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travel / travel magazine / winter 2006
GearUp
Snow dancin'
A first-time buyer's guide
to today's sure-footed,
cutting-edge snowshoes
By Tracy C. Read
Snowshoe technology may have changed
but the basic principle is the same: a large
surface area distributes your weight and
allows flotation on snow.
MY OJIBWA brother-in-law Eli Baxter
spent the first years of his life living traditionally
in northwestern Ontario. He
remembers watching his father Gilbert
working long hours crafting snowshoes
from sapling birch laced with strips of
cured moosehide. Simple and elegant, the
snowshoes were a necessity for maintaining
the family winter trapline on Washi
Lake, north of the Albany River.
The snowshoe's millennia-old utilitarian
service gradually segued into recreational
use after Europeans settled in
Canada. The sport first gained popularity
with the founding of organizations such as
the famed Montreal Snow Shoe Club and
finally took off with the fitness craze of
the 1990s. Today, it is one of fastest-growing
outdoor winter activities in North
America, in part, because it is easier to
master than either downhill or crosscountry
skiing and far more affordable.
"If you can walk, you can snowshoe" is
this sport's mantra. To enjoy snowshoeing
thoroughly, however, you must have the
right equipment - snowshoes that are
suitable for your size, weight and gait and
for the type of trekking you have in mind.
Happily, snowshoeing's growing popularity
has helped to drive advancements in
gear design. Traditional wood frames and
rawhide have largely been replaced by
space-age alloys and durable, lightweight
synthetic decking materials. "Today's snowshoes
are maintenance-free, compact and
light and have traction-generating metal
crampons," says Eric Beaulieu of GV
Snowshoes in Wendake, Que. Indeed,
almost 90 percent of the company's business
is in high-tech designs.
The wrinkle is that to keep pace with
the competition, manufacturers have developed
a dizzying range of models. Each
year brings innovations in every part of the shoe, from the framing and decking
material to the binding and traction systems.
Proprietary technology abounds, and
every company claims that its product is
the one you need. Today, the snowshoe
learning curve begins in the outdoor-equipment
store. With that in mind, here are
a few tips to get you up and running.
Today's snowshoes are masterpieces
of materials engineering: alloy frames,
hyperlight decking, synthetic bindings
and sharp metal crampons.
FIRST STEPS
Beginning snowshoers often make the mistake
of buying low on the price scale, reasoning
that they're just "trying it out." Don't
sell yourself, or the sport, short. Your affection
for snowshoeing will grow only if you
feel comfortable. "The beautiful thing about
snowshoeing is that you can go anywhere,"
says Karen Righthand of the Atlas Snow-
Shoe Company in Berkeley, California.
"After a few steps, you're not a beginner any
longer. You're going to look around at new
terrain you want to tackle. You don't want
to be held back by your equipment." That
said, expect to pay between $225 and $300.
When shopping, bring the footwear
you intend to use. In general, snowshoe
footwear should provide support and be
lightly insulated, comfortable and waterproof.
Hiking boots, Sorel boots, snowmobile
boots or light hikers, if they are
sufficiently cozy, are all appropriate.
Don't be shy about trying different snowshoe
designs with your boots, and take
plenty of time to walk around to determine
what style feels most comfortable.
SIZE MATTERS
High-tech snowshoe designs draw on the
original bearpaw and teardrop shapes, which
distribute your weight so that you "float"
on the snowy surface rather than sink with
each step. The greater your weight, including
gear, the larger the snowshoe's surface
area needs to be. Deep powder also requires
increased flotation. Every retailer has guidelines
to help you find the size and model to
suit your physique and activity, whether it's
recreational, aerobic, backcountry trekking
or racing. There are also snowshoes
designed for women, who have a shorter
stride and a narrower gait than men.
THE TIES THAT BIND
Manoeuvrability, which is essential in
snowshoeing, relies on three variables:
a light platform (the frame and deck), traction,
provided by a system of metal crampons
on the underside of the snowshoe,
and a binding system that allows you to
move comfortably. While platform materials
and crampon systems vary somewhat
among manufacturers, the big differences
show up in bindings.
All manufacturers describe their systems
in superlatives: the easiest to use;
the most glove- and mitten-friendly; the
only freeze-free or cold-tolerant; the best
for stability and support. There are singlepull
adjustable bindings, gel bindings
that "capture" your foot, and clam-shell
bindings made for easy entrance and exit.
Some are padded, some are contoured,
and some are insulated. Some have
crossover straps and ratchet buckles. The
truth is that binding materials, fasteners
and closures come in as many versions as
the shoes do colours. But do they feel
right and will they be easy to close or
release on a winter day?
One detail about bindings that requires
careful scrutiny is the "binding attachment system,"
which determines the amount of flex
you have once the snowshoe is strapped onto
your foot. Broadly speaking, there are two
types: fixed rotation and full, or free, rotation.
In the fixed-rotation system, also known
as a fixed toe cord, the binding is attached
to a high-tensile strap that runs under the
ball of the foot and is riveted to the snowshoe
frame, ensuring that the snowshoe
stays with the foot with each step. "Fixedrotation
snowshoes move in complete harmony
with your foot," says Jake Thamm of
The Crescent Moon Snowshoe Company
in Boulder, Colorado. The Atlas Snow-Shoe
Company puts its own twist on the fixedrotation
system with its Spring-Loaded
Suspension strap. Wrapped around the
aluminum frame, the strap exploits the
frame's natural spring and creates
increased lateral flexibility. One drawback
to the fixed-rotation system, however, is
that with each step, the shoe rebounds,
tossing snow up against your legs.
The full-rotation system, on the other
hand, allows the foot to pivot freely within the
snowshoe frame thanks to a hinged stainlesssteel
rod under the ball of the foot. "Full
rotation promotes a natural stride and allows
for amazing crampon penetration," explains
Kathy Murphy of Tubbs Snowshoes in
Stowe, Vermont. As you walk, the snowshoe
tail drops, thereby shedding accumulated
snow. Some critics caution, however, that
the drop-down tail digs into the snow when
you back up and can be problematic when
negotiating downed trees or other obstacles.
Snowshoe companies do not yet offer
mix-and-match packages. Novices must
shop around and compare the fit and
features of various styles. Renting is an
option and many outdoor stores and recreation
centres rent snowshoes and run
snowshoeing clinics. Try a couple of different
styles on the snow before making
a commitment. Away from the artificial
environment of a gear store, you'll be able
to analyze and identify the snowshoe that
works best for you. Now, make tracks.
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