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In snowshoeing several partial factors appreciated by hikers in nature are united. In snowshoes you can hike around in changing weather conditions, in heavy terrain, in an environmentally friendly way, moreover snowshoes are easy to carry, when you already manage in your usual shoes. You carry your snowshoes with you in your car or backpack without problem and they are ready for immediate use. Theoretically, you can hike around in any natural snowy winter landscape in your snowshoes. In their opinion who do little cross-country skiing, snowshoes may be easier to use than skies, too, namely no weather-based waxing neither skiing skills are required. Snowshoeing suits the whole family and people of any age class or fitness level. Snowshoeing is an excellent hobby for fitness hikers, too. Snowshoeing is actually 60 % more efficient than usual walking and it makes your legs, buttocks, and the central muscles of your trunk stronger. If you have sticks as additional accessories, then the upper body and the hands will also get stronger. Snowshoeing is naturally more fun, if your basic fitness level is appropriate. History The history of snowshoes reaches back to 6000 years ago, since it is known that already Stone Age people used trudge accessories which were snowshoe-like. For the ancient Indians, snowshoes were excellent to apply while hunting, for in the shoes they could move over snow drifts without a sound while encircling the prey animals. In Nordic countries cross-country skies have been more popular for the more rapid advance's sake, since here the communities were smaller, and the hunters moved around alone or two by two. When it came to the 1800s, snowshoeing became an elite fitness sport for the gentlemen in North America. Such high society gathered at snowshoeing clubs to meet acquaintances and to be social. In Finland, the first snowshoe competitions were organized in Oulu by soldiers at the end of the 1800s. Gear When selecting your snowshoes, it is good to remember the directive string: good snowshoes are light, durable even in frost, slip-free, do not pick up snow and have got good bindings. Selecting your snowshoes will also be influenced by: • the utility purpose of the snowshoes: recreation use, hiking and fitness use, demanding trekking or professional use or even cross-country running and competition use • what kind of terrain you are going to use you shoes in • how tall the user is, and how much they weigh in proportion to the snowshoe dimensioning In order to make steep uphill walk easier and to prevent slipping side wards in the best bindings you can elevate the heels. Selecting your snowshoes is however individual and it would indeed be good, if the beginner could get acquainted with snowshoes and snowshoeing through mediation by some specialist of this field. In hikers' and sports equipment stores there are different types of snowshoes offered for sale. They can also be rented. In snowshoeing, generally also normal ski-sticks are used as aid, which make the movement steadier and share the load among the different muscle groups more evenly. Snowshoers have their own association in Finland, the Lumikenkäilijät ry (Snowshoeing Group). You can find info on the pages of this association about the techniques and the gears that are needed. Translated from Finnish to English by Volford Péter. Sources:
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