How snowshoes are made
Snowshoes they are a kind of rafts, or slippers, made of cold-resistant rigid plastic that allow you to float on fresh snow.
On the snowshoe a device is mounted to attach shoes, both at the toe and at the ankle; the device is normally tilting, i.e. it allows the natural flexion of the foot during walking. The swing can also be fixed to the heel, making everything more stable: it is used to tackle the steepest descents or the most demanding traverses. Otherwise, during less demanding sections or climbs, you leave your heel free; on climbs, to reduce calf fatigue, it is also possible to fix the heel lift, which shortens the range of motion of the ankle. Under the snowshoe there are steel crampons, which are used to have a grip on even hard snow.
How to dress for snowshoeing
Even if the temperatures are very low, snowshoeing it involves a good amount of energy expenditure, and after a few minutes the body inevitably warms up. So the advice is to dress in layers, avoiding excessively padded clothing that would impede movement and make you sweat excessively. Optimal clothing includes:
- A t-shirt or base layer in synthetic technical fabric (never cotton, which gets soaked!) with long sleeves, like these.
- A fleece, or second layer, always in breathable and perhaps windproof technical fabric: it is used to stay warm and to evaporate sweat.
- A waterproof and windproof shell, preferably with some breathable membrane such as Gore-Tex or Polartec: they protect from wind, snow, wet and allow sweat to breathe, avoiding staying wet. For example these.
- Long hiking trousers, not padded, but also with a breathable, windproof and water-protecting membrane: ski trousers are not good, too padded and sometimes too warm, jeans or other fabric trousers are absolutely not good which, in the event of slipping in the snow, would get soaked; a good solution is to wear trekking trousers like these over tights, perhaps winter running tights.
Shoes and socks: which ones to use?
Socks and socks are fine trekking shoes, with some indications: never – never! – cotton socks, because snow gets into your shoes and these fabrics and yarns get soaked like sponges, leaving your feet frozen. Better to use hiking socks made of synthetic fabric that wicks away sweat, as short or long as you like. Trekking shoes must be high above the ankle, to protect the feet from sinking into the snow, better if they are a little structured with a slightly stiffer sole than usual, and above all with membranes or technical fabrics that protect from water and wind. moisture like Gore-Tex or equivalent, like these. A good solution to keep your feet dry is the use of leggings, which protect the shoe and calves from the snow.
Gloves, hat, glasses? Always
Even if after a few minutes you will feel the heat of the blood flowing through your body, protect the ends it is always indispensable.
Wear a hat that protects your ears, gloves that don't get soaked in cold snow like these, and maybe even a scarf or collar if you suffer from the cold wind on your neck. Glasses are also essential: the glare of the sun on the snow can be really annoying and ruin the pleasure of snowshoeing. Here are some technical mountain glasses.
Sticks: are they really necessary?
Yes, they are essential for maintaining balance, improving walking rhythm and aiding stability when going up and down. Nowadays they are almost all telescopic, i.e. adaptable in height: the correct adjustment is like that of trekking, so when gripping them correctly the elbow bends to 90° and the forearm is parallel to the ground. At the Dolomiti Walking Hotel we will lend you the poles.
How to walk with snowshoes
The snow is never the same, as it can be powdery, icy, wet or a combination of different states, and therefore with each step you have to adapt your snowshoeing style a little.
However, generally speaking, snowshoeing it's a bit like Nordic walking: arms and legs move alternately, so when the right foot advances you point the stick held with the left hand into the snow, and vice versa. In the steep uphill stretches, however, you point both poles forward and then use leverage and help push your legs. The most common mistake of the former snowshoeing is to start with long, wide strides, which are the best way to sink into the snow: better to find a good rhythm with short steps and legs just a little wider than normal (snowshoes are about 40/50 cm wide), following the trail already opened in the snow if we are not the forerunners. Finally, in traverses it is always a good idea to place your support on the upstream pole, keeping the downstream one only for balance, and always maintain 3 out of 4 supports between snowshoes and poles.