Snowshoeing
Way to Keep Hiking Through the Winter

Snowshoeing has been around parts of the Northern Hemisphere for six millennia. Strap on a pair of modern lightweight snowshoes and you will quickly see why snowshoeing has become one of the fastest-growing winter sports. If you can walk, you can snowshoe.

Once solely a means of transportation, snowshoeing is now the winter exercise of choice for many people of all ages. Unlike some other outdoor activities, snowshoeing is extremely safe.

Snowshoeing is a low-impact activity that allows you to burn between 420 and 1,000 calories per hour, depending on whether you are walking or running, on packed snow or powder. It’s a great cardiovascular workout. Snow-shoeing is a safer alternative to other high-impact cardiovascular activities such as aerobics or running.

Modern snowshoes weigh less than three pounds per pair. Frames are made of aircraft quality aluminum. Rather than a cross-hatch lacing of gut inside the frame, modern snowshoes have a nearly impenetrable synthetic (e.g., Hypalon) decking to provide maximum flotation over the snow. Talons or cleats on the bottom of the snowshoes provide traction in steep and unsteady terrain. Bindings are adjustable so that anything from a running shoe to backcountry boot can be accommodated by the same pair of snowshoes.

What Size? Sizing snowshoes is relative to several factors: (1) your weight plus the weight of your pack, (2) the type of snow you are travelling on, and (3) what and where your recreation is.

• 1) The more you weigh, the bigger the snowshoes must be in order to keep you afloat.

• 2) Light, dry snow requires a bigger snowshoe to keep you from sinking. Heavy, wet snow, a smaller snowshoe with excellent traction.

• 3) If your recreation is in steep, mountainous terrain, you need smaller snowshoes with excellent traction. If you are travelling, mainly, in flat open country, you will, typically, need a larger snowshoe with a nice tail to provide good flotation and tracking.

What type best for me? A frequent question is how do I determine what type of snowshoe is best for me? The best answer is to rent on several occasions a different type/model of snowshoe to determine which you feel most comfortable with. In the Ottawa area retailers such as Mountain Equipment Co-op, Bushtukah and Trailhead offer a rental service – some will even apply the rental fee to the purchase of the model you select. The NCC through its Gatineau Park Visitors Centre (Scott Road in Old Chelsea) also rents snowshoes, and offers instruction and guided outings for the beginner.

Snow Poles. Critical pieces of gear to ensure safe, successful snowshoeing. The poles help you stay balanced while travelling forward as well as when doing tricky maneouvres. The poles also help propel you forward.

Telescoping poles are recommended – preferably the three-section type. They adjust nicely to your stature – your arms should be at a 90 degree angle when holding properly-adjusted snow poles. In addition, it is important to be able to adjust your poles when you are traversing a hillside – the short pole on the uphill and the long pole on the downhill, to help you stay balanced.

When purchasing snow poles, it is important to get cross-country, oversized snow baskets (about 12 cm/5 inches). If your poles don’t come with the oversized baskets then you can buy them separately at most, good outdoor shops and install them yourself.

Tip. To keep your poles telescoping okay squirt some silicon on poles next to tightening fastener and then work pole up and down a couple of times.

Photos from some club snowshoe hikes.

The above article first appeared in the Ottawa Rambling Club newsletter, the Rambler, Winter 2002/2003 (Vol. 9 No. 5).

~ What to consider when selecting a pair of snowshoes. ~
by: John Haley

Some of you will be wanting to take up this recreational sport for the first time. Others will be looking over their equipment with a view to upgrading. Following is some helpful guidance from John Haley. Ed.

The above short article entitled "Snowshoeing ~ Way to Keep Hiking Through the Winter" is recommended reading for anyone thinking about snowshoeing. In addition, I would like to add the following notes for anyone thinking about buying snowshoes. These notes may not be necessary if you follow the advice in the article to rent and "try before you buy", but it seems that not everyone does this.

First, some snowshoes have a spring suspension system which, on each step as you lift your foot, acts to flick the tail end of the snowshoe upwards. Atlas snowshoes are notable for this, but there may be other brands. While there may be some conditions under which this is an advantage, for most snowshoeing in the Ottawa area this is a disadvantage, because the spring action flicks snow up your legs and back. In this writer's opinion the snow is best left on the ground, and such snowshoes are best left on the shelf.

Some snowshoes have a heel that can be elevated, possibly with the intent to make it easier going uphill under some conditions. This is probably of uestionable value, unless you usually wear high-heeled hiking boots for going uphill. You may be able to find other snowshoe "features" that are unnecessary in typical snowshoeing conditions around Ottawa.

A common snowshoe feature is an aggressive aluminum claw in the toe region. For hard ice on steep slopes, this may be important, but on typical trails and off-trail around Ottawa a smaller or less aggressive claw may be preferable. Under some conditions an aggressive claw may result in a ball of snow and ice building up under the toe. This is something you may only find out about when it happens. The best advice may be to talk to others who use the snowshoes that you are thinking of buying, before you buy them.

Something to look for is a binding system that will work for you, not just in the store, but also at minus 25 Celsius while you are wearing mitts and the bindings are caked with snow and ice. There are many choices and different people have different preferences - just make sure that what you choose suits you.

In October 2008 when this was written, it was easy to find for less than $150 in "outdoors" stores a pair of good, modern and lightweight snowshoes that will meet all normal needs for snowshoeing in the Ottawa area.

The above article first appeared in the Ottawa Rambling Club newsletter, the Rambler, Autumn 2008 (Vol. 15 No. 3).