Snow Skills

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.

A constant stride is an efficient tactic on an even snow surface, but tough to achieve when the terrain varies with each step. I was working different muscles in various ways with each individual step and could feel fatigue setting in. A short step followed by a long step was a lot of work, so I began to focus on all steps being short ones and setting a steady pace. By changing my focus to a steady pace instead a steady stride length, I found the going easier and more efficient on uneven snow. Many steps at a steady pace is the way to go when snowshoeing in limited snow.