The History of Snowshoes

Snowshoeing as a recreational sport did not become mainstream until around the 1970s, but snowshoes have been a part of human life for more than 6,000 years. While designs have evolved from slabs of wood to advanced aluminum framed shoes, the purpose has remained the same: Helping people to move efficiently in deep snow.

  1. Origin

    • The earliest known snowshoeing was practiced in central Asia around 4,000 B.C. These early ancestors of the Innuit and American Indian people brought the snowshoes with them as they migrated across from Asia to North America.

    Significance

    • Without the ability to move efficiently over the snow, early peoples would not have been able to expand over the entirety of the Northern Hemisphere. The invention of the snowshoe enabled hunting in the snow, essential to keeping families fed in the harsh winters farther north.

    Early Snowshoes

    • The earliest snowshoes were nothing more than slabs of wood. This quickly evolved into the bent wood frame and rawhide lacing snowshoes commonly associated with historical snowshoeing.

    Modern Snowshoes

    • Most modern snowshoes are aluminum framed, which is lighter and more durable than wood. Instead of rawhide, these shoes have neoprene decks. Modern snowshoes also often have step-in bindings, enabling an easy transition between snowshoes and crampons.

    Considerations

    • While wooden snowshoes might hold a nostalgic appeal, there are certain problems encountered with them that modern snowshoes have fixed. Ascents and lateral traverses are more difficult, and the wide stance required often results in sore hips after a few miles of walking.