My new shoes...

[Canotrouge]

Canotrouge - I haven't seen this addressed yet so I'll ask...would you mind sharing where you got these shoes from? I did make a pair of Ojibway shoes about ten years ago using the kit from Country Ways. They're great snowshoes but yours are wonderful so I'm curious how you came about them. No worries if you need to keep that close to the vest.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...

be well.

snapper

So the guy that make them leave in Quebec, south shore in a small place in Beauce, he only has a land line phone #, no email, no website, no internet.... i got his name from a Facebook friend who use to go out with him and who use to buy frames from him and lace them herself! His name is Francis Audet, he is a young(In his 40’s I think) who traps and make all kind of trad stuff like toboggan, snowshoes, shovels...

 

[lowangle al]

And wood bisons.....

I'm surprised you don't have caribou opportunities near you.

 

[Canotrouge]

I'm surprised you don't have caribou opportunities near you.

We do, but not that close and not this time of year! Woodland is same season as the other species like moose, sheep etc so august first to October 31 and the you could go for barren ground caribou up north and that ends end of January.... but a lot more driving and they are not like they use to be, numbers are lower and they are in smaller groups than before and there toute have changed so they are a ways out from the main access rd! So all that for 70-90lbs of meat...

 

[memaquay]

These guys are just down the road from me, well, a few hours drive, and they make the mono line snowshoes too http://www.snowshoesalesandrepairs.com/?action=products. I really want a pair of their "Continentals" with monoline. I have 2 pair of alaskans from Faber, same shape, but gut. The mono ones would accommodate all weather conditions.

 

[Canotrouge]

You should and the price is good!! The problem I had is at my weight none of those would float me well... so that is why I went with 20x30 and plus I have 2 other pairs with tails that are long and wanted something short and round for tight forest and willow bashing.... and plus they will be easier to fit on the back of the skidoo!!

 

[Turtle2]

Snowshoes any wider than my 10X60s are hard for me to walk in easily. I have a pair of military surplus 12X46 Michigan's made of magnesium with stainless cable lacing. i just get going well and after a while start banging the shoes on my shins.

 

[Canotrouge]

The narrowest shows I ever used are 12x60 the one I used the most are 16x42 and those new ones are 20x30, I didn’t spend enough time in the latest one, but that might change this weekend, we are hopping to go for a day bison hunt!! Anyway, I never had any trouble with the other two width and the little I did in the new one seams like I’ll be fine! I’m 6’2” and a 33-34” inseam!! Maybe that make a difference.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

https://flic.kr/p/2kDdyaR bhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/133956285@N05/

Tuesday of this week. Low flotation, I'm getting a little heavy for my Michigan-style shoes.

 

[Turtle2]

i shuffle along like on crosscountry skis with molehair on

 

[Odyssey]

Thanks for that link Mem. Excellent selection. We were discussing new shoes over morning coffee and reminiscing. Our current shoes are modern trail shoes with crampons, perfect for established trail walks or on dense old snow pack. We get a lot of those conditions around here, but the blankets we've been blessed with this year, dry and cold, fluffy and thick, are best suited to bigger shoes. The higher flotation models have all come and gone out of our lives, who knows where? All I know is there are no big shoes hanging at our back door. We have rented, borrowed, and owned a number of shoes. The traditional Huron type ash/gut seem the most prevalent. There's always a pair of these hanging in trendy flea markets and musty barns, but I'd prefer to buy new this time and maybe hold on to them; they can be passed down to the next generation(s).
Nice shoes Canot.

ps Lots of memories of visits to the Beauce; all good. Even a tete carre like me had a good time.

We partied the Festival du Matibou de St Ephrem. Sugared off in a friend's family cabanne a sucre. Survived a head on in a snow storm.
All good memories now. etc etc

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

I have read about snowshoe disease (maladie de la raquette), not to be confused with the the snowshoe hare virus. It develops after extensive snowshoe travel. I presume it's some sort of joint inflammation. Does anyone know more about this? Is there a doctor in the house?

 

[Turtle2]

It may not be the same thing, but if i go on a long strenuous snowshoe first time out the front of my hip area and low back hurts so bad after i can hardly walk for a day or so. If i ease into shoeing it doesn't happen. I must use muscles shoeing that I use doing nothing else. i have tried gym exercises in the fall, but haven't found one that works.

 

[PaddlingPitt]

I have read about snowshoe disease (maladie de la raquette), not to be confused with the the snowshoe hare virus. It develops after extensive snowshoe travel. I presume it's some sort of joint inflammation. Does anyone know more about this? Is there a doctor in the house?

This, from Snowshoe Magazine.

When some people begin hiking on snowshoes, they develop what French-Canadian trappers called mal de racquette—snowshoe sickness. This involves a cramped contraction of muscles in the leg and instep that can disable a person for days. To avoid this malady, snowshoe only an hour or so the first time out. Lengthen the sessions gradually on successive outings.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Years ago I purchased two pair of Snow shoes from Jack Carey, the Snow shoe man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Pux3VcnUY

They are a spring steel frame, poly cord webbing and, and a black inner tube harness.


We finally have enough snow here, that I can try them.
.

 

[Canotrouge]

And they float like crazy!! We have about 3feet of snow right now and I’m around 230lbs, they float me higher than my big Huron that are 16x42(my wife that is around the same weight as me is wearing the Huron and she sank at least 2-4” deeper than me!! )

 

[Tsuga8]

I'd love some trad snowshoes but we really don't get enough snow around here most seasons. Thanks for sharing yours. What do they weigh?

I do have a pair of Hok skis (aka "ski-shoes"). They're very wide (~4.5in) skis with a universal boot binding (fits mukluks, hiking boots, whatever). They're only 125cm long, and have permanent climbing skins. They feel like snowshoes climbing and on flats, ascend much steeper slopes without having to herring bone as you would on skis, and give a nice slow glide going downhill. The short length lends itself to denser woods than typical XC skis, and they're nicer in steep terrain too. Plus much better floatation than XC skins on powder - great for breaking trail. But, they don't have much glide on flats. If I'm headed out on mostly flats or broken trails and can use traditional XC skis I will. On a packed trail, the Hoks have tracking issues like a WW boat on a lake. But when skis aren't great I go for the Hoks before my modern, small snowshoes, which seem like no fun at all in comparison.

XC skis = long, straight-tracking lake boat: all glide. Hoks = whitewater boat: maneuverable, floatation, some glide. Modern snowshoes = chest waders: sure you can go anywhere, but they're not much fun in my opinion when you could be gliding. I haven't really spent time in trad snowshoes and really deep snow however. Someday...

 

[Phil0110]

Interesting shoes I hope they're comfortable.