Joint-stress Relieving Snowshoes

Designed to reduce stress on your joints, Tubbs’ new FLEX ALP snowshoes can conquer steeps and deeps as well as hard-pack trails. With a “biomechanically designed” FLEX tail that absorbs heel strike, you can maintain a more fluid heel-to-toe gait no matter the terrain.

Made from thinner polypropylene than the rest of the snowshoe and using a cutout design, the tail is supportive yet flexible. That will help you trek longer and further, the company says.

The ALP has a gender-specific binding that incorporates a lift heel bar for help on ascents. With each shoe weighing about 2 pounds, the lightweight platforms cause less strain on muscles as you churn through deep snow.

Made primarily for the backcountry, the ALP has a toe crampon for trekking uphill and tail traction to help with the trip back down. There are “traction rails” to add stability and prevent slipping when walking sideways across a slope.

The FLEX ALP are currently available for $220. www.tubbssnowshoes.com

—Ryan Dionne