- Hey I'm Katie here with REI
snowshoeing is a ton of fun
but it's even more fun when your snowshoes stay on your feet
Today we're gonna talk about how to put your snowshoes on
and make sure they're secure and comfortable.
(RnB music)
So first things first, figuring out left versus right.
Some snowshoes have a conveniently located L versus R
on the base of the binding but if not, no worries.
All you have to do
is make sure that the straps of your binding
are towards the outside of your foot.
So for me this will be on the right.
That way when you put your snowshoes on
the straps will stay on the outside,
they won't get tangled up with each other
or whack your ankles
when you're trying to walk out on the snow.
So next step is to put your foot on that binding.
There is one spot to put it,
the ball of your foot should be right here over the crampon.
So I'll flip this snowshoe over
'cause this one is easy to see,
the crampon on this snowshoe is bright red
so the big teeth right there at the pivot point.
This binding as you can see pivots around a specific pin
and you want your foot right there
not only so most of your weight
is where the snowshoe has the most grip
but also because since that's the pivot point,
putting your foot there
will allow you the most natural gait cycle
while you're snowshoeing.
One other point I want to look at here
is especially you have larger boots,
you wanna make sure you have enough toe clearance.
So when you put your foot in here
make sure you're not overlapping the deck
because your foot will want to pass through that opening
as you walk around.
So set this one down
and your foot will go in
right here.
The next step is to put on the straps.
So one side note on that,
we're gonna be using this particular MSR snowshoe today.
It's one of the more complicated strapping systems.
You've got three straps that go over your foot,
one behind, but it's good to know that snowshoes come in all
different types of bindings.
So for example this one
has a strap system where you just put your foot in
pull this and the entire thing tightens.
It's a little bit easier to do
so we'll do the more complicated one today.
Alright, as you do the straps
you want to start with the strap going over your foot
that's closest to your ankle.
This one will hold your foot in place
while you get the other ones figured out
and you can end with the heel strap in the back.
(rustling sound)
Alright, so you'll notice that when I did the straps
there's a couple things to look at.
Number one,
the metal teeth on the side
need to be all the way through the strap.
Sometimes you can put the strap on
and not bend it all the way
and the tooth doesn't come all the way through the strap.
That makes it really easy
for the strap to come back out of the tooth
and then be flopping around while you're trying to snowshoe.
The other thing is that this particular snowshoe
has little strap saver clips on it.
Those plastic clips are a great place to put your straps
once you've put them through the tooth
to keep them pointing to the outside and organized
while you're walking along.
Alright, your double-check point here is to stand up
and give your snowshoe a shake.
(rattling sound)
Shouldn't come off.
Shouldn't feel like your foot is wiggling around too much
but it also shouldn't be so tight
that you're cutting off circulation.
That's a great way to get cold toes, fast.
One other tip that I want to share with you here
is that you've got one snowshoe on,
now it's time for the other one.
We don't always have chairs out in the backcountry
so what I do when I'm snowshoeing
is to take the snowshoe you already have on
and because your foot pivots through,
go ahead and take a knee with that leg.
That lets you put the other snowshoe on
without needing to reach all the way down to your toes
in case you're not quite that flexible.
Alright that's all there is to it.
You've got one snowshoe on, the other one's on the way.
If you have questions, as always,
you can go to your local REI and ask the experts there.
We have snowshoes you can rent, buy or
you can join us for snowshoe outings
with your local REI guides.
Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time.