Snowshoe You Betta Do

In my ongoing effort to get my lazy ass out the door in the middle of (what feels like) a never-ending winter, I purchased a pair of snowshoes on sale a couple of weeks ago. I figured I would try the activity, and if I hated it, my husband could wear the snowshoes, and if HE hated it, oh well. I took them out for the first time last Thursday to a nearby state park where there were plenty of wooded trails that would have more than enough snow for ya' nerves. Parked, strapped the shoes onto my shoes (a process that was fairly simple, thank goodness), and started plodding along.

I was surprised to find that snowshoeing is not nearly as awkward, physically, as I'd assumed. It seems like you'd be walking like a duck the whole time and would have difficulty with turning and with staying upright and balanced. But it took all of ten seconds to get used to the feeling of the snowshoes. The way they work: they are basically attached to your forefoot. With each step you take, the front of the shoe comes up, and the back of it drags a bit on the ground, which gives you excellent balance. Metal spikes lock you in with each step so that you don't slip. The size of the snowshoe (mine are 8" by 22", and therefore don't have a super high weight limit) prevents you from sinking into the snow. The amount that you sink in will vary from not at all (on hard packed snow) to potentially a few inches (on looser, deeper snow).

Once you get used to the feel of walking in the snowshoes, it is very similar to hiking in slightly muddy terrain, but without the slippage. Each foot placement needs to be fairly deliberate, but you will be very secure. I didn't fall once! Huzzah! After 90 minutes of snowshoeing, my legs didn't feel fatigued at all, but my core was a bit tired.

Today I went out snowshoeing again, this time going a couple miles farther in a little bit more time. I kept a faster pace and was even able to jog a bit. Jogging in snowshoes requires a fair bit of energy, as you don't get any sort of springback from the ground. The snowshoes and snow beneath them totally absorbs all the energy of your impact, and your muscles are totally responsible for lifting you back up. In short, jogging in snowshoes uses a lot of hip flexors, which actually makes it more similar muscle-wise to racewalking than running. Turns out this was right up my alley, but y'all good runners might want to take note.

So if you are looking for a good cross-training winter activity, now is a good time of year to buy on-sale snowshoes. You never know what you can find in the middle of the forest. Garbage? Dead bodies? The sky's the limit, folks!