Snowshoe Basics

 Snowshoeing has become one of the fastest growing winter sports in recent years. It's relatively inexpensive to get into and the learning curve is pretty small. If you can walk upright, you can snowshoe.

 Snowshoe technology has also come a long way from the old wood and cat gut style snowshoes of our forefathers. Nowadays you can get recreational , traditional , technical and even racing snowshoes.

 At a store like Costco someone could purchase snowshoes and poles for under $100. These would fall into the recreational category and would be fine for shorter hikes on more level terrain.

 For those who wish to venture into more mountainous terrain a more technical snowshoe is recommended. These will cost more but feature much greater stability and traction.

 Snowshoes are basically designed for one purpose. That is flotation on the snow. They're designed to keep you from sinking into knee deep or deeper snow. Traditional and recreational snowshoes serve this purpose well but lack in traction. They're fine for flatter areas with lots of snow. Technical snowshoes have extra crampons that allow snowshoer’s to ascend and descend with relative ease. Another little feature on some of the more technical snowshoes are heel risers. These keep your calves from stretching too much on steep ascents.

 There are some companies that have gender specific snowshoes but not all snowshoe manufacturers do. Sales staff in outdoors stores are experienced in sizing depending on your weight. Also they'll suggest the correct snowshoes for the type of terrain you wish to play in.

 A good suggestion to those of you just starting out in the sport would be to rent snowshoes. If you live in a larger city, outdoors stores like MEC ( Mountain Equipment Co-op) rent snowshoes at very reasonable rates. I also have some pairs available for rent.

 Winter is long in Alberta and we have to make the most of it. Downhill skiing and Snowboarding, although great, are becoming very expensive activities for many families. Snowshoeing on the other hand is relatively inexpensive and a lot of fun.

 Snowshoeing is a great workout and you will work up a sweat even in colder temperatures. Dress in layers and avoid cotton or denim. It's best to have materials that wick moisture from the body and are quick drying. Staff at sporting and outdoors stores can help you with proper clothing suggestions too.

  Give snowshoeing a try this winter. You may be glad you did.

So have some fun this winter and give snow shoeing a try.

The Book On Hiking by Andy Dragt available at Amazon.ca

https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Hiking-Andy-Dragt-ebook/dp/B00R3TEVFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480565013&sr=8-1&keywords=Andy+Dragt