Snow Shoes

[Robson Valley]

The online collection at UBC/MOA shows 15 different pairs. All North American except for one pair of (old?) Japanese snow shoes.
Reindeer are similarly ill-equipped like moose for deep snow in the Boreal Forest Biome where I live.
There's not a whole lot of precipitation in the Polar Desert Biome. Doesn't seem to bother the Musk-Ox.

That's why we have large areas closed to snowmobile traffic.
Just too easy for a wolf pack to chase down caribou when they can run on packed trails.
The disturbance changes the snow quality and it sets up pretty hard is 30 minutes or less.

The cats, the rabbits and the birds are built for it with their snowshoe feet.

 

[Broch]

Search the web on 'first snowshoes'.
Computer says developed by 1:st Nations. North America.

I quote:

"Historical Development: Snowshoeing is known to have been practiced in present-day central Asia about 6,000 years ago. It is believed that as these ancestors to the Inuits and Native Americans, migrated from Asia to North America, they brought the snowshoes with them, which were modified slabs of wood. It was not too long before this evolved into the white ash framed snowshoes with the raw hide lacing that we associate with snowshoeing today."

Of course we can all believe the written history we choose but I find it highly unlikely that these types of aids to walking in deep snow were not used by ancient Europeans; it's a solution I recon my grandson would come up with in no more than a couple of hours

 

[Janne]

OT:
Well, the written history is one thing, but Archeology has not found anything. I prefer to trust Archeology, as it is more tangible than some person thinking the logical development followed his/her ideas!

Several skis have been found though. Even today the northern 'tribes' (if I may call them so) in Eurasia use skis and not shoes.
BUT as I wrote earlier, some skis are short and wide, you could call them a hybrid between skis and snow shoes.

There is some evidence even that the Ancients used ONE wide ski. We know for sure they used originally one long pole, not two like we do today. This custom persisted into modern times.

RV, the reindeer in Canada do not have that ability?

 

[Broch]

OK, here you go then:

http://www.iceman.it/en/snowshoe-found-south-tyrol-italian-alps-older-than-oetzi-the-iceman/

 

[Janne]

Supermany thanks!
That is the first one in Europe, so good proof they used both skis and shoes!

None of the Archeological sites I freqvent have mentioned that great find!

 

[Robson Valley]

Anybody and everybody that has to contend with any accumulation of snow more than thigh deep will come up with something for aided walking.
Watching wildlife is your first clue. I'd like to give Broch's grandson a knife and supplies and watch him build snowshoes with nobody's help.
Even if it was a kit with the instructions missing. I'll bet it won't take him long.

I like the looks of many of the Atlas designs. I notice how narrow they are. My hip joints are already saying thank you.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

I didn't think you got much snow enough in the uk to be bothered making snowshoes. How often can you use them in the south of uk, say London? The further south you go in our land the less the snowshoe gets used because not always long enough winter with snow to make it worthwhile making them.

I just looked at the picture of the find in the Alps. They sure look like snowshoes to me - except - and this is important - they may not be exactly snowshoes because they are far too small I think if I guess by size. I can remember long ago my grandmother telling me about the Innui she used to meet in the far north and that when they travelled over ice crusted snow or ice, they used similar to the picture but were only meant for grip on ice and not for snow travel as too small maybe.

 

[Broch]

I didn't think you got much snow enough in the uk to be bothered making snowshoes. How often can you use them in the south of uk, say London? The further south you go in our land the less the snowshoe gets used because not always long enough winter with snow to make it worthwhile making them.

Here in Powys, Wales, we can get drifts of 6 foot or more (a few years ago it was over 8 in some of the lanes) but it is very rare. I've never tried to make any but if we get any snow this year I'll give it a go . The main material here would be hazel - probably for both the frame and the weaving (it used to be used for basket weaving in Wales). I have Nordic skis but we haven't had the snow for the last couple of years and now the mice have ruined the boots .

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

The frames here are made from any straight strong wood with no faults or knots - one of the reasons we make ours from one piece of timber split into two to get our frame. Hard to get in northern NWT!!! To the south maybe white ash or white birch are used. They must be made from very strong wood preferably slow growing otherwise they'll break where you join them on the frame. And you'll need to steam the wood to get it into shape. If you can bend without steaming it is probably too weak. But I don't know about your trees.

 

[Tengu]

I have been X country skiing in my time and though hard on the legs it is my preffered way of getting about in snow.

 

[Toddy]

Hazel or willow will bend without breaking, and both copice well and send up multiple straight poles. I copiced my willow two years ago and this year the rods are 3 to 4 metres long. Strong and light, easy to bend to shape even when the rods are a couple of years of growth and not just one years shoots. Multiple rings of willow bound into shape by bast or rawhide strips might work well too.
If I had to make snowshoes from scratch I must admit I'd be tempted to try making them from willow....but then our snow isn't a constant feature for months at a time every year.
Some years it can be weeks though. Further north, in the 'gorms it certainly does lie deep enough for months.

Oak and Ash both rive and spale cleanly though, both are bendable and strong and both can be found as straight grown saplings with very few knots.

There was debate about Oetzi's supposed backpack, and a well reasoned suggestion that it was actually the remains of a snowshoe. So, that's bronze age (just) Europe.

Usually though, it's mud, and I sometimes think wishfully of the Norfolks splatchers

M