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       Do Snowshoes Actually Work?
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Date/Time: 03/28/2024 05:36PM
Do Snowshoes Actually Work?

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Previous Messages:
Author Message Text
schweady 03/11/2019 09:07PM
Science aside, today's snow conditions at Glendalough State Park made for a perfect outing... the type of snow that I dreamed of when we took the class to lace our Ojibway 'shoes at the Ely Folk School in Sept '15. A good 2-3 ft of perfect powder to float over on a calm, bluebird day. Had the whole park to ourselves. Except the deer.

bigmitch1 03/11/2019 02:57PM
I did a similar controlled experiment.

I wore different skis when I compared the following backcountry skis, all with the same bindings, on a flat groomed ski trail:


2010 model 175 Rossignol 125 BC (waxless fishscale)


2017 model OAC XCD 160 GT (permanent climbing skin in kick zone)


2012 model Altai Hok 145 (permanent climbing skin in kick zone).


The results were exactly what you would expect:


Rossignol BC 125 faster than OAC XCD 160 GT faster than Altai Hok 145 skis.


With my "calibrated feet," I guess that the Rossignol BC 125s were about 50% faster than the Hok 145, with the OAC XCD 160s about 1/2 way in between.


Pinetree 03/11/2019 01:30PM
PortageKeeper: "Next time out wear a bear paw on one foot and a Ojibwa on the other. Walk long enough for one leg, hip etc starts barking and let us know your findings.
I like the Ojibwa as well since they trail easier and travel through the wood easier."



Don't laugh,I wore one ski and one snowshoe for a short distance, All for science.
PortageKeeper 03/11/2019 11:59AM
Next time out wear a bear paw on one foot and a Ojibwa on the other. Walk long enough for one leg, hip etc starts barking and let us know your findings.
I like the Ojibwa as well since they trail easier and travel through the wood easier.
Pinetree 03/10/2019 08:24PM
I always thought their is a minimum length-width you willneed to get maximum floatation. I have taken my back country skiis and various snowshoes to see which sinks the most or flats the most. Always liked my 14 x 48 Michigan style for best floatation. But use a smaller 10 x 30 modern day snowshoe more often because better binding and my E109 ski.
Always said put a modern day snowshoe binding on a wood rawhide snowshoe and you have the best setup.
solotrip 02/19/2019 02:16PM
For those interested, here's a good test to see just how well both Bearpaw and Ojibwa snowshoe designs hold up in deep snow..only fell down twice during this little test

Do Snowshoes Work?