Real snowshoes anyone?

barely noticable when i walk 10k
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You sir, are HARDCORE :eek:

You know, as a teenager, I just got a body shiver
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Ah yes...the desired effect isn't just for our teens then ;) heh, heh, heh...

Sigh...all this tooting about the new style shoes is starting to wear on me :confused: Guess it's kinda like blued/wood vs stainless/synthetic? I use both types of guns so perhaps it's time to suck it up and upgrade the 'shoes. Any recommendations on what type? Looks pretty damn confusing...racing, mountain, jogging, cross training etc...:rolleyes:
 
I should be getting my snoeshoes I got on Ebay last week soon, Atlas 1030's, $228 shipped w/ carry bag

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for a bigger guy I would suggest a 35" pair



I used the old wooden type this year, with the ####ty ####ing leather straps :mad: what a joke. The Atlas are worth it alone for the bindings, which are quick to pop on and off when getting to a spot you want to call coyotes from.
 
You could try St. John's school of Alberta. They still paddle foot around in old-style shoes and use lampwick for the bindings. Works like a hot damn, as long as it does not get too warm. If that does not work out, give me a shout, I have a few pairs in the garage I might part with.

http://www.sjsa.ab.ca/
 
I have a pair of Atlas snowshoes rated for 300 pounds. Finding snowshoes for bigger guys is becoming difficult. I weigh 230 - which these days isn't even all that big, but by the time I get on my out door gear, sling on a rifle, and start to pull a sleigh, 300 pounds is sometimes marginal. I had a pair of the CF's magnesium snowshoes, and the only thing keeping me from sinking deeper into the snow was the ground.

The advantages of the Atlas snow shoes is that they are very light, they do not allow snow to build up on the webbing, and the ratchet type bindings are very fast - which is good when it is very cold out.

The disadvantages have to do with the foot pad, and the saw tooth ice grips under the foot pad. Around here, expanses of soft snow are often separated by bare ice on frozen lakes and on the sea ice. It is not worth while to take off the show shoes when crossing the bare patches of ice, and the ice grips help with traction when you pull a sleigh. Anyhow, the pressure against the ball of your foot can leave you with sore feet by the end of a day. Similarly, when snowshoeing in soft snow conditions, a layer of snow can get trapped between the foot pad of the snowshoe and the sole of your boot. Over time this compacts and turns to ice, and again the pressure against the ball of your foot can become painful. It is important to clean this out regularly.

The Atlas snowshoes are not perfect, but they are the best I've seen in a long time.

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The weight you mentioned is about right, Boomer. I'm about the same size and I keep seeing snowshoe capacity mentioning "little people" around 175lbs. Our 15 yr old son tips the scales at 185 lbs and he has no fat on him to speak of. Are these new style 'shoes gonna keep me on top? Or will I been floundering worse than before? Nice picture by the way :D
 
Of coarse much depends on the density of the snow. Wet snow produces more support than sugar. All in all I get better support from these snow shoes than any others I've tried to date. When I was younger, all we had were "Michigan" styled snow shoes, and while not worthless, they nearly were. I never did try a traditional pair of Alaskans, but for some one who like traditional materials these might be the best.

I gave up on gut webbing when an old pair of snowshoes gave up the ghost while I was miles back in the toolies south of Grand Rapids. Spring time, snow was very wet and very deep. It took me until dark to get out after the gut webbing fell apart. That was spring 1975, but you'll notice how well I remember the occasion. Old snow shoes, not maintained, my fault - but it won't happen with the new hi-tec models, and these ones you can through in a corner and forget until you need them.
 
I confess I don't snowshoe a lot but I use the military magnesium framed shoes when I do. I'm 220 lbs. and they keep me up in the powdery stuff just fine. I have a newer style ratchet type binding on mine which I can adjust pretty quickly. Just my two cents.
 
Wrong Way said:
I like the CF magnesium shoes....traditional style, but instead of spruce/gut they are Magnesium framed with SS cable.

