Dec
24
Back in the spring of 1993 we had a blizzard leave lots of snow here in the mountains of western North Carolina. We had drifts of three feet and more. We were snowed in, with no power and the only water was from a well (which required power.) So, we broke a path through the snow to retrieve water from a creek to be able to flush the toilets. It was actually somewhat fun…. But, we talked about a lot of things including snowshoes…. that Christmas we each received a pair of snowshoes. I didn’t get a chance to use them until about 1998 and then only a little. This week though we had a good 13-17 inch snow and I got the most time on them that I’ve had. I learned quite a few things about them. First off, do snow shoes really work?
Yes, they really do work. However it is important that you have them sized correctly. They are sized based on your weight. The heavier you are, the larger the snowshow area needs to be. Now, today there are many different kinds of snowshoes. They don’t always look like the traditional wood and leather (or neoprene) snowshoes. Mine are the traditional design though.
First off, by foot I was sinking about 13 inches into the snow with each step. It was tedious and difficult to break a trail and I got snow down my boots, my pants, socks and boots were soaked and toes going numb by the time I got out of the soggy boots. NOT good.
I gave the snow shoes a try thinking that anything would be an improvement over that. (Boots were still soaked even after a long time by the fire.) So…. I put on tennis shoes (yes….) and then stepped onto the snowshoes to attach them. This is when I learned the first tip. Depending on the shoes you were and the type of attachment your snowshoes have for footwear, you may wish to strap the shoes in first and then step into the your shoes already attached to the snowshoes. This saved me a lot of frustration as I was in and out of the snowshoes quite a bit over several days.
In our snow I only sunk down about 3-5 inches at the most in the snowshoes compared to 13 inches in boots. It was a fantastic improvement. Only the cuffs of my pants occasionally got snow on them. Most of the time those 5″ sinkings and snow on the cuffs was from my carelessness and letting the snowshoe go at a bit of an angle. Before long I had packed down a pretty good path with the snowshoes. It helped me to have a walking stick (or two) for balance.
Backing in snowshoes can be a challenge. With my traditional teardrop design, the heel of the shoe is not connected to the snowshoe itself and so…. when you try to lift the “tail” up it doesn’t lift. Lot’s of small movements for a turn are needed and most turns make a large radius.
I compared a path we made by foot which compacted down to a deep trench of ice to a path compacted with the snow shoes. It was much easier to walk on foot in the snow shoe path (although you did compact the snow a bit more there.) If you stuck to the snow shoes the snow shoe path did not become more compact and icy like the boot path.
One note that I didn’t expect is that my calf muscles were very sore after a lot of snowshoeing.
Some other things to remember. Try to keep the snowshoes level. Try not to use the snow shoes to bridge a gap. Instead try to place the most supported part of the snowshoe (near the ball of your foot) on a log or other raised obstacle to step over and cross it, or carefully step over the obstacle without leaving the snow shoe on it. I have had a good deal of fun with these snow shoes. It made my trips through the snow much more entertaining as I wasn’t worried about the melting snow in my boots. Instead I got to focus more on what I was doing, seeing and less on whether I was about to get frostbite.
I know it’s not exactly a vacation I’ve been on, it’s all been around the house here, but in some ways it’s felt like a vacation (albeit a tiring one.)
You are so right about snowshoes making a big difference. Although I have snowshoed many times, I still don’t own a pair and now that I have trails right outside my door I need to take the plunge and buy a pair. It is so much fun to get out and hike a snowy trail and enjoy the peace and quiet that a blanket of snow provides.