Atlas Snow Shoes Partners with Breast Cancer Fund for 2005-2006 Season

Atlas Snowshoes has announced that for the upcoming 2005-2006 winter season, 100% of proceeds from the company organised Explore Winter series of women's regional snow shoe hikes will go towards the benefit of the Breast Cancer Fund. A company spokesman explained that there will be no minimum or maximum donation amount necessary. In response to the current public health crisis of breast cancer, the Breast Cancer Fund exists to identify and advocate for the elimination of the environmental and other preventable causes of the disease.

Snowshoe Industry Releases Bulletin on Selecting Snowshoes

The Snowshoeing industry has issued a press release educating consumers on the current most popular types of snowshoes on the market today, as well as best practices for selecting a pair of snowshoes that is best suited for an individual's particular needs. The release begins by explaining that there are plenty of good reasons to snowshoe. Snowshoeing has a faster learning curve than cross-country skiing. And snowshoes are less expensive and easier to transport than cross country skis.

The three general classes of snow shoes include:
Traditional wooden snowshoes, which have rawhide lacing and are large and relatively heavy. They are not as maneuverable as more modern snowshoes, and they require some maintenance each season. Some snowshoers prefer them because they are attractive and nostalgic, but most outdoor enthusiasts use modern high-tech snowshoes. Injection-molded snowshoes are inexpensive and utilitarian but lack any type of design aesthetic. They are strong and dependable but tend to be heavy. Finally, high-tech snowshoes generally have tubing frames made of the type of aluminum used in aircraft, and they have synthetic decking material across the broad surface instead of lacing. These are lighter in weight than the other kinds, and they are the type of snowshoe that most users choose today.

When selecting snow shoes, in particular the high-tech styles, consumers will be confronted with a series of decisions based primarily on intended activity. Racing snowshoes are light and small and are designed for running over groomed trails as a competitive sport. They are not large enough to use on unpacked snow, nor are they sturdy enough for backcountry use. Some high-tech racing snowshoes have titanium or carbon-fiber frames which are strong but light. They are great for getting into shape, but they are not designed or recommended for hiking.
Recreational snowshoes are designed for casual walking over trails or gently rolling terrain for a few miles or a few hours. Backcountry snowshoes are sturdy, dependable snowshoes designed for steep slopes, deep snow, off-trail travel, mountaineering, and mountain rescue.

Minnesota Women's Press Highlights Snowshoeing

The Minnesota Women's Press recently highlighted snowshoeing as one of the hottest growing trends in the outdoor market. Bob Aldrich, sales and training coordinator at Midwest Mountaineering, explained that “Snowshoeing just exploded about five years ago. All of a sudden it was the hot new thing. Maybe people just got tired of looking at those skis sitting in their garage and thought, ‘There’s gotta be another way to do this without that huss and fuss.’”

The article conveyed how current snowshoes have aluminum frames and solid plastic decks, instead of the wooden frames and rawhide webbing of traditional snowshoes. The new models are supposed to give “better floatation” because the snow doesn’t come through the webbing, but Aldrich says that wooden shoes are arguably better in very deep snow. The top manufacturers listed include Crescent Moon, Atlas, MSR, RedFeather and Tubbs. Most also produce snowshoes specifically engineered for women, although Aldrich said the issue is really weight and not gender. “The only difference in women’s shoes is that they are a little narrower at their widest point,” he explained. “A lot of women can wear the so-called men’s.”

Atlas Snow-Shoe Company Launches New Kids Snowshoes Line

Atlas Snow-Shoe Company has announced the introduction of a new Junior Series of snowshoes created for younger snowshoers who want to explore the outdoors during winter. The series is comprised of two models: the Mini for children up to 80 pounds and the Junior for kids up to 120 pounds.

With national focus turned toward increased physical activity for combating the growing population of obese children, more programming is being developed to get kids active in Winter Sports. For example, the trade association SnowSports Industries of America’s “Winter Feels Good” outreach program helps connect school PE teachers with snowshoeing curriculum and equipment.

The new Atlas Junior Series snowshoes will accommodate a wide age and weight range of kids. They both feature a new soft molded binding with a heel cup that tells kids exactly where to place their foot. The one-buckle closure is easily operated by kids, giving them freedom and independence. The binding also features an adjustable footbed that allows a macro adjustment for different size feet to accommodate multiple users and passing along to siblings. As with all Atlas snowshoes there is a dual-cleat system to ensure stability and traction. The Junior Series snowshoes are authentic versions of adult models. Fun colors will make these snowshoes a hit with kids of all ages. The Mini and Junior carry a suggested retail of $ 49 and $59 respectively.

Atlas Snow-Shoe Company Sponsors Athlete in 'Climb Against the Odds'

Atlas announced recently that it is sponsoring Leigh Henman, an enduance athlete that trains for a living, running and mountain biking the hills of Marin County, California. In September of 2003, the mother of five teenagers was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to begin chemotherapy immediately. A fitness buff with boundless energy, Leigh says that during her painful radiation treatments, she was itching to get back to the mountains, “because that’s where I’d go in my head.” She says that the cancer drugs made her nauseous and her body temperature explode. “My body felt like it was getting burned.” Leigh suffered severe dehydration during treatment and her body stopped sweating; it had lost its ability to self-cool. Between radiation sessions, Leigh would make the three-hour drive up to Lake Tahoe, and upon reaching the mountains and fresh, cool air, she’d feel better.

“Part of it was getting away,” she says. “Part of it was being in the mountains, and part was getting on my feet again.” Leigh would step into snowshoes and head out for a walk in the snow, then eventually, longer hikes, which she says was both mental and physical therapy. The Sierras received record snowstorms that winter, and Leigh loved it. “If you’re out in a white snowstorm — even a total whiteout — and there’s no noise, the air is fresh, the snow fluffy … I don’t think I could have picked anything else to make me feel so good. It was amazing.”

Leigh maintains that anybody can get out and snowshoe, and at a time when she couldn’t run seven feet, much less seven miles, she could put on her snowshoes and walk in the woods. “At first it was 10 minutes, then an hour… pretty soon I was out there all day.” While the fitness benefits of snowshoeing sometimes double that of walking (snowshoeing burns 680 calories/hour while hiking burns only 340) it is a remarkably easy sport to do. Stepping into snowshoes allows access to the serenity of the backcountry, a walk in the woods, time with friends and family, time for yourself.

Today, Leigh is healthy and was chosen by the Breast Cancer Fund to join a team called “Climb Against the Odds,” which is slated to summit Mount Rainier to raise money for research and prevention. She spent the spring gaining altitude exposure and training steadily, and healthily, on her Atlas Elektra snowshoes. Leigh says that snowshoeing, and tackling mountains of all sort, “has been the saving grace to my cancer recovery.”