Consider this a wilder, more adventurous version of hiking that enables you to truly take the path less traveled.<\/p>\n
Way up in the frozen New England woods, winter does nothing to slow down Al Sochard, 56, facilities director at Camp Newfound-Owatonna in Harrison, Maine. \u201cWe have five months of winter up here, so you either sit inside or find a way to get out,\u201d says Sochard, who in summer is a dedicated ultrarunner and hiker. His winter workout: snowshoeing.<\/p>\n
The sport opens up an entire world of winter wilderness, putting you in the middle of a Robert Frost poem, says Sochard. The cold and snow won\u2019t slow down your adventures.<\/p>\n
Plus, according to Sochard, snowshoeing is easy to learn. \u201cIt\u2019s great for people who are uncoordinated,\u201d he says. \u201cUnlike with skiing, there isn\u2019t a learning curve and you don\u2019t have to worry about crashing into a tree.\u201d<\/p>\n
But that doesn\u2019t mean snowshoeing is for the uninspired: Sochard summited all 48 of the 4,000-plus-foot New Hampshire peaks in a single winter. He also used\u00a0snowshoes\u00a0when he climbed Denali, the highest peak in North America.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinter is my favorite time of year. I won\u2019t stop or slow down,\u201d says Sochard. \u201cIt\u2019s a way to get\u00a0exercise, sure. But it\u2019s also a way to explore. I can look out and see someplace I want to go, and I go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Generally, snowshoeing is no different than walking. In deeper snow and when you\u2019re moving uphill or downhill, you want to take heavier, more confident steps. But be sure to test your footing first so the snow doesn\u2019t collapse under your weight, even with the buoyancy the shoes provide. Bring a small\u00a0backpack\u00a0with plenty of water.<\/p>\n
The tricky part is choosing the right equipment. Will you be using your\u00a0snowshoes\u00a0to hike? You may not want poles if you\u2019re running at full speed on packed trails or logging roads, but a pair of poles can be your best friend when you\u2019re trudging up steep hills in the\u00a0backcountry.<\/p>\n
Poles can also add an element of upper-body conditioning to your workout. Trekking poles are best; just change out the standard baskets with larger snow baskets.<\/p>\n
Make sure you select\u00a0snowshoes\u00a0that can support your weight. The whole premise of snowshoeing is to distribute your mass so you don\u2019t sink deeply into the snow. If you plan to tromp on mostly level ground, look for a pair of flat-terrain\u00a0snowshoes, which are easy to get into and out of; their traction systems aren\u2019t as aggressive as those on other types.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re hiking hills or steep trails, go with rolling- or mountain-terrain shoes, which have rugged bindings and sharp metal teeth for clawing into steep, icy hills.<\/p>\n
Because snowshoeing is more about enjoying the calm serenity of the woods than jacking up your heart rate, you\u2019ll want to dress heavier.<\/p>\n
Sochard likes to wear a light, wicking long-sleeved shirt under a non-insulated, weatherproof shell. Carry a headlamp if you plan to go out at night or are headed deep into the exposed\u00a0backcountry.<\/p>\n
Take avalanche safety classes and bring the right equipment (shovel, transceiver, probe) before you venture into areas where snowslides are common. Unwitting snowshoers have been killed in avalanches, even on trails.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Consider this a wilder, more adventurous version of hiking that enables you to truly take the path less traveled. Way up in the frozen New England woods, winter does nothing to slow down Al Sochard, 56, facilities director at Camp Newfound-Owatonna in Harrison, Maine. \u201cWe have five months of winter up here, so you either […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60116\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}