In mountaineering one often encounters snow fields with about knee deep snow that basically needs to be trudged through. This is extremely tiresome, especially at high altitudes. Typically the team members take turns in laying the track (going first so others can follow in their footsteps).
I am only a novice mountaineer, but to me it seems that snowshoes (plus ice axe just in case one needs to self-arrest) can make things an order of magnitude easier in this regard. Since it is deep snow, there is no real need for mountaineering crampons anyway.
But the fact remains that I have never ever seen snowshoes in a mountaineering context. They are not heavy, and to the extent they are, I think they might make traversing wide/deep snow fields easier. Of course they will need to be swapped for crampons in anything other than a deep snow field.
Any ideas on why is this and if snowshoes are a viable idea to try out?
For context, my only mountaineering experience is in the mid-Himalayas, but this question is not specific to that region, but more in preparation for higher altitudes.