Snowshoe novices follow the path to fun on local mountains

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      Last winter, Michael Chiang learned how to walk on snowshoes. Now he wants to run in his first snowshoe race.

      Although the 30-year-old Vancouver man is quite new to the sport, he relishes the idea of taking on Grouse Mountain’s 5.5-kilometre Snowshoe Grind Mountain Run this winter.

      “I like being able to challenge myself,” Chiang related in a phone interview with the Georgia Straight.

      He is one of many, from beginners to would-be competitors, who have discovered that treading through the snow on racket-shaped footwear isn’t all that difficult. This could explain why snowshoeing is often described as one of the fastest-growing winter-sport activities.

      “Remember to set your feet slightly wider apart,” Chiang recalled from the basics he learned at Grouse Mountain’s snowshoe clinic, “otherwise you’d be stepping over yourself.”

      Dan Grima, the resort’s adventure-program supervisor, has watched novices like Chiang grow into the sport. Except for a half-hour of discussion about basic things like gear, terrain, technique, and safety, he said, Grouse Mountain’s four-session clinics (two hours each session) for beginners are spent on the trails.

      “All along the way, we’ll be talking about anything that might be helpful for people that haven’t snowshoed before, that aren’t familiar being out in the backcountry, and just on the snow in general,” Grima told the Straight in a phone interview.

      On the trail, he explained, he’d point out trees covered with snow and tell his charges to stay away from these. “You can call it a snow bomb. It could drop on you if that snow has been sitting on those branches for a little while,” he explained.

      One of the common questions beginners ask is about clothing. Grima recommends layering with a shell jacket on top. “A fairly lightweight shell is what I find best because you can regulate your heat more easily with the layers underneath,” he explained.

      Grima is also often asked about the physical intensity of snowshoeing. “On the whole, it’s a low-impact sport and good for rehabilitation,” he said.

      That happens to be the reason why Brent Loewen is very much into snowshoeing.

      “I had a really bad snowboarding crash,” Loewen told the Straight in a phone interview. “The reason I started to snowshoe was part of my rehabilitation. I could not snowboard for a while and I wanted to stay outside and stay fit.”

      In 2010, he and his wife started a website to celebrate their common hobby. “You empty your mind; it’s very meditative,” Loewen said about the activity. “It’s very much appreciating nature and creation. And it’s very good cardio fitness because you’re typically exercising at a higher altitude than at sea level.”

      He also said that for residents of the Lower Mainland, snowshoeing is very accessible. Grouse Mountain, Mount Seymour, and Cypress Mountain, all on the North Shore, are easy to reach.

      “For somebody who—after work or on a weekend—wants to go for a snowshoe, it’s not like you have to go too far,” Loewen said. He said he and his wife go snowshoeing at least three times a week during the winter.

      Asked about equipment, Loewen noted that quality snowshoes have better traction. “Don’t go cheap,” he suggested. “Get the best equipment that you can reasonably afford. What happens with a lot of people, when they buy or rent cheap snowshoes, they have a less than excellent experience.”

      With winter on the horizon, Chiang is looking at enrolling in another Grouse Mountain clinic designed to condition people who may want to enter snowshoe races.

      For those who aren’t into competition and just want to take it easy, Chiang said that snowshoeing offers another incentive.

      “We get to see a lot of Vancouver in the winter at the top of the mountain,” Chiang said, “and it just looks gorgeous up there.”

      Comments

      1 Comments

      canali

      Nov 11, 2013 at 10:52am

      we're so lucky having 3 local hills to ski/snowboard and snowshoe on during the winter.
      cypress mtn also offers a snowshoeing program, once opened see bottom
      http://cypressmountain.com/snowshoeing