MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2020

47 words :: Molly Hurford Snowshoeing calls to mind a winter activity that you do as a day off from skiing—a way to get your dog outside and active on the dreariest winter days. But in recent years, snowshoeing has gone competitive, and you’re just as likely to see someone sprinting up a trail in smaller, lighter snowshoes as you are to see someone plodding down in classic oversized-tennis-racket snowshoes. Snowshoeing has undergone a makeover from a slow-paced casual hobby to an all-out speedster’s sport, and in Ontario, the race scene is booming. Here’s a list to help you adapt to the new ‘shoe worldview: Know what you’re getting into “It’s no different from trail running, except that there’s snow on the ground. It might be at an alpine centre, a park, a rail trail, a private trail with permission from the landowner. The only difference is the funny-looking snowshoes,” says David Robinson of Snowshoe Canada. As far as the terrain, he adds: “It can get very steep, it can be twisty and gnarly, it can be narrow singletrack… It’s extremely tough and anything can happen.” Feel the burn The best part about snowshoeing is that it’s virtually impossible to not get a workout—an hour of snowshoeing through deep drifts can burn a whopping 1030 calories. And because it targets so many muscle groups thanks to its dynamic nature, one study showed that runners who subbed in snowshoes for trail running shoes in the winter actually improved overall fitness levels. Be a gearhead The cheap pair of snowshoes you bought back in 1995 might be fine to traipse around the Georgian Trail, but if you’re looking for speed, you’ll want to invest in shorter, lighter snowshoes. A race-legal running snowshoe is a minimum of 50cm long and 20cm wide, and those designed for speed will have a better binding that’s reinforced to deal with the rigours of running. (Atlas, Dion, Tubbs and most major brands will have a smaller race-friendly option that weighs in around three pounds.) You may also want to consider swapping your boots for a trail-running shoe, or at least a lighter and more supple boot. SNOWSHOEING + ATTITUDE More than just a twee winter activity TRAILS ONTARIO TOURISM MARKETING PARTNERSHIP