Boston Township Winter Sports Center Reports Successful 2005 Season

A Spokesman from Ohio's Boston Township Winter Sports Center, which opened December 26th of 2004 in the Ohio Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reported an excellent attandence rate during the 2005 winter season. The Winter Sports Center offered rentals of snowshoes for children and adults of all ages and abilities. The Center also provided snowshoe lessons and instruction when there was at least 2 inches of snow on the trails.

The 2005 fee was $5. Snowshoe rentals were also available at the associated Happy Days Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the winter months. The Ohio Boston Township Winter Sports Center expects to offer a similar schedule and programs for the 2006 season as well.

MSR Snowshoes Offered at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge

During the 2004-2005 winter tourist season MSR Snowshoes were available to guests at the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, located at just over 6,500 feet above Bow Lake in the Lake Louise and Banff National Park district of Canada. A Num-Ti-Jah spokesman expects the equipment to be available to guests again in 2006. The MSR Snowshoes are offered to access the remote and untravelled stretches of snow covered forests, ridges and peaks. Besides snowshoers, the Num-Ti-Jah lodge also receives a mixture of guests that are cross country ski tourers, telemarkers, mountaineers and downhill skiers who ski the trails at the Lake Louise Ski Resort.

Massachusetts Snowshoe Tour Reports Successful 2005 Season

Organizers of the "Take a Winter Walk" snowshoe tours at Gore Estate, a 45-acre house museum on the Waltham and Watertown line Massachusetts reported a successful 2005 series and plan to again host the event in 2006. The event was funded in part by a grant from Crossroads Community Foundation, and the "Take a Winter Walk" tours were scheduled this past winter beginning on Monday March 7 through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday, March 12, from noon to 3 p.m., through March 31.

One-hour snowshoe rentals were offered for $5. Backpacks containing binoculars, a magnifying glass and activities appropriate for children age 3 to 9 were also available for a $5 rental fee.

Organizers explained the snowshoeing tours explored the open spaces and hidden places at Gore Estate. Children and accompanying adults could also search for animal tracks, identify trees by their shapes, needles or pine cones and visit the sheep, llama, goats, chickens and rabbits residing at the farm.

Tubbs Snowshoes & Atlas Snowshoes Parent Company K2 Inc. Chooses NYLIM Retirement Plan Services

Atlas Snowshoes and Tubbs Snowshoes parent company K2 Inc. recently appointed NYLIM Retirement Plan Services, a division of New York Life Investment Management LLC to manage the sports equipment maker's $48 million, 2200 employee participant defined contribution plan. As defined by the arrangement, NYLIM Retirement Plan Services will be providing K2 with recordkeeping, participant communications, investment management services, trust and investment consulting for its 401(k) plan.

"We chose NYLIM because we like their open architecture and the fact that they can customize communications to our plan participants," Robert Moynan, director of corporate human resources at K2 Inc. stated. "We were also very impressed that they have a background in ERISA consulting. This will be beneficial to us in fulfilling our fiduciary duties to the plan. The great culture fit between our two companies also counts for a lot."

Managing director of NYLIM Retirement Plan Services, Tom Clough, said "K2 is a trusted name in sporting equipment and we are glad that they have chosen NYLIM Retirement Plan Services, a trusted name in financial services, to manage their defined contribution plan. We look forward to many years of working together toward the mutual goal of a successful retirement for K2's employees."

Besides Atas Snowshoes and Tubbs Snowshoes brands, K2 Inc. also includes a portfolio of leading sports equipment and apparel brands including Rawlings, Worth, Shakespeare, Pflueger, Brass Eagle, Stearns, K2, Volkl, Ride, Marmot, ExOfficio, Marker, Planet Earth apparel, Adio and Hawk skateboard shoes, JT and Worr Games paintball products and Dana Design backpacks.

First Annual French Snowshoe & Ski Mountaineering Event Held

Event organizers recently reported that the first edition of the Rallye des Crêtes was successful. Conditions were held under what the organizers described as superb, if slightly warm weather. The event combines snowshoes and mountaineering skis. Race director Bruno Javerzac stated that the event is not a race, and is instead an event that brings together ski mountaineers and snowshoers in a spirit of conviviality and sharing of effort.

The Rallye des Crêtes is organized by the Club Alpin Français of la Mure and by the l’Alpe du Grand Serre Tourist office and has assistance from the soldiers of the seventh regiment de materiel du Lyon. They have a base located close to the resort.

Emmanuel Boscher completed the course with the fastest time of 2 hours 16 minutes. Mr. Boscher currently is ranked 246th in France for the 2005 season of ski mountaineering competition.

Intense Traditional Wooden Snowshoes Study Conducted by Canadian Students

Recently Thunder Bay, Ontario students conducted an intensive weeklong class researching the different types of wood snowshoes and their specific uses. The result of their efforts was a slide show they created for educating people about snowshoeing.

