Winter Sport Destination: Snowshoeing in the French Alps

Tread merrily over frosty plains on a snowshoe walk. Snowshoes distribute your weight over a larger area, stopping you from sinking into the snow. And the dark age of cartoonish tennis rackets strapped to your feet is over, giving way to daintier models with killer grip. This formidable footwear will keep you upright on snowy terrain, allowing you to take in breathtaking expanses of white rolling hills (and get a fantastic workout as you walk).

Step out. You don’t need much training to walk in snowshoes, just practice: you’ll have to walk slowly, steadily and with a slight rolling gait to start off. Most ski rental stores will hire them out, along with trekking poles to jab into the snow to save you from a slippery fall.

You can snowshoe across the globe, around Lapland, the USA and eastern Europe. Morzine-Avoriaz, a winter sports hub in the French Alps, is a great choice as it has suggestions galore for snowshoe treks and tips on easy trails for beginners.