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Kids and Winter Mountain Sports

All Mountain Sports Staff — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:57:36 +0000

This article caught out attention in the Winter 2009 Issue of Wilderness Medicine Magazine.

Winter doesn’t have to be a stay-at-home season. There are plenty of opportunities to get your kids into the outdoors. With some basic equipment, reading, lessons and tapping into your own experiences, you can equip your kids and give them skills to participate in outdoor winter adventures and sports.

Get Ready, Set…Go

Back in the sixties I remember being so bundled for a winter outing I walked like a grade B movie monster. Gone are the days of cotton long underwear, thick cotton sweaters and bulky water logged snowsuits. The Fall 2008 edition of WM magazine discussed clothing and gear, but winter requires some added advice.

Outfit your kids in non-cotton synthetic fiber clothing using the layer method. Give attention to waterproof mittens or gloves with liners. Wool or fleece hats contain warmth and should cover their ears. Neck gaiters make up the distance between jackets and hats. They can also be pulled up for face protection. Neoprene face masks in extreme cold not only protect from cold exposure but also from sun and wind burns. Thicker synthetic socks and waterproof boots protect feet. Pay special attention to tight fitting boots which restrict toe movement and predispose to cold injury. Light reflection from snow cover can cause UV eye burns – bring sunglasses or goggles for all. Sunscreen is a must for exposed skin.

Helmets should be non-negotiable for activities such as sledding, skiing, and snowboarding.

Remember to bundle infants and small carry-along kids who may not be heating up from exercise as much as you. Carry instant heat packs, which shouldn’t be depended on for prolonged exposure situations, but can help take the chill from hands and feet. Besides, they are as good as a magic trick for little ones who marvel at the scrunch and heat trick.

Fun Things to Do

You can’t beat a great snowball battle or building Frosty for a quick outdoor activity, but there are a whole lot of winter adventures waiting to help build your kids’ confidence, skills, and general good health.

Sledding:

Three important pieces of advice: Wear a helmet. Wear a helmet. Wear a helmet.

Too often this is considered a benign sport, but consider your kids are on a device that gains speed and eventually collides with something or someone. Examine and repair damaged equipment and check steering function. Sleds with runners and steering devises are safer than disks or toboggans. Pick gentle slopes, away from hazards, with a spacious level area to stop. Teach them proper riding position with feet always pointing downhill. Make a game of pulling the sled and racing back up the hill. Feed and water them every hour to maintain energy and warmth.

Skiing or Snowboarding:

Helmets. Helmets. Helmets.

These activities require training from a skilled individual. If you don’t ski or snowboard, consider lessons for the whole family. All resorts offer a variety of lesson packages that can include ski rentals and lift tickets. During lessons they learn not only to ski but how to fall and avoid injury. Rent equipment for a season if they are new to the sport before making a big investment in gear. The ski rental shop will help choose and fit the equipment. But if your child complains about a tight fit or bindings that don’t release when they fall, take time out for an adjustment back at the shop. Check your own equipment at the beginning of the season for needed repairs and routine maintenance. If you teach them yourselves try using a harness to control their speed, or ski next to them holding your pole parallel to the ground so they can hold onto it, or like we did for our youngest, just ski ten feet ahead of them to act as a stop if needed. No matter what method you use inject fun into the activity by taking lots of breaks for snacks and hot chocolate, play games like searching for winter birds, and let them snap pictures to preserve memories of the fun.

Snowshoeing:

Winter hiking just got a whole lot more fun with snowshoes. No learning curve here; if they can walk, they can snowshoe. Wearing snowshoes allows you to ride above the snow instead of sinking into it. You exert less energy, stay drier, and can cover more distance. As with any hike bring a map, emergency rescue gear, extra food, extra clothing, and leave your itinerary with someone. Most XC ski centers also rent snowshoes and poles for use on their trails. This is an opportunity to teach your kids respect for multi-use trails. Stay out of the XC ski tracks and yield to skiers coming downhill. It’s also a great time to observe the scenery and wildlife when walking down a quiet snow-laden trail.

Winter Camping:

Some campgrounds operate year round, or you can backpack into a designated trail campsite. If this is a first-time winter camping trip, consider car or tent camping in a designated campsite. Having your vehicle nearby is an “out” for sudden weather changes. Bring a four-season tent, sleeping bags, and thick sleeping mats or air cushions for ground insulation. Plan to sleep wearing your hat and mittens. This is a terrific opportunity to teach kids winter survival skills such as fire building in wet conditions, snow fort construction, trail finding, and weather monitoring.