The first assignment was taught on how to make snowshoes. The discussion began with which trees to use and how to find the right tree. The birch and black ash were the woods of choice for traditional wood snowshoes that were made in eastern Canada. Moose or caribou rawhide were used for the lacing which make up the intricately woven mesh pattern of the traditional wooden snowshoes.

Students were then presented several methods of tying the harnesses or bindings. Afterwards students learned several tips and guidelines before moving to the outdoors and using the snowshoes. Firstly, they learned to always make sure to have the proper snowshoe for the conditions, the proper shape and size for each user's weight and the task that the user intends to accomplish. Also it is important to make sure to have a comfortable and sturdy binding or harness system for the feet.

Finally, students learned that wood snow shoes are a First Nation technology that the west's first European settlers of the Americas relied on for winter survival.

Junior 2005 U.S. Snowshoe Racing Champion Jason Ayr Interviewed

The 2005 Junior United States National Snowshoe Racing Champion, Jason Ayr of Westfield Massachusetts, was recently interviewed by The Republican, a MA newspaper. Below are excerpts of the interview. Jason Ayr recently won the championship title at the Nike ACG National Snowshoe Championship in Anchorage, Alaska after being a snowshoe racer with only two months of racing experience.

"My uncle is a rep for Atlas Snowshoes, so he sent me a pair, and said if I could qualify for the national race, he'd send me out there," stated Ayr, a Westfield High School junior standout on the cross-country and track teams. "I thought it might be interesting, so I gave it a try." Two months later Ayr finished in first place in the Junior men's 5K race at the Nike ACG National Snowshoe Championship in Anchorage, Alaska. "It was pretty cool," Ayr said, who completed the event in 23 minutes, 14 seconds. "It's a lot slower than running, and the courses are a lot harder."

Before Ayr's uncle, David Egan, suggested the sport to him, Ayr had never trained on snowshoes before. He got his first experience by training at Westfield's Stanley Park with Kyle Pierce, a high school teammate . "I did snowshoes every now and then to get a feel for it," Ayr stated. "I never did any really hard workouts on snow shoes. It was still indoor track season, so I was concentrating on that." The Atlas racing snowshoes, which weigh approximately 14 ounces apiece, didn't take that much getting used to. "The shoes I have are real light, so I don't even know I'm wearing them," Ayr added. "The first day was a real shock. I thought it would be pretty easy, but it was a lot different. You're up on your toes a little bit more to try and get your cleats to dig into the snow. So your quads burn a little more."

He qualified for the national championship by winning the 4.5 mile northeast qualifier at Northfield Mountain. In Alaska, Ayr discovered the steep terrain and his relative inexperience forced him to throw traditional racing strategy out the window. "It's not as consistent of a race," Ayr remarked. "You could be going very fast, and the next thing you know, you're near walking pace. I didn't run the whole course before the race, so when I got to the steep parts, it threw me back. During the hill climb, you just feel like you want to drop. At the beginning, I led up the whole race, seniors and all. On the hills, I dropped to fifth or sixth. At the split, where the seniors split off for the 10K, I could still see the leaders, but they had definitely run the beginning a lot smarter than I did."

The next day at the 10K relay race, Ayr also competed with three members of the Atlas Snowshoes racing team to place third. "I ran the first leg on the relay, and I won my leg," Ayr explained.

Jason Ayr concluded by saying that he is planning to compete in next year's 2006 National Snowshoe Racing Championship in Vermont.

RedFeather Snowshoes Raises Money for the Disabled

Redfeather Snowshoes recently announced that it has successfully concluded its year-long charitable program, which raised money for the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD). For the 2004-05 winter seasons, Redfeather Snowshoes sold a featured snow shoe model called the Freedom to benefit the NSCD as well as celebrate the company's fifteenth anniversary. 5% of its total sales went to the NSCD.

An exclusive hangtag included on the Redfeather Freedom Snowshoes was also created to highlight this contribution to consumers. The company also donated a percentage of sales profits from the entire line of Red Feather snowshoes this past year, helping the National Sports Center for the Disabled provide quality outdoor sports and therapeutic recreation programs.

Beth Fox, Operations Manager of NSCD, stated "I would like to extend my most ardent thanks to the Redfeather Snowshoes team for continuing their relationship so faithfully with the NSCD. Their support has allowed us to extend therapeutic recreation services through snowshoeing to many people who may never have been able to participate in our other winter sports programs. We feel it extremely important that diverse programming is available so that people of all interests and abilities can participate in recreation for enjoyment and to meet their therapeutic goals. I wish that I could accurately portray on paper the sense of accomplishment that is in the air when I see the beaming face of a participant or hear them call out 'I did it!' as they finish an adventure on their Red Feather snowshoes through the quiet woods. Redfeather Snowshoes is a company to be admired for their community awareness and partnerships."

President of Redfeather, Allan Kettlehut, added "We were thrilled to provide snowshoes to the NSCD to help positively impact the lives of people with physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral challenges. We look forward to continuing this relationship into the future."