Ever use an Indian-style "light" beavertail snowshoe?

I like to get down on modern snowshoes because it seems to me that
they don't give enough float. Although I give them manuverability,
which is very important, too.

I find that my big 48" Michigan-style wood shoes float me wonderfully,
giving true walk-on-water feeling and that they're plenty manuverable
for me.

I've wondered about the biggest 56-60" Alaskan type, made for float
and distance work. I finally got a pair. Haven't tried em yet.

I note that manufactured wood shoes seem to have frames about 1" thick
and webbing with 1" spacing/gaps.

I also note that the traditional shoe often used by true northwoods
peoples, all their lives, often seem to have the beavertail shape---
much wider/rounder---and a frame that's half as thick and webbing that
is much finer and more closely-spaced.

Has anyone used such shoes? What are they like? I'd think they'd float
best of all and be very lightweight. Perhaps their handling requires
quite a knack, but perhaps a knack worth learning.

[I don't see a better group to post this query in.]

--JP
oyb

"jeff potter" wrote in message
...
I like to get down on modern snowshoes because it seems to me that
they don't give enough float. Although I give them manuverability,
which is very important, too.

I find that my big 48" Michigan-style wood shoes float me wonderfully,
giving true walk-on-water feeling and that they're plenty manuverable
for me.

I've wondered about the biggest 56-60" Alaskan type, made for float
and distance work. I finally got a pair. Haven't tried em yet.

I note that manufactured wood shoes seem to have frames about 1" thick
and webbing with 1" spacing/gaps.

I also note that the traditional shoe often used by true northwoods
peoples, all their lives, often seem to have the beavertail shape---
much wider/rounder---and a frame that's half as thick and webbing that
is much finer and more closely-spaced.

Has anyone used such shoes? What are they like? I'd think they'd float
best of all and be very lightweight. Perhaps their handling requires
quite a knack, but perhaps a knack worth learning.

[I don't see a better group to post this query in.]

--JP
oyb

The area and type of decking, size of the shoe, weight of the person, and
density of show are going to be the determining factors of floatation.
I've snowshoed for about 25 years-when we've had good winters(MPLS/ St
Paul), and long ago switched to a model of Red Feather Alum shoes as they
are nearly wear-proof and maintenance free, and have the tail/ rudder that
helps with longitudinal stability.
That said I understand the attraction to a well made pair of wood snowshoes.

As you might imagine, the shape of the shoe dictates it's function.
The three basic styles a
Alaskans- long and narrow, with a stabilizing tail, are for cross country,
straight travel, carrying a pack.

Bear Paws- oval shaped are highly maneuverable(somewhat unstable for my
tastes), good for bush-whacking. Also used by trappers, hunters, etc.

Michigans(perhaps also called 'Maines')- being wider, shorter than the
similarly shaped Alaskans, are a great all-around shoe.

I mostly use RedFeather 30" performance shoes(sometimes in shallow or dense
snow- a 26") neither are quite the 'floaters' as a 48" Michigan, but close-
they are not webbed, but use a plastic/ composite material for the decking,
and as they are smaller, yet stable, they go bushwhacking quite well.
Mine are similar to this model:

http://tinyurl.com/agbzj2


(With a pack, and winter clothes I'm about 200lbs on the snow)...plus they
have the jagged ice teeth/ crampons on the bottom, which have quite
literally saved my neck more than once. While traversing some icy/ crusted
hillsides on wooden Michigans, I once slid down a hillside, off a 10'
cliff, and into a muddy spring on all fours; temp was around 0F, and I was
alone, about 3 miles from my truck,, wet and muddy up to my elbows and
knees... I think that's when I hung my wood shoes on the wall.
One thing to consider- ... if you go out in swamps, over shallow water,
sooner or later you'll put a foot through, a binding you can get out of, or
being able to pull the shoe out of the muck and ice in that situation might
be something to think about, however most current binding products are not
easy to kick out of.
ED3

On Feb 14, 4:40*pm, "ED3" wrote:
[ ] While traversing some icy/ crusted
hillsides on wooden Michigans, *I once slid down a hillside, off a 10'
cliff, and into a muddy spring on all fours; temp was around 0F, and I was
alone, about 3 miles from my truck,, wet and muddy up to my elbows and
knees... I think that's when I hung my wood shoes on the wall.

Thanks for your views!

Yes, the woodies aren't good for icy sideslopes at all! But otherwise,
they seem twice as good as the moderns, to me.

I just used the BIGGEST moderns and I sank twice as far as in my
woodies. In mellow terrain, float is king, is my view. It's also where
the thrill is.

But moderns are also probably nice in the thickets.

It's just that moderns came from icy slope packed snow mountaineering
and flowed into packed-trail racing. To me those needs just aren't
relevant to folks who live in mellow terrain and who just want the max
joy of shoeing --- and that seems like the biggest potential market
sector.

One thing to consider- ... if you go out in swamps, over shallow water,
sooner or later you'll put a foot through, a binding you can get out of, or
being able to pull the shoe out of the muck and ice in that situation might
be something to think about, however most current *binding products are not
easy to kick out of.

I note that the fans of the Indian style of shoe---and binding---
mention that you can kick out of such bindings. You don't need your
hands to get loose.

In fact, I just read that part of their book. I should've read it
before posting! It's the Winter Companion or Snow Walker book, by the
Conovers (depending on which edition). They're far north people but
they write a lot about the fine-weave lightweight really round shoes
used up there---and how a native using them floated twice as well as
they did in their "downstate" style woodies---which I contend float
twice as good as moderns. It's a great book and good to read also. But
I suppose they're coming from a true "far north" style. Yet deep
fluffy snow is when I haul out my shoes around here, too.

They mention that a modern shoe could be made with a fine weave using
synthetic fabric and lighter frame but no one does it and perhaps the
mere higher cost of producing a fine weave is the problem, despite the
greatly improved performance. They also say that people who really use
shoes (northwoods natives) are maybe the only ones who care. Yet even
though I'm an infrequent shoer I know a great float when I'm having
one. : ) I suppose there's also a knack to walking in a real shoe
that you don't need to use a modern, but again I'm willing to learn a
bit to get the great results. (Again, I'm not knocking the modern for
icy slopes and brushy places. Or for packed trails and running.)

--JP