Snowshoeology 101
Articles - BV Outdoors

sstw2by: Keith Baker

If you can walk you can snowshoe.  It’s as simple as that.  So if you yearn to get outside for some quiet, aerobic winter adventure but you are apprehensive about Nordic skiing – try snowshoeing!

Snowshoeing has undergone a renaissance over the past few years.  One reason is the revolution isssse1 snowshoe design.  Gone are the days of ash-framed, cat-gutted shoes that looked like a giant tennis racket.  Modern snowshoes are smaller because they reflect updated designs and technology for improved performance, and that means better efficiency and more fun!

A clarification – snowshoes do not let you walk on top of the snow.  They let you break an almost continuous trailsstw1 through deep snow and provide great traction in deep snow or on a packed trail.  Rather than post-holing through the deep snow, which requires lifting your legs very high and the snow to collapse over (and perhaps into) your boots, you should shuffle along with graceful, fluid movements.  Maneuvering in modern snowshoes is much easier because modern snowshoes are smaller than their predecessors.

Many modern snowshoes feature easy-to-use, hydrophobic (non-water absorbing), freeze-proof bindings for a secure fit.  Some feature “fixed rotation” toe chords that lift the snowshoe with your foot.  This makes backing up, stepping over logs, and moving through underbrush easier.

Designers have developed several types of modern snowshoes.  All have features and benefits and unique advantages. Some, like racing shoes, are very specialized. But that doesn’t mean you need a quiver of snowshoes.  There will be one snowshoe that best answers your needs.  After all, one of the advantages of snowshoeing is to get you onto winter trails without a huge investment.

Snowshoeing is basically hiking on snow, so just as with hiking we highly recommend trekking poles when snowshoeing.  These help you maintain balance, offer a way to assist fellow snowshoers, and answer an unbelievable list of utilitarian needs.

Any waterproof-breathable footwear will do, as long as it provides adequate support, protection, and structure.  Good waterproof-breathable hiking boots work well.  Waterproof-breathable trail runners or fast hiking shoes are superb for high-output aerobic and fitness snowshoeing or snowshoe racing.

Dressing for snowshoeing is like dressing for any other outdoor activity.  Dress in layers, dress for the weather (pack for expected weather changes), and dress for your activity level – a leisurely hike or a high-output snowshoe run.

Where to go?  Add snow to any hiking trail and you’ve got a snowshoe trail.  Try a park or the rough and wooded areas of a golf course.  Closed forest service roads and fire roads are usually accessible to passenger vehicles and offer gentle grades.  Roads groomed by and for snowmobiles afford less-challenging snow levels.

Snowshoe etiquette follows hiking etiquette with one notable addition – stay clear of and do not walk in or on Nordic ski tracks, be they groomed or user created.  Doing so pocks the Nordic tracks, makes the skiing unnecessarily difficult, and does nothing for good relationships.

The Trailhead and Trailhead Cycle & Ski are hosting our fifth annual Winter Trails Days on Saturday and Sunday, 3 & 4 January 2009.  Take some Crescent Moon or Mountain Safety Research (MSR) snowshoes (or Fischer Nordic skis) out for a complimentary test drive.  Factory representatives from Crescent Moon and MSR, plus the Trailhead team of experts, will be on hand to answer all your questions and suit you up.  There will be lots more fun and exciting things going on too.  Please contact the store in advance to make reservations.

About The Trailhead and Trailhead Cycle & Ski: Established in 1972, The Trailhead/Trailhead Cycle & Ski comprise Central Colorado’s original outdoors recreation and adventure travel store.  The Trailhead offers lifestyle and performance clothing, footwear, gear, and accessories for al stripes of outdoors adventurers and naturalists. Visit our website at www.thetrailheadco.com.



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