hike by a plush blanket of new snow? Snowshoeing is your immediate ticket out, a great way to stretch your legs and have some fun in the winter weather. Plus, spending time outdoors is a proven way to beat the winter blues. And no lessons—or ski helmets—are needed.

"With their great gripping teeth, snowshoes by design provide great traction and no real slipping," says Zeke Zucker, director of the Smugglers' Notch Resort Nordic Ski & Snowshoe Adventure Center in Vermont. "So snowshoers can thoroughly enjoy the beauty of the winter woods and meadows without having to take lessons to develop control on the snow to keep from falling down."

THE DETAILS: The basic technique for snowshowing is, well, walking—walking with your feet wider apart than normal because snowshoes are wider and longer than street shoes, but walking nonetheless. "Around here, we say 'three steps and you're an expert,'" says Zucker. "It's a bit of hyperbole—but not much. Snowshoeing is just not very technically difficult." It is, however, physically arduous enough to provide a great workout.

"After strapping on snowshoes, snowshoers carry more weight on their feet than hikers, and significantly more than walkers. Plus they're moving through snow, which gives a little with each step," says Zucker. "The combination adds up to a very doable but demanding aerobic workout." Add poles for support and propulsion, and—presto—snowshoeing is a full-body exercise.