National Park Service Provides Snowshoes for Hikers at Crater Lake

The National Park Service of Oregon announced they will be providing snowshoes all winter long to enthusiasts 9 and older. Winter hikers can take advantage of the free snowshoe hikes at Crater Lake courtesy of the National Park Service beginning in December. The snow shoe hikes will begin at 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and continue through March. Snow shoes of all sizes will be availalable. Details: 541-594-3100.

2004-2005 Atlas SnowShoe Racing Team Announced

The Atlas Snowshoes Racing Team line-up has been announced for the 2004-2005 season. The calender of events the team will be competing at can be found at the Atlas Snowshoes corporate website.

The complete team roster:
Scott Gall, Colleen Ihnken, Helen Cospolich, Adam Chase, Teri Smith, Ethan Hemphill, Louisa Jenkins, Darcy Piceu, Tina Burghardt, Sara Tarkington, Lisa Goldsmith, Erik Skarvan, Kelvin Broad, Jimmy Archer, Richard Bolt, Sam Wilbur, Frank Mungeam, Bernie Boettcher, Jerry Junior Pullins, Rick Hellard, Dave Mackey, Chris Valenti, Peter Fain, Greg Hexum, Julie Hudetz, Syl Corbett, Chad Christensen, Dan Verrington, Nikki Kimball, Haley Beann, Eric Schwartz, Greg Krause, Lisa Jhung, Karen Melliar Smith, Dave Dunham, and Patty Jo Struve.

President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Partners with SIA to Celebrate Winter Trails Day

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) will partner with SnowSports Industries America (SIA) to celebrate Winter Trails Day by sponsoring a free winter sports clinic (date and location TBD). SIA and its member companies will provide snowshoeing gear to participants.

Winter sports instructors and fitness professionals will teach families and school groups about the basic skills of snowshoeing, proper winter dress and the health and fitness benefits of exercising with snowshoes. Guided hikes, tours and seminars will be provided at no cost throughout the day to explain and promote the health and social benefits of physical activity and fitness.

Winter Trails is part of SIA's new initiative, 'Winter Feels Good', started in September to educate people of all ages and abilities about winter sports and equipment, offer guidance on nutrition and skills and promote resorts participating in the program. Various clinics will be offered including: conditioning exercises to help prepare for winter outdoor activities; choosing appropriate winter boots and snowshoes; nutrition tips for a day out in winter chills; and a general session about other winter sports, such as alpine and nordic skiing and snowboarding.

Winter Trails Day, an annual event organized by SIA and the American Hiking Society, is a national initiative providing a free day of snowshoeing to encourage Americans of all ages to try outdoor and winter sports.

The President's Challenge recently launched a web site that serves as a tool to help children, teens, and adults build a regular physical activity routine by tracking progress toward earning Presidential awards for active lifestyles and physical fitness. Many winter sports, including snowshoeing, may be counted toward a President's Challenge award.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, virtually all people can benefit from regular physical activity. It is estimated that inactive lifestyles are associated with 300,000 preventable deaths each year in the United States. Health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle - including overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes - cost the United States nearly $250 billion annually. "Winter sports provide a wonderful opportunity to have fun and stay healthy," said Melissa Johnson, executive director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. "From snowshoeing to cross country touring to alpine skiing and snowboarding, the outdoors provides one of the best classrooms for staying active and fit. We are pleased to be working with SIA's Winter Feels Good program. We hope to educate more Americans about the joy of winter sports."

Sponsors of the clinic include: the American Hiking Society, Tubbs Snowshoes, Backpacker Magazine, Clif Bar, MSR Snow Shoes, Redfeather Snowshoes, Atlas Snowshoes, the United States Snowshoe Association and W.L. Gore & Associates.

"Winter Trails is designed to show how easy it is to go outside in winter, exercise and feel good about staying fit," said David Ingemie, president of SIA. "In particular, this event draws attention to snowshoeing, a low-impact, aerobic workout, that incorporates strength and endurance training. We look forward to working with the President's Council to make a difference in the health of the nation."

"Winter Feels Good" is a clearinghouse for information about the health, fitness and social aspects of winter sports. SIA is the national, nonprofit, member-owned trade association of more than 600 competing snowsports product manufacturers, suppliers and distributors working together to promote and develop the industry of snow sports.

MSR Snowshoes Issues Consumer Notification Regarding Denali Ascent and Red Denali Classic Snowshoes Built Between September and November 2001

MSR Snow Shoes issued a consumer notification regarding all Denali Ascent and red Denali Classic snowshoes manufactured between September and November 2001. These snowshoes were made with a different plastic decking than previous and later model snow shoes, and have a tendency to crack under extreme flexing or hard impacts.

To identify the snowshoes in question, retail stores and consumers can look at two date code dials on the bottom of the snow shoes. The affected models are coded 9/01, X/01 and Y/01. Stores with these MSR snowshoes still in stock have been asked to contact MSR immediately to exchange them.

Consumers can also exchange their snow shoes through their local retailer or by contacting MSR directly. Erik Flink, snowshoe product group manager, noted, "The typical cracks we’ve seen include – a cracked toe area, small pieces breaking off the bottom, etc. – but won’t generally affect the function of the snowshoe. People will still be able to use the snowshoes to get back, but they will want to exchange them when they get home."

Since the discovery of the problem, MSR has returned to producing snowshoes using the original plastic material, which has proven reliably strong and durable over the last seven years. Since their debut in 1995, the MSR line of snowshoes has grown to include models designed for a variety of backcountry uses – the Denali Ascent, Denali Classic, Denali Hiker (no longer in production) and the kid snowshoes Denali Tyker.

The popularity and performance of MSR snowshoes can be attributed to the unique platform design and to the many features invented by MSR, including steel traction bars for stability while traversing and flotation tails, which created the first modular snowshoe system available to the public. Founded in 1969 as a supplier of expedition climbing gear, Mountain Safety Research currently manufactures for the outdoor industry snowshoes, stoves, cookware, water filters, tents, organic dehydrated food, hydration systems and ski-snowshoe poles. More information is available on the company’s web site.