Online Women's Magazine Posts Suggestions on Snowshoeing

Bella Online, an online magazine for women, recently posted an article recommending snowshoeing as an excellent activity for children during winter. They also included creative ways of engaging in the activity and trying something new. They suggest renting shoes or even creating your own by strapping old tennis rackets to childrens' feet. Old tennis and racquetball rackets can be found at thrift stores and snowshoes are also available at most outdoor gear stores and ski & snowboard rental shops. Suggested activities for creating immediate excitement include playing hide-and-go seek and tag on snowshoes. These activities are both challenging and a lot of fun, the article states.

All-New 36 Inch Snowshoes Available from Atlas Snowshoes

Atlas Snow-Shoe Company has developed and released two new 36-inch snowshoe models – the Frontier and Trailbreaker – targeted for carrying heavy loads through waist-deep powder off trails and in the deep woods or high country. The 36 Series snowshoes are similarly constructed to the snowshoes Atlas manufactured for U.S. military operations. They are an excellent gear choice for backcountry trekking, camping or hunting during winter.

The 2005-2006 Atlas Frontier and Trailbreaker are more than a pound lighter than previous Atlas 36 Series snowshoes due to the introduction of a high-end Easton 7075 aluminum frame construction that provides long-term durability without the extra weight. Both models feature the Atlas patented Spring-Loaded Suspension providing the most natural foot movement, maneuverability and stability a snowshoe can offer for navigating challenging terrain or deep snow. The Frontier has a premium, ultra-durable Duratek™ decking and the best traction system Atlas offers: All-Trac™ toe crampon, heel crampon and Traverse Trac™ side traction rail combination. The Trail Breaker features a lightweight aluminum toe crampon and stainless heel cleat system and durable Nytex™ decking material. Suggested retail for the Trail Breaker is $199 and the Frontier $269.

Atlas Snowshoes Releases 2005-2006 'QuickGuide of Facts'

Atlas Snowshoes has released their annual 'QuickGuide of Facts' on the current state of the snow shoe industry. Excerpted highlights are included below:

Number of United States Snowshoeing Participants: 5.9 million

Growth of Snowshoeing: Almost 93% since 1998

Snowshoer Demographics: Snowshoeing appeals to every age. 59% are between the ages of 16 and 34; 44% are women.

Average Snowshoe Cost: $150 Retail

Most Popular Places to Snowshoe: Alpine and Nordic resorts, national parks/forests, local hiking trail systems, golf courses

Popular Trail Access Resources: AtlasSnowshoe.com featuring Trails.com; XCSki.org

Most Common Uses for Snowshoeing: Fitness, Cross-training, Recreation, Hiking, Running, Racing, Backcountry Trekking, Mountaineering

Caloric Burning Rate: 420-1,000 calories per hour, 45% more than walking or running at the
same speed

Average Weight of a Snowshoe: 1.8 pounds per average 25” snowshoe

Snowshoes Industry Defines Snowshoe Bindings

The Snowshoes Industry has issued a press release that explains the state of current snowshoe bindings. Bindings are necessary to keep snowshoes firmly fixed to the footwear, and they should be easy to operate even when wearing mittens. The type of bindings a snowshoe has affects the way it works. Many snowshoers pay more attention to larger, more obvious parts of the snowshoe and give little consideration to the two main binding types, fixed and pivoting.

Fixed bindings, also called spring-loaded bindings, have a spring that lifts the snowshoe's tail up away from the snow with every step. This makes backing up possible, but it also throws snow from the decking against the back of the legs, so users are advised to wear high gaiters with fixed bindings. Fixed bindings are best on packed trails and in brushy areas where their good maneuverability is an asset. Pivoting-hinge bindings, also called freely-rotating bindings, allow the boot to rotate freely around a pivot, and they allow the tail of the snowshoe to drop to the ground when the snowshoe is raised to take a step. This sheds snow that has accumulated on the decking. This type of binding does not allow the user to back up, because the snowshoe's tails will dig into the snow. It is the strongest type of binding, and it is best when doing a lot of climbing.

Snowshoers must be able to walk up, down, and across hills. High-tech snowshoes provide traction with toothed cleats called crampons. These are usually found on the toe or under the ball of the foot and also near the heel, and they grip the ground on ascents and descents. Additional crampons which run parallel to the snowshoe's sides are found on heavy-duty climbing snowshoes and provide additional lateral stability for traversing slopes.

Atlas Snowshoes Introduces New Lightweight, Adjustable Poles

A spokesman from the Atlas Snow-Shoe company recently announced that with approximately six million snowshoeing enthusiasts, snowshoeing poles have emerged as essential, standard operating equipment for this popular winter sport. The spokesman explained snowshoe poles enhance the snowshoeing experience by offering improved balance, stability and an increased upper body, cardio workout.

To support this demand, Atlas Snow-Shoe Company has produced lightweight, versatile snowshoe poles for both men and women. With a weight of slightly above one pound per pair, the compact, telescoping poles by Atlas can be adjusted quickly and easily in order to fit a wide variety of users or snowshoeing terrain. The three-piece telescoping system collapses compactly for storing when not in use and can be adjusted shorter for climbing or longer for descending steep terrain. The material make-up is 7075-T7 aluminum for lightweight strength, the poles feature men and women specific grips made of EVA foam, anotomically contoured for comfort and equipped with adjustable neoprene straps. They also contain flexible tungsten carbide tips and large snow baskets for powder.