Zatera Ul

It’s the middle of November; so where’s the snow? It’s 59 degrees out. Sigh. I’ve spent too many winters in the gloriously snowy U.P., where winter starts by mid-October. Yesterday I got my snowshoes out–they need some varnish touchup.

Here is a good introduction to snowshoeing. Really, snowshoeing is very easy, once you get them on–just don’t trip yourself by stepping on one snowshoe with the other. Advanced skills include going up steep hills (may need specialized snowshoes or extra foolhardiness), making tight turns, and balancing on one snowshoe while you are putting the other one back on because your boot slipped out of the harness. A long walking stick helps, in any case.

My snowshoes are from Iverson, 12×46 Michigan style, with H harness (see the middle snowshoe in the picture at the bottom). I love them dearly, and I am bitter about living in an area that gets, at best, a quarter of the snowfall that I am accustomed to–this is why I refuse to live any further south. I have been thinking about taking up cross-country skiing, since the skiers control nearly all of the local snow, but I like the off-roading feeling of chugging around on my snowshoes, with no need for a groomed trail.

12×46 is actually a large snowshoe, much more than I technically need to support my weight–Iverson rates it as able to support 235 pounds. (12×46 means 12 inches width, and 46 inches length. I can’t do a fancy kick turn unless I kick really high.) I deliberately chose oversize snowshoes, after snowshoeing through fluffy snow on little borrowed bearpaw snowshoes that were too small, and sinking way down. Better too big than too small. Bigger (and longer) snowshoes are a little less maneuverable in the woods, and may require a slightly wider stride, but it’s worth it.