Galyan's travesty: "People don't ski anymore, they snowshoe."

Friends went to Galyan's yesterday to see their prices for XC sets.

The husband made the sign of the cross as he went in. He wanted only to
go to the local indy shop here in Lansing, MI: Raupp's. But his wife
made some 'budget' noises and thought Galyan's might be a lot
cheaper...doubtful!

When they asked the temp-worker kid in the snowsports department about
their XC skis, he said "We don't have any. People don't do that anymore.
They snowshoe."

Their jaws dropped. They left.

Nobody snowshoes. Everybody XC skis around here. When there's snow. You
need lots MORE snow to snowshoe.

They're just trying to sell 'shoes like they used to sell mtbikes or
mopeds to fratkids...or pennyloafers without socks in the winter. Now
the new teen cool thing is NOT WEARING A WINTER COAT when it's winter.
My brother who owns a set of teens is having a heck of a time keeping
them alive. It's a fad. The 'shoes won't get used.

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national travel forums! HOLY SMOKES! 800-763-6923

On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 09:10:27 -0500, Jeff Potter
wrote:

Friends went to Galyan's yesterday to see their prices for XC sets.

The husband made the sign of the cross as he went in. He wanted only to
go to the local indy shop here in Lansing, MI: Raupp's. But his wife
made some 'budget' noises and thought Galyan's might be a lot
cheaper...doubtful!

When they asked the temp-worker kid in the snowsports department about
their XC skis, he said "We don't have any. People don't do that anymore.
They snowshoe."

Their jaws dropped. They left.

Nobody snowshoes. Everybody XC skis around here. When there's snow. You
need lots MORE snow to snowshoe.

They're just trying to sell 'shoes like they used to sell mtbikes or
mopeds to fratkids...or pennyloafers without socks in the winter. Now
the new teen cool thing is NOT WEARING A WINTER COAT when it's winter.
My brother who owns a set of teens is having a heck of a time keeping
them alive. It's a fad. The 'shoes won't get used.

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national travel forums! HOLY SMOKES! 800-763-6923


A couple years ago wearing shorts all year was a big thing around here
amongst the older adolescents. Bloody freaking insane. Just another example
of the strength of media influence I suppose. Anyway, I find it sort of
comforting that the big box retailers can't get a handle on my two sports
of preference, xc skiing and fly fishing. If they do get involved they
almost invariably do an inadequate job. "Niche" type retailers need the
room that the big boys cluelessness gives them.

g.c.

"Jeff Potter" wrote in message
.. .
Nobody snowshoes. Everybody XC skis around here. When there's snow. You
need lots MORE snow to snowshoe.

Where I ski, there are a couple of snowshoe trails. They get so packed with
all the traffic that you can walk and run them. . . without showshoes!

JMC

Where I ski, there are a couple of snowshoe trails. They get so packed with
all the traffic that you can walk and run them. . . without showshoes!

JMC

Same here. I see them all the time in 2 inches of snow, but when it's really
comming down, and the drifts are 4 ft high ... where did all the snow shoe'rs
go??

jw
milwaukee

JMC wrote:

"Jeff Potter" wrote in message
.. .
Nobody snowshoes. Everybody XC skis around here. When there's snow. You
need lots MORE snow to snowshoe.

Where I ski, there are a couple of snowshoe trails. They get so packed with
all the traffic that you can walk and run them. . . without showshoes!

What's the fun with snowshoing? I hope i understand this thing you are writing
about called snowshoeing, eg out walking on the snow with snowshoes?

--

Forward in all directions

Janne G

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 08:00:49 +0100, Janne G
wrote:

JMC wrote:

"Jeff Potter" wrote in message
.. .
Nobody snowshoes. Everybody XC skis around here. When there's snow. You
need lots MORE snow to snowshoe.

Where I ski, there are a couple of snowshoe trails. They get so packed with
all the traffic that you can walk and run them. . . without showshoes!

What's the fun with snowshoing? I hope i understand this thing you are writing
about called snowshoeing, eg out walking on the snow with snowshoes?

--

Forward in all directions

Janne G


I snowshoe a couple times a year (not! on a packed trail). The bright side
of the snowshoe fad is that in a few years I'll be able to replace my old
wood shoes with a nice, shiny, almost unused pair at a local garage sale.

g.c.

Janne G wrote:

What's the fun with snowshoing? I hope i understand this thing you are writing
about called snowshoeing, eg out walking on the snow with snowshoes?

