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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.
The shoe
should be fastened to the
foot with thongs so that the heel rises and falls Building Simple Wooden Snowshoes Ben Hunt offers plans for snowshoes that are easy to make in a few hours. With occasional oiling, they will remain in good condition for a long time. This type of snowshoe will not take the rough usage that webbed ones will, however.  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.
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. How to Make Your Own Snow-Shoes Dan Beard offers a set of plans and instructions for "Pioneer Wooden Stick Snow Shoes" and some advice on learnin how to use them: "There is only one way to learn to walk on snow-shoes, and that is to put them on and try. After stumbling around and falling down, standing on the heel of one shoe with the other shoe, so that it is impossible for you to lift your first foot, and getting into all manner of ridiculous scrapes, you will learn the knack of shuffling along as a person does in slipshod slippers, and after this it will be only a short time before you become an expert snow-shoer". Farmer's
Market Online.
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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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