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Build
Snowshoes
 A snowshoe is an oval wooden frame strung with thongs and attached to the foot. It enables a person to walk across a snowfield without sinking by distributing the person's weight over a large area. It looks something like a big tennis racket without the long handle. Eskimos and other native people of North America made snowshoes by forming a frame from wood and weaving animal hide or sinew into the center, making a strong net. The frames were tied to boots with leather straps. To construct a simple snowshoe, bend a long green sapling back on itself to form a loop and secure the ends firmly. Add crosspieces and twine across the face of the looped sapling. The more crosspieces and twine, the more support the shoe will provide, but take care not to make the shoes too heavy. A person who weighs from 125 to 150 pounds will need a snowshoe at least 4 feet long and from12 inches wide at the point of greatest width. The heavier the person, the larger the snowshoe. The shoe should be fastened to the foot with thongs so that the heel rises and falls freely. The tail of the snowshoe drags and is not raised when a step is taken.  Building Snowshoes and Snowshoe Furniture by Gil Gilpattrick. Since it was first invented over 6,000 years ago, the snowshoe has evolved into many shapes and styles, each designed to fit the needs of a specific environment or snow condition. They range from the long and relatively narrow Alaskan snowshoe to the nearly round bearpaw. The Maine showshoe, which is neither as narrow as the Alaskan or as round as the bearpaw, is a design well suited to the woods and field terrain of central Maine. The Alaskan showshoe is best suited to open country, while the bearpaw allows for the twisting and turning necessary in brushy terrain. Gil Gilpatrick's self-published guide explains in detail, from bending wood to lacing, how to construct traditional hand-made wood frame snowshoes. Complete plans for three sizes of Maine snowshoes are included along with a couple bearpaw and Alaskan (Ojibway) designs. In addition, Gilpatrick offers plans for six different pieces of snowshoe furniture: two rocking chairs, a coffee table, an end table, a footstool and a wood holder.
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 The Snowshoe Experience A Beginner's Guide to Gearin Up & Enjoying Winter Fitness by Claire Walter Storey Publishing, 2004 Freelance journalist and author Claire Walter, a frequent contributor to snowsports and adventure travel magazines, penned this introduction to "the perfect winter sport," as she puts it, and an activity that can "mean the difference between loving and loathing winter." In addition providing entry-level advice on equipment, technique, places to snowshoe and fitness factors, Walter leads readers to free lessons, ranger tours in national parks, and special snowshoe programs at ski areas. "Beyond the basics, the snowshoes themselves present little limitation on where you can go or what you can do," she points out. "Even at the beginning of your snowshoeing career, a but of experimentation on varied terrain that includes both uphills and downhills and different snow conditions will extend your range considerably. you can amble, stride, jog, or even run on these big feet." For those who are ready
to really expand their snowshoe horizons, Wakter includes information
on
winter camping, backcountry tours and a directory of snowshoe races.
Also by Claire Walter Snowshoeing Colorado 
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