SNOW SHOES, equipment used to move
across the surface of snow; also, a type of sport ('snowshoeing').
Snow shoes make it possible to walk in soft snow. They
consist of lightweight, elongated, oval wooden frames
on which leather thongs are strung. The decking is usu.
divided into 3 parts, and has an elaborate weave. The
middle part of a snow shoe, where the user's foot is,
has denser decking, additionally strengthened with two
cross bars to bear the body weight of the user. The
remaining parts have thinner decking that allows loose
snow to pour through it but 'floats' on more packed
snow. Snow shoes are fastened to one's feet using special
leather bindings that allow the heel - much like in
cross-country skis - to 'detach' from the shoe, with
the toes attached permanently. When running, one has
to lift the front part of the shoe off the snow first,
and then drag the rear part along the surface.
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One may reach speeds of up to 5mph (8km/h). Snow shoes
have no standard sizes; usu., they are about 3ft. (1m)
long, and 1½ft. (0.5m) wide.
History. Snow shoes as we know them
today descend from those used by Native Amer. Indians
and the Inuit. When Europeans arrived in N.America,
snow shoes became part of the standard gear of trappers,
lumberjacks, farmers and sportsmen. In Canada, snow
shoe races became quite popular. Since c.1840, a group
of people from Montreal under the leadership of N. 'Evergreen'
Hughes went on excursions using snow shoes. In 1843,
the same people established the Montreal Snow Shoe Club
that initiated systematic trips, combining those with
cultural activities. During an outing - a 'tramp' -
the participants would stop at an inn at the half-way
point to have a meal, sing and recite poetry. The Montreal
club also organized the first competitions along 2-mile
courses, with obstacles such as tree trunks or fences
4ft. (1.2m) high. In the 1860s, there were more snow
shoe clubs set up in Canada, in such places as Montreal,
Ottawa or Quebec, which was essential in establishing
the interdisciplinary Montreal Amateur Sport Association,
which in turn was instrumental for the development of
Can. sport in general. In the 1890s, snowshoeing became
Canada's most popular winter sport. The international
Tecumseh Cup competition was organized, and the equipment
was improved (among other things, the weight of the
shoes fell from 4lb. (1.81km) to 1.5lb. (0.68kg)). Between
1883 and 1889, the Montreal Amateur Sport Association
organized the Mardi Gras carnival, which was a week
of games and sports. The growth of skiing and Eur. winter
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sports diminished the interest in snowshoeing at the
turn of the 19th and 20th cent. However, the Can. Snowshoe
Union was established in 1907, responsible for the co-ordination
and development of snowshoeing in that country. Outside
of Canada, the largest association for snow shoe users
and fans is the Amer. Snowshoe Union of Lewiston, Minnesota.
Snow shoes have been less popular in the Eur. tradition,
even though they can be encountered in the northern
countries. In the Carpathian mountains of Eastern Europe,
another type of the snow shoe, known as >KARPLE,
was used in the past.
W.E. Osgood & L.E. Hurley, Snowshoe Book, 1971;
'Snowshoeing', The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1985, vol.
3, PAT-Z, 1712. |
