Good snowshoes are a good investment and a further good investment is a snowshoe cover to protect them. A snowshoe cover makes it easy to carry, pack, and transport a pair of snowshoes that are otherwise bulky and tough to keep together.
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Archive for the ‘Snowshoeing’ Category
For about a decade, there’s been a new class of clothing designed specifically to allow freedom of movement while maximizing breathability. The clothing industry calls these products “stretch -woven” (boring), but most folks call them soft shells. This kind of outer wear relies on flexible, durable materials such as Schoeller that are weather-proof, are highly breathable, and abrasive-resistant. Exactly the sort of performance for high-energy activities in cold weather!
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Gaiters are an important tool for a successful day of snowshoeing. There’s a natural exposure point between your leg and the top of your boot that can introduce snow and ice into your clothing. Gaiters are the solution: they seal the area between your boot and clothing with a flexible joint that moves with you.
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You can plan your vacation down to the nth degree, with one huge variable; the weather. Ski areas are prepared to continue operation under practically every weather condition with another big exception; the presence of high winds. When the winds are blowing hard everywhere on the mountain, both aerial and surface lifts can be impacted to the point where its unsafe to operate any of them, putting everyone, guest and employee alike, in a WIND HOLD situation. Great, you’ve planned thoroughly, traveled a long way, spent a fair amount of money and effort, and suddenly you don’t have any way up the mountain. Now what?
Sunscreen protection is a must for those spring skiing days when the sun is high and bright. After a full winter of limited exposure, the strong spring sun can really do a number on your pale skin if you don’t take some precautions. Sunscreen is the #1 preventative and a personal favorite for sunscreen protection are products from the Bullfrog brand. Read the rest of this entry »
The Boy Scout’s motto is Be Prepared and it’s a pretty good one if you’re going to be heading out into the woods in the winter. If you’re heading into the woods, you should always go with a purpose and that would include preparing for the possibility that things won’t go exactly the way you expect them to. Here’s a short list of items that would fit the Be Prepared mantra and are easy to carry in your pocket: Read the rest of this entry »
A great day of snowshoeing is only as great as your footwear. As snowshoeing is all about mobility, footwear is key and I’ve been having great success this season using L.L. Bean’s Cresta Hiking Boots. Read the rest of this entry »
USA Today has compiled a list of the top 10 snowshoeing destinations in the United States. Feel free to add your favorite snowshoeing locations in the comments below.
- Yosemite National Park, California
- Camel’s Hump State Park, Near South Burlington, Vt.
- Olympic National Park Port Angeles, Wash.
- Timms Hill Park Price County, Wis.
- White Grass Touring Center Davis, W. Va.
- The Adirondacks Upstate New York
- San Francisco Peaks Coconino National Forest, Ariz.
- Mount Greylock North Berkshire County, Mass.
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Gunnison, Colo.
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Superior National Forest, Minn.
While out for a noon snowshoe the other day, I became aware of the importance of pace in moving over uneven terrain. Coastal Maine received at least 6″ of new snow last Friday which is just enough to start getting out on the trails in snowshoes or nordic skis. While the ground was basically covered, the snow cover wasn’t enough to fill in and level out the surface over objects and uneven terrain. I had to pay attention to each step and discovered that I was changing the length of my legs with each step to maintain a constant stride.
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Now that it is getting colder in most parts of North America more and more lakes and ponds are freezing providing more opportunities for cross country skiing, ice skating, and snowshoeing. But when is the ice safe?
Folklore suggests that multiplying the total inches of ice by 200 gives you the number of pounds that the ice can support. I don’t buy it!Two inches of ice should be present before you consider walking on it. But, not all ice is created equally!
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