On newfallen snow it is necessary for a snowshoer to “break” a trail. This is very exhausting (it may require up to 50% more energy than simply following behind) even on level terrain, and frequently in groups this work is shared among all participants, sometimes in shifts as short as three minutes. It is thus not recommended to snowshoe solo, particularly up a mountain, without a broken route.

A trail breaker can improve the quality of the ensuing route by using a technique, similar to the hiking rest step, called “stamping”: pausing momentarily after each step before putting full weight on the foot. This helps smooth the snow underneath and compacts it even better for the next user.

A broken snowshoe trailA well-broken trail is usually a rut in the snow about 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) deep and 2 feet (61 cm) wide. While it may appear after heavy use as if it is possible to “bareboot” or walk it without benefit of snowshoes, this practice is frowned upon by serious snowshoers as it leads to “postholing,” or roughening of the trail from places where boots have fallen through (initial appearances to the contrary, the snow in a broken trail is not sufficiently packed to support the more concentrated weight of a foot).

Benefits
Snowshoeing expands the potential for exercise available in the wintertime. As of 2006, at least 500 American schools, mostly but not exclusively in the Northeast have started offering snowshoe programs in their physical education classes to help combat obesity. It had the added benefit of being gentler on the feet than walking or running the equivalent routes, since snow cushions the foot’s impact.

For the same reason, it is less detrimental to the environment, since the snow likewise buffers the earth against the impact of so many hikers and campers, cutting back on trail erosion and other effects of heavy use.

While the cold creates its own safety risks, there is less chance of a hiker getting lost on snowshoes, since they can follow their own trail back.

A young snowshoer getting up close and personal with nature.Snowshoeing makes even familiar hikes different and new. If the snow is deep enough obstacles such as large boulders and fallen logs can be more easily bypassed. Winter transforms familiar forests into something wonderful and strange, and clearer, bluer skies in winter often afford more sweeping, longer-range views from favorite lookouts than are available in summer situations. The stillness of the air, quiet and snow cover give nature a pristine feel that is sometimes lacking at other times of year.

As Florence Page Jaques put it in her book, Snowshoe Country, “I love the deep silence of the midwinter woods. It is a stillness you can rest your whole weight against … This silence is so profound you are sure it will hold and last.”

Adverse effects
Immoderate snowshoeing leads to serious lameness of the feet and ankles which Canadian voyageurs called mal de raquette. Modern snowshoes are much lighter and more comfortable so that lameness caused by snowshoeing is now very rare.

Nonetheless, many snowshoers find that their legs, particularly their calf muscles, take some time to get used to snowshoeing again at the start of each winter. Frequently the first serious trip leaves them sore for several days afterwards.
Article siupplied from Wikipedia.org

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