It's GREAT for going offtrail in really deep snow in close quarters, hilly,
brushy terrain, where 10 feet off the trail you have to get out map and compass.

Snowshoes are GREAT for when you need flotation and manueverability.

Most newstyle shoes, to me, don't seem to offer anything like the needed float
for proper shoeing conditions. Most seem made for trailrunning---lame.

When we go out with friends with new shoes---they sink. We use big old wood ones
and we FLOAT heavenly.

They work in deep snow as good as skis do on trails.

You don't need poles with shoes. Some use em tho. It's a nicely simple activity
in the right conditions. It would be on par with walking on water---it's for when
the snow is so deep that nothing else will do. Then shoes do it right!

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national travel forums! HOLY SMOKES! 800-763-6923

What's the fun with snowshoing? I hope i understand this thing you are writing
about called snowshoeing, eg out walking on the snow with snowshoes?

Snowshoeing isn't as much fun as skiing. But snowshoeing is good for when you
(or, well: I) cannot ski, on trails that are too steep, too narrow, or too icy.

Skiing is more like bicycling, because you can glide (coast) without the need to
expend any energy. Skiing in groomed trails is like road bicycling. Backcountry
skiing is like mountain bicycling. Snowshoeing is like walking or hiking.
Snowshoeing on a ski trail is like walking along a road.

My main use for snowshoes, though, is for when the snow is too icy for skiing,
which is common in Vermont in March. Modern snowshoes are really better for icy
snow than for fluffy snow.

Lew Lasher
Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stowe, Vermont

In article , Lew Lasher wrote:
What's the fun with snowshoing? I hope i understand this thing you
are writing about called snowshoeing, eg out walking on the snow
with snowshoes?

Snowshoeing isn't as much fun as skiing. But snowshoeing is good
for ...

Careful ... fun is a personal thing. I'm sure you can find plenty of
people over in the rec.sport.snowshoeing group who would beg to
differ :-)!

Anyway, I think snowshoeing is quite a bit of fun when you have i) a
lot of snow and ii) steep wooded terrain. There are times when it is
much easier to make progress on snowshoes than on skis. Think about
having infinite grip for steep uphills. Downhills are admittedly less
exciting, but that might be a good thing on a 45 degree slope through
thick woods!

Snowshoes are very practical in some circumstances, i.e., fetching
wood/water around camp. If you want to wander through the woods,
poking around, snowshoeing is a very pleasant activity. For example,
my 4 yo daughter and I have had some really nice times on snowshoes
.... covering lots of ground is definitely not a goal at that age.

Having said that, I ski about 100 days a year and snowshoe about 5, so
I won't go overboard sounding off about how great snowshoeing is.
But, it definitely has its place in the realm of enjoyable winter
activities.

Brian May

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 wrote:

Anyway, I think snowshoeing is quite a bit of fun when you have i) a
lot of snow and ii) steep wooded terrain. There are times when it is
much easier to make progress on snowshoes than on skis. Think about
having infinite grip for steep uphills. Downhills are admittedly less
exciting, but that might be a good thing on a 45 degree slope through
thick woods!

Snowshoes are very practical in some circumstances, i.e., fetching
wood/water around camp. If you want to wander through the woods,
poking around, snowshoeing is a very pleasant activity. For example,
my 4 yo daughter and I have had some really nice times on snowshoes
.. covering lots of ground is definitely not a goal at that age.

I agree, Brian. I really enjoy getting out on snowshoes whenever
the snow is too deep to actually ski. I may not be gliding (though
actually I do sometimes get a bit of glide on my wood shoes w/o the
toothy bindings found on newer models) but it beats camping in front
of the TV by many miles. Expect to get the kids out both on skis
and snowshoes this year. They're turning 3 in Feb.

I just wish they'd quit trying to make snowshoeing into an
orienteering event. Or at least if they do, don't hold it concurrently
with ski-O. It messes up the fairness of ski-O because due to the
difference in route optimal route choice. The shoers nearly always
take the straight line approach, thus cutting in direct straight-on
tracks from each control to the next. Once this is done the optimal
route for the skiers frequently devolves into following the snowshoe
track. So early skiers navigate the mapped trail network, and maybe
cut in some shortcuts if the snow isn't too deep. Later skiers just
put the map in their pocket and follow the shoe tracks. The two should
not be mixed, but nobody seems to understand this.

-Mitch