I really want to get out there. The snow, rain and freezing rain that was forecast for today began sometime early this morning. I've yet to see what it has amounted to so far.
Now that I'm having a look at my snowshoes, I thought I would describe what I use for my walks.
My wife asked me to pick out the pair that I wanted. I didn't know anything about snowshoes. I like to think that I have an eye for quality, so I thought that I could pick out a pair merely by looking at them. I figured they would be produced offshore, but that's not always the case.
Our local Costco sells snowshoes beginning every autumn - long before snow is on anybody's mind. I looked at the model they were selling and decided they were good enough. My wife purchased them, wrapped them and put them under the tree for me to unwrap on Christmas morning. Don't think I forgot about them in the meantime, but with the recent snow that had fallen I was excited to try them out - an excitement that might have passed for surprise in the dim light of the Christmas tree.
I had looked at lots of snowshoes before looking at the Costco brand, and I've compared many more since. I decided to buy them because of one major factor - the bindings. The frames are aluminum, like almost every other brand. They all seem sturdy enough. I worried that the plastic that forms the "webbing" that makes you "float" on the snow wouldn't hold up to Canadian winter conditions. I worried that it would crack at low temperatures. But I also didn't see much difference between any of the brands. All of the snowshoes that I examined had decent cleats for gripping icy surfaces. That meant that the one single difference that I could easily see, was the binding.
Snowshoes can be used with almost any winter boot. I say almost any winter boot because I'm sure women's stilleto boots would be problematic. The Snow Mountain model of snowshoes from Costco has three straps securing the binding to your boot. Two straps cross the front of the foot to form the toe box. These straps use the same clamps as most snowboard bindings. The straps can be pushed into the buckle and then ratcheted to tighten the strap further. Pulling the part in the centre of the buckle releases it. This is a superior form of buckle and one I would recommend. Other arrangements seem cumbersome and time consuming, and remember that you may have to handle these buckles in the cold without gloves.
The third strap on a snowshoe binding holds the back of the boot into the snowshoe. I've seen snowshoes that have snowboard buckles on the toe straps and then use a completely different arrangement on the heel and I'm truly baffled by this. The same ease of use logic applies to the heel strap as to the toe straps. When I'm done walking, I usually just loosen my toe straps enough to loosen the toes of my boot, undo the heel strap completely, and then just step out, On the next outing, I just step into the toe box and ratchet them until the binding feels just snug. Then I slip the rear strap through the buckle, tighten and go.
The heel strap also has a thick rubber pad that cups the heel of the boot, something that is missing on many other brands. The strap is plenty long enough and has a slider arrangement for a coarse adjustment. But once you've determined and adjusted the strap length for your first outing, you only need to connect and adjust with the ratcheting buckle on subsequent walks.
Finally, when you're looking for snowshoes, be sure to check out the weight restrictions. The whole idea behind snowshoes is to walk on top of the snow and not have to trudge through it. My snowshoes are 29 inches long and 9 inches wide. They have no problem keeping my 200 pounds afloat on the snow. Check the box or the label for the rating.
Embossed on the bottom of my snowshoes, is a small inscription that reads, "Made in Canada." It makes sense that a product ideally suited for Canadian winters would be made here in Canada, but quite frankly I'm surprised. It seems most manufacturing is performed offshore, so it follows that I expected to see these were made in Singapore or China. Now I'll have to look for that when I check out other brands.
In doing some research, I discovered that the snowshoes sold at Costco under the Snow Mountain brand are made by Faber. Faber is a family business in Québec City, Québec, Canada. They've been making snowshoes since 1883. It seems fitting then that their manufacturing facility is located next to a Huron reserve.
My Gear Part 2 - Dressing is next.
Now that I'm having a look at my snowshoes, I thought I would describe what I use for my walks.
My wife asked me to pick out the pair that I wanted. I didn't know anything about snowshoes. I like to think that I have an eye for quality, so I thought that I could pick out a pair merely by looking at them. I figured they would be produced offshore, but that's not always the case.
Our local Costco sells snowshoes beginning every autumn - long before snow is on anybody's mind. I looked at the model they were selling and decided they were good enough. My wife purchased them, wrapped them and put them under the tree for me to unwrap on Christmas morning. Don't think I forgot about them in the meantime, but with the recent snow that had fallen I was excited to try them out - an excitement that might have passed for surprise in the dim light of the Christmas tree.
I had looked at lots of snowshoes before looking at the Costco brand, and I've compared many more since. I decided to buy them because of one major factor - the bindings. The frames are aluminum, like almost every other brand. They all seem sturdy enough. I worried that the plastic that forms the "webbing" that makes you "float" on the snow wouldn't hold up to Canadian winter conditions. I worried that it would crack at low temperatures. But I also didn't see much difference between any of the brands. All of the snowshoes that I examined had decent cleats for gripping icy surfaces. That meant that the one single difference that I could easily see, was the binding.
Snowshoes can be used with almost any winter boot. I say almost any winter boot because I'm sure women's stilleto boots would be problematic. The Snow Mountain model of snowshoes from Costco has three straps securing the binding to your boot. Two straps cross the front of the foot to form the toe box. These straps use the same clamps as most snowboard bindings. The straps can be pushed into the buckle and then ratcheted to tighten the strap further. Pulling the part in the centre of the buckle releases it. This is a superior form of buckle and one I would recommend. Other arrangements seem cumbersome and time consuming, and remember that you may have to handle these buckles in the cold without gloves.
The third strap on a snowshoe binding holds the back of the boot into the snowshoe. I've seen snowshoes that have snowboard buckles on the toe straps and then use a completely different arrangement on the heel and I'm truly baffled by this. The same ease of use logic applies to the heel strap as to the toe straps. When I'm done walking, I usually just loosen my toe straps enough to loosen the toes of my boot, undo the heel strap completely, and then just step out, On the next outing, I just step into the toe box and ratchet them until the binding feels just snug. Then I slip the rear strap through the buckle, tighten and go.
The heel strap also has a thick rubber pad that cups the heel of the boot, something that is missing on many other brands. The strap is plenty long enough and has a slider arrangement for a coarse adjustment. But once you've determined and adjusted the strap length for your first outing, you only need to connect and adjust with the ratcheting buckle on subsequent walks.
Finally, when you're looking for snowshoes, be sure to check out the weight restrictions. The whole idea behind snowshoes is to walk on top of the snow and not have to trudge through it. My snowshoes are 29 inches long and 9 inches wide. They have no problem keeping my 200 pounds afloat on the snow. Check the box or the label for the rating.
Embossed on the bottom of my snowshoes, is a small inscription that reads, "Made in Canada." It makes sense that a product ideally suited for Canadian winters would be made here in Canada, but quite frankly I'm surprised. It seems most manufacturing is performed offshore, so it follows that I expected to see these were made in Singapore or China. Now I'll have to look for that when I check out other brands.
In doing some research, I discovered that the snowshoes sold at Costco under the Snow Mountain brand are made by Faber. Faber is a family business in Québec City, Québec, Canada. They've been making snowshoes since 1883. It seems fitting then that their manufacturing facility is located next to a Huron reserve.
My Gear Part 2 - Dressing is next.
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