I have bad feet (bunions) and downhills with boots and even more so with snowshoes and boots really do a job on my feet by the time I finish my hike. It seems the longer heels on the 25” snowshoes make it worse. Maybe I’m wrong. Also, like I mentioned, I think the shorter snowshoes would make it easier to maneuver. I have much less of a problem with my feet during most of the year when I can wear Trail runners. There’s a lot more “give” on the downhills. Also, if possible, I’ll switch to spikes on the downhills if the trail is well packed. My feet feel fine going uphill.