How to Attach Snowshoe Bindings

Snowshoes have gone high-tech. Modern snowshoes adopted the basic footprint and design but substituted modern plastics and fabrics to make the snow gear. The snowshoe bindings use plastic, metal, kevlar or nylon to attach your boot to the snowshoe. While each snowshoe maker uses its own proprietary form of binding, the process to attach to them is basically the same. Once attached, the hinge on the bindings allow a free heal style of travel and walking.

Instructions

    • 1

      Open the binding cages or straps to their loosest setting.

    • 2

      Set the snowshoes down onto a hard patch of ice or packed snow.

    • 3

      Slide your boot or shoe into one of the bindings pushing the toe as far down into the binding as possible. Check your snowshoes to see if there are dedicated right and left shoes. Place your foot appropriately if so.

    • 4

      Cinch down the binding straps or tightening mechanism on the snowshoe binding. Kick the foot into the binding to set the crampon into the ice, gaining more purchase on the tightening process. The crampon is the toothed metal grip on the bottom of the snowshoe.

    • 5

      Slide your other foot into the next snowshoe and follow Steps 1-4 to attach the snowshoe to your foot and boot.

    • 6

      Lift your legs, one at a time, and check the tightness of the snowshoe. Check that the snowshoe is loose at the heal, but tight at the toe.