Slick Advice for Tricky Conditions

Start outdoor adventures, like snowshoeing, early in the day so you are back before the daylight fades. Allow extra travel time for bad weather, traffic delays, poor road conditions, or detours. Stay home if the weather is bad. Frequently check kids clothing and gear for wetness and proper coverage. Catching problems early can avert a worse disaster later down the trail. Bring along extra hats, gloves, mittens, socks, and scarves to replace wet items. Bring a dry pair of shoes and extra food. Most kids less than twelve years need supervision for these outdoor activities which also gives you a chance to teach and spend valued time together. Equally important is bringing your sense of fun and flexibility. Quitting before they and you are exhausted reduces the risk of injury and enhances their prospect of continuing these winter outdoor traditions with their own kids.

Snowshoeing Technique Basics

All Mountain Sports Staff — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:39:02 +0000

Snowshoeing technique is essentially as easy as walking. On flat ground, or on a slope that is mild to moderate, all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and go. Scott at eSnowshoes.com in Colorado says, “If you can walk, you can snowshoe and after your first three steps, your already an intermediate snowshoer!” The greatest adjustment you’ll have to make to your gait is to walk with your feet a bit wider apart than normal so you don’t step on your own snowshoes or kick the frame of your forward foot as your back one passes it. If the snow is hard packed and sloping, pressing the talons firmly into the snow with each step will give you traction and prevent backsliding. Snowshoes will not keep you on to of soft snow. In fresh powder, which is where snowshoes really shine, the surface will shift some and compress under your weight, and you’ll feel as it you were walking on feather-light sand, if you can imagine such a thing.

When you are descending, keep your weight over your heels as much as possible. The talons provide traction, so if the snow is firm or the slope is steep, be sure that they are biting firmly into the surface. If the snow is deep and the slop is steep you might want to play at glissading. Take long, gliding strides – sort of a downhill lope – and keep the snowshoe toes up out of the snow. You will find this exhilarating.

Brought to you by www.eSnowshoes.com

Factors on Snowshoe Size

All Mountain Sports Staff — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:38:05 +0000

As you probably know there are hundreds of different snowshoes available today. With all those choices come different sizes as well. So why do they make so many different sizes? It’s a personal thing.

Determining the size of your snowshoes depends on your weight, how you plan to use them, what you plan to carry and what kind of snow you will be frolicking in.

There are 3 major sizes available today.
8″ by 25″ – 9″ by 30″ – 10″ by 36″

In general, the 8×25 snowshoes are made for people who weigh 90 to 140 lbs. The 9×30 snowshoes are for 140 to 200 lbs and the 10×36 snowshoes are for folks over 200 lbs.

BUT, weight is not the only factor.

For example: if you are snowshoeing on the East Coast where the snow tends to be heavier and more packed, you may be able to go down a size level. On the other hand if you are in a place like Colorado or Utah where the snow is typically soft and light, you may need to go up a size to give you some extra flotation.

You will also need to keep in mind that your weight is your total weight. Not just in your birthday suit, but loaded up with all you clothing, gear and food. So make sure that you are allowing for the few extra pounds when you pick your size!

Brought to you by www.eSnowshoes.com

Why Do Snowshoes Have Different Shapes?

All Mountain Sports Staff — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:37:11 +0000

Snowshoes have made a lot of progress since the old days! Traditionally, snowshoes were large and oval, but now the size has been reduced and the shapes are more streamlined, but still the snowshoes all have very different shapes.
There are two main shapes of snowshoes:

Rounded Tails
Pointed Tails

So what’s the difference?

The rounded tails (like Tubbs, Yuba and some Redfeather snowshoes) are designed to give you maximum flotation and stability. By having a rounded tail, the snowshoe is more balanced and has more surface area to keep you “on top” of the snow. The disadvantage to the rounded tail is the loss of maneuverability. With the rounded tails, it is easier to trip on your snowshoe tails as you are walking since there is so much snowshoe in the way. Your stride has to be widened a bit more and can make it more difficult for some people (especially people with shorter legs!).

The other option is the pointed tail (like Redfeather and Crescent Moon snowshoes). The pointed tail is designed to make the walking process much easier. By cutting some of the snowshoe off of the tails, you can take more natural strides without having to worry about tripping on your snowshoes. Your legs can be closer together, more like a normal walking position. The disadvantage to the pointed tail is the loss of some flotation in deeper snow. They are also not quite as stable at the rounded tails, but if you have good balance, you won’t notice the difference.

Crescent Moon has taken the matter even further by introducing the first tear dropped shaped snowshoes. They are skinnier and longer than most. This provides you with a great deal of maneuverability while still giving you maximum flotation.

So what’s best for you? That depends on what you plan to do with your snowshoes. Many people have more than one pair of snowshoes for different kinds of conditions. The choice is up to you as both designs have their positive and negative aspects.

