How do snowshoes help people walk in in deep snow?

Snowshoes are basically like wearing tennis racquets (rackets in America) on your feet. They are designed to spread your weight over a larger area and help prevent you sinking too deeply into the snow. Ice skating shoes have a narrow blade beneath that is designed to glide the wearer over the ice (ice rink, frozen pond or frozen canal, etc). Neither footwear is interchangeable. Imagine trying to figure-skate while wearing shoe-shoes! Or crossing the Klondike in winter wearing ice skating shoes!