SIA & REI Snowshoe Park and Winter Feels Good Pavilion a Success

SnowSports Industries America reports that it has successfully partnered with REI stores in Northern Virginia and Maryland in hosting the Winter Feels Good Pavilion and Snowshoe Park, an interactive public demo held November 11-13 at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA. SIA states that this was the second year that the Expo has presented the Pavilion and Snowshoe Park and the first time that REI hosted the attraction.

Atlas, Tubbs, MSR and Redfeather snowshoes all were represented at the park, and show participants got to try snowshoeing on an indoor surface. The four snowshoe manufacturers are also founding sponsors of Winter Trails, an annual event that will again be scheduled for January 7, 2006. Winter Trails allows children and adults new to snowshoeing and/or cross country skiing at nearly 100 venues in the U.S. and Canada to try out equipment. Winter Trails has become one of the largest "introduction to snow sports" programs in the snow sports industry.

Also featured in the Winter Feels Good Pavilion were additional sponsors for Winter Trails including W.L. Gore and Associates, Columbia Sportswear, Manzella gloves, Sorel, Nature Valley granola bars, Alpina, Atomic, Exel, Karhu, Fischer, Rossignol, Salomon, Swix, Whitewoods, Cross Country Skier magazine, Snowshoe magazine, Ski Trax magazine and XCSkiresorts.com. Winter Trails is organized by SIA through a partnership with the American Hiking Society and the Cross Country Ski Areas Association.

Camelbak Honcho Redesigned for Snowshoers

A company spokesman for Camelbak Hydration Systems has announced the release of the newly revised Camelbak Honcho for snowshoeing. With a suggested retail price of $125, the pack is reported to be nearly half the price of competitors' backpacks. The Honcho includes several innovative features made especially for cold-weather use.

The integrated-hydration system keeps water flowing despite outside temperatures well below freezing. The Honcho reservoir is 100 ounces inside an insulated and padded pocket, with an insulated drinking tube that fits within a zippered sleeve on the pack's shoulder strap when not in use. Around that system is a 1,900-cubic-inch back pack featuring a padded MP3/CD pocket, a modest shove-it panel, and attachment straps for hanging snowshoes from the backpack. The Honcho weighs 3 pounds, 10 ounces.

C3 Verts " Snowshoes " Defined

Outdoor gear manufacturer C3 has publicly released explanatory information on their Verts " snowshoes " foot wear. The company explains that the C3 Verts have been available since the late 1990s.

The Verts description is a rigid, compact snow shoe, made from nylon, that straps firmly to a boot and creates a footprint maybe three times as large as the boot sole. The design is intended to provide good float. The rigidity of the Verts, along with their firm attachment means users have a lot more leverage, users can even climb knobby rock with them, something that normally cannot be accomplished with traditional snowshoes. Users can ascend along the sides of steep gullies or even up the crest of adjacent ridges, rather than slogging up the center of the gully with snowshoes, fully exposed to avalanches.

Annual REI Holiday Gift-Pick Includes Snowshoes in Two Categories

REI has just released its annual favorite hot-for-holiday gift picks in each of the popular Christmas Gift categories: Gear, Family Oriented, Tech Gadgets, Apparel and Stocking Stuffers. The Family and Gear categories each include snowshoe selections for 2005 holiday shopping.

The snowshoe Expert Gift Pick in the Gear category includes Atlas Snowshoes ($169.95-$179.95), featuring durable, stainless-steel 8-Trac toe crampons to make each step more secure and efficient, while molded arch supports offer comfort for longer snowshoeing hikes. REI has also selected the Atlas 8 Elektra Snowshoes ($169.95) because women's snowshoeing has increased 163 percent in the last five years.

And the Family category includes the childrens' Little Bear Spiderman Snowshoes ($24.95), which are built so kids can join their parents in venturing deep into snowy excursions. REI explains these are more than just a toy, these kids snowshoes offer exceptional durability and an adjustable fit that will see them through several winter seasons.