I have a set of traditional birch/gut ones....havent used them yet, as the CF ones work just too well.
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Another vote for these - have used these both in CF and personally for quite a few years - very durable light and work well - bindings are simple and foolproof.

rob
 
Most people don't know how to select, use or rig beavertails properly, and snowshoes like the atlas aren't bad but they need longer tails. The ovals things are junk, suitable for the amount of snow that the guy towing the sled is walking on only ;).

If you're over 200 lbs snowshoes of any style are going to be a problem in deep powder - you're just too heavy for the area. When beavertails were conceived, not many indians weighed that much...
The teardrop beavertails come in four basic configurations - long and narrow with a point, long and narrow without a point, shorter and broader with a point, and the most common shorter and broader without a point.
The pointed versions are for drift busting along open snow lanes. If you're walking in a lot of deadfall they can snag readily. More commonly used in open fields, or on the shield where the snow drifts and there is less hardwood bush.
If they fit you properly, and you've rigged them properly (free swinging at the toe, tied so as not to swing much), the fat part fits into the side cut out of the beavertail in a more or less normal gait. When you walk, the beavertail should never leave the ground - its a rudder to keep them pointed in the right direction. If you're slapping around like a duck, they are either the wrong size for you or you haven't rigged them right. They are also not designed for snowmobile boots ;) - the toe has to pivot into the hole at the binding for them to work right. The indians didn't wear Sorels, originally...
 
BC Bigbore said:
Thanks for the replies :) I know that the modern stuff is supposed to be better, lighter etc. but still...:rolleyes:


Surely you jest, my good man :eek: Only reason I'd go there (Liberal stronghold) is to tip some beers with the likes of mommabear & Dumbdog and maybe invite myself up to Doug's huntin' camp to spin a yarn or two ;)
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your more than welcome to pop by and overdose on wobblypops.as is most members on here
 
Skip said:
Most people don't know how to select, use or rig beavertails properly,
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This is exactly the reason why alot of people don't like to use the Michigan type snowshoes they haven't been shown how to walk in them properly. Kinda hard to explain, but it's more of a rythmic glide than a walk. Keeping pressure back on the heel of the forward stepping foot by raising your toes up so the tail glides along, but keeps the toe of the shoe up above the snowline. The snowshoe step should "lay" on the snow from tail to toe, not just a up and down step. The tails should never leave the surface.

I've snowshoed many years and have gone out many times with guys and their new Tubbs, etc. They get fatigued fast from the stepping up and down and having to lift the snow up that sits on the backs of their shoe. My one friend bought the biggest sized Tubbs (against my opinion) and all he did was trip on his face when the toes kept riding under the crust. The toes of these shoes were hardly turned up at all, in fact they were pretty flat. I told him he should stick them in a vice and bend the toes up, lol. So much for the $400 dollar shoes.

The fact is no "one" snowshoe is perfect for all areas and conditions. That's why the Natives had so many different designs from region to region. I carry two sets for my area, and switch when needed. The Michigan for deep powder and a fallers bearpaw with corks for the steep thick stuff. You cannot beat the Michigan type for deep powder, and you cannot beat the faller's bear paw for the steep, thick stuff. I know, I've tried them all.

I may add that if the binding system fails in the "new" hinged types your pretty much screwed. I've seen the Tubbs sysyem fail in my friends one time and he has a hell of a time getting out. If my leather harness fails in my traditional type, I just use a cord and carry on.
 
Spitzer said:
This is exactly the reason why alot of people don't like to use the Michigan type snowshoes they haven't been shown how to walk in them properly. Kinda hard to explain, but it's more of a rythmic glide than a walk. Keeping pressure back on the heel of the forward stepping foot by raising your toes up so the tail glides along, but keeps the toe of the shoe up above the snowline. The snowshoe step should "lay" on the snow from tail to toe, not just a up and down step. The tails should never leave the surface.
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In addition to Spitzer's fine explanation - the shape of the snowshoe indexes the length of your step. You don't walk bow-legged, just let the snowshoe drag past your ankle, and then transfer the weight to it when the narrowing of the tail comes alongside the wide part of the other snowshoe. Even with the new fangled snowshoes you don't have to do it wrong, but as you say not everyone was taught properly.

