"Champ" wrote in message
...

However, everyone who'd used them said the really didn't work very
well - too little surface area meant they sank too far, and were
barely any less work than snowshoes.

Yeah- in alot of situations, going up on skins seems not too different (in
terms of speed and energy) than snowshoeing. Its the downhill portions of
the trip that make skis a far more efficient means of travel than snowshoes.
So, if you are going to be taking the skis off and putting on a board
anyways... why not snowshoe?