Brought to you by www.eSnowshoes.com

The Snowshoeing Fitness Dividend

All Mountain Sports Staff — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:35:57 +0000

Snowshoeing at any level is good for your body. At its most fundamental, this low-impact activity also boasts an injury rate so low that injuries are not even an issue. Spills tend to be gentle, and because every step and stride is different, muscles and joints are not even susceptible to the kind of overuse or repetitive motion problems that plague participants in such other sports as running, tennis and mogul skiing. In fact, as soon as suitable equipment became commonly available, serious runners discovered snowshoeing to be an outstanding winter trainer for their summer sport.

Brought to you by www.eSnowshoes.com

Snowshoeing: How Far? How Fast?

All Mountain Sports Staff — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:34:55 +0000

When you begin planning your first snowshoe outing, how do you select a trail to match your stamina and ability? Experience is the best way, but if you don’t have a lot of Backcountry experience, you can tap into the knowledge of someone who has. If you are new to winter walking or hiking, you can sign up for an introductory program at an outdoor store or recreation center, which often will include a class excursion. You can take a guided tour led by a ranger or professional guide. Making your first snowshoe excursion at a cross country center with marked trails, facilities and patrollers is not a bad idea, especially if you are not an experienced summer hiker.

If you want to go on your own, start with one of the easy routes in your area. Altitude, dry air and the unaccustomed weight of your feet can affect you. Until you have some mileage under your snowshoes, be conservative in estimating your energy and limitations. However, if you are an experienced summer hiker, you will probably know the impact of variations in terrain, weather and other factors. For instance, you already know that you cannot make the same time or keep the same pace in the mountains as you do in town. Four miles an hour is considered a good, solid walking pace on dry pavement. Two miles an hour on a trail up to a 1,000 foot elevation gain is a respectable hiking pace. Leadville, Colorado based snowshoe racer Tom Sobal believes that a fit snowshoer who is used to his or her equipment will go 25 percent slower than on bare ground “under the best conditions,” which is to say snow that is hard packed and fast. Add the element of soft snow, which is kind to your joints but cuts your speed, and your pace will be slower. In addition, breaking trail is slower and requires for more energy that snowshoeing on a packed route.

The upshot to all these variables is: Don’t be disappointed if you are only hiking 1.5 to 2 miles an hour on snowshoes and, more important, plan your itinerary accordingly. Unless you are a runner, a 6 or 7 mile tour could easily take the better part of a day.

When you are ready for your first snowshoe outing, plan to go with at least one other person or in a group. Remember that a group’s pace is only as fast as its slowest member. Underestimating your snowshoeing pace is wiser that overestimating it until you’ve been out a few times and know how accurate your estimates are.

Snowshoeing is an individual yet a very sociable activity, not just for companionship, but also for safety. Again, a guided hike is not a bad idea for your snowshoeing inaugural, especially if you are going alone. Later, as you become more experienced, be sure to tell someone reliable of your plans if you do hike alone, and check in with him or her upon your safe return.

Brought to you by www.eSnowshoes.com

Snowshoeing Clothing Basics

All Mountain Sports Staff — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:33:26 +0000

Dress in layers and be prepared to shed or add layers if you heat up or cool down or if the weather changes abruptly, as it often does in Colorado’s high country. Thermal underwear, windproof pants, an insulating layer of synthetic fleece or wool and a windproof and water-repellent shell jacket are the basic components of a layering system.

Some snowshoers like to add a vest, or use a vest instead of a long sleeved pullover, sweater or shirt as the insulating jacket. A hat and a pair of warm gloves complete the basic outfit. If you are going for a short snowshoe at an established resort center, you can be casual with the number of layers and options you take along. However, if you are going out for several hours and particularly into the Backcountry, never assume that the weather will be as good when you are out there as when you get out of your car.

Being prepared for worse – often far worse – weather than at the beginning of your excursion isn’t just a good good idea. It can save your life.

Brought to you by www.eSnowshoes.com

Snowshoeing Equipment Basics

All Mountain Sports Staff — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:46:34 +0000

The typical modern snowshoe consists of a lightweight aluminum frame with a platform made of a durable, forgiving fabric for flotation on the snow, a binding that affixes your foot to the snowshoe and a mechanism that allows the foot to move in a natural, free-heel stride, so that your gait is close to your normal walking or running motion.

Snowshoes also have metal talons (also called crampons or claws) on the bottom for traction. Snowshoes come with integrated bindings, so take a few moments to adjust the binding or strapping system to your footwear of choice and learn how the buckle system works.

Brought to you by www.eSnowshoes.com