A big advantage of the new style is when the snow is wet. Conventional snowshoes can hold a lot of wet snow that can't pass through the webbing, so to prevent the build up you are working a lot harder. The hi-tek ones are too slippery for the snow to stay on them. Another problem is slush. If you get into slush, the conventional snowshoes turn into heavy solid paddles, while the hi-tek ones do not.

Regardless which style you have, should you choose not to keep them in good repair, you could be in trouble.
 
The best bindings I have used are the Faber PRODUCT # : A3P work bindings. they are neoprene, last for years and do not stretch or rot like leather. They are available to fit Sorels and are very secure yet have a quick release buckle to get in to and out of easily. Try them you won't be without them again! I buy mine through Lebarons.
"http://fabersnowshoes.com/pls/prod_prod_bout51/iwae.proc_aigu?P_type_api=BOUTIK&P_lang=2&P_defi_ecra=3&P_cie=000019950000&P_type_acce=PUBLIC"
 
redmist25 said:
The best bindings I have used are the Faber PRODUCT # : A3P work bindings. they are neoprene, last for years and do not stretch or rot like leather. They are available to fit Sorels and are very secure yet have a quick release buckle to get in to and out of easily. Try them you won't be without them again! I buy mine through Lebarons.
"http://fabersnowshoes.com/pls/prod_prod_bout51/iwae.proc_aigu?P_type_api=BOUTIK&P_lang=2&P_defi_ecra=3&P_cie=000019950000&P_type_acce=PUBLIC"
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The neoprene bindings are great but they can be difficult to control if your snowshoe "knifes in" deep into the snow. Pulling on them in this buried condition causes them to stretch and makes it difficult to free the snowshoe.

They are indeed easy to get in and out of when you are standing on firm snow. They also don't need adjustment very often. Be careful with rubber bindings if you are on lakes or rivers a lot. If you break through the ice with them on, I doubt that you'll be able to get your snowshoes off :( . Where the danger of going through the ice exists, I use a harness that can be left unbuckled so that I can release my snowshoes without my hands. I've gone through the ice with snowshoes on at -30C and it is a BAD experience. :eek:

Overall the new metal/composite framed, solid deck snowshoes are far superior to the old wood/babiche snowshoes. I've used them all, in all shapes and sizes with bindings ranging from the horrific Crappy Tire stuff, Bates Humane, neoprene and handmade lampwick. The new snowshoes are the way to go. Get the biggest ones you can use comfortably in the snow/terrain you're expecting to travel through.
 
I use a long pair of algonquins. Absolutely useles in bush, or tight quarters, they are five feet long. But terriffic on lakes, and fields. The fronts are turned up well, and you can actually ski down steep slopes, if the snow is hard enough.
What has been said about walking in snowshoes is very true. The tails of mine are half worn away. I've used 'em since I was about twenty.
My lord, that makes them older than a lot of members here.
I've long forgotten the amount of weight they are supposed to carry, but it's substantial. I used them for rabbit hunting along fence rows. Some years I used them to get to my late season deer stand.
 
For the low to mid price range I tried these

Faber Mountain Leisure Aluminum
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and these
Faber Winter Guide
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They are the same price but I went with the Winter guides. Even thought they have an ash frame instead of the aluminum they felt much stronger and just walked and floated better for me. The GF uses the Aluminum ones and like them but she is more of a recreational snowshoer.
 
Inner tube harnesses, Long slender wooden snowshoes. You must be from Northern Ontario originally as well! I now live in Northern BC, but imported my snowshoes exactly as you describe, when I moved out here.
CDW
 
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