Technological Revolution that Brought Back the
Snowshoe Sport
The
traditional wooden snowshoe was the only category of sporting snowshoe available
during several millenniums. It was its strength and it also was the cause of its
decline. The arrival of European immigrants to North America during the first
and second world wars permitted the expansion of a new winter sport unknown to
Canadians until then: SKIING. This same sport, that Europeans had perfected so
well thousands of years ago to the detriment of the snowshoe, was to become the
fashionable winter sport.
Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing are
part of the European culture and once in Canada, the European immigrants were
able to appreciate the Canadian Mountains and the long winters covered with
thick layers of snow. This then became an unexploited gold mine that the latter
developed in a hurry. Alpine ski resorts and marked out, maintained circuits for
long-distance skiing appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, and that
changed the sporting customs of Canadians.
The
snowshoe practice then lost in popularity and the snowshoe clubs drastically
disappeared. Only a few survived these new winter sports. All the same, the
snowshoe remained a work object essential even if the arrival of the snowmobile
also encouraged the erosion of the snowshoe. One had to wait till the 1980s so
that the first technological revolution can have the snowshoe sport be revived
from its ashes, that is the introduction of plastic matters and aluminium in the
manufacture process. The composite materials allowed us to revolutionize the
forms, dimensions, weight and features of the modern snowshoes.
The
greatest innovation was the addition of spikes under the snowshoe to allow an
adherence that did not exist before. The beginning of these new materials was
the reason why several other manufacturers who wished to start the commercial
manufacture appeared, and each one of them competed in ingenuity. On the other
hand, only the more prepared were successful commercially.
Here are the features that allowed us to
revolutionize the snowshoe:
| 1. |
New materials: Aluminium and polymers enabled us to create new forms that
are very efficient, and that are adapted to different grounds and various
uses.
|
| 2. |
New forms: The new materials enabled the reduction by 50% of the size
of the snowshoe for a floating efficiency similar to that of the old
models.
|
| 3. |
Lightness: The new materials enabled the reduction of the weight of
snowshoes by 40% for increased floating.
|
| 4. |
Adherence: Adding aluminium or stainless steel spikes enabled the
snowshoe to come back to its popularity by offering a playground that had been
until then unattainable with the traditional snowshoe: THE
MOUNTAIN.
|
| 5. |
Ergonomic
harness: The greatest weakness of
traditional snowshoes was the harness, since the latter did not allow an
appropriate support for the foot and the walking step was, on long hikes, quite
inefficient and could make the hike difficult. The new harnesses are made of
Hyrtel® or olefin, among others, allowing an ergonomic adjustment to all
temperatures and they do not react to humidity.
|
| 6. |
Pivot system: The creation of a pivot, specially the ENERGY SAVER of GV
Snowshoes, allowed, for the first time, an efficient and precise marching step,
enabling the snowshoe to stay in continuous contact with the snow, also enabling
it to keep the pivot in the rotation axis thus cancelling all lateral movements
and allowing also an efficient grip of the spikes on the hardened snow or on
ice, for an optimal adherence.
|
| 7. |
System of catch
fastener: This system used by GV
Snowshoes, inspired by that used on snowboard bindings, allows an adjustment
that is precise, fast and easy to use in all circumstances. The advantage of
catch buckles is significant because since the clamping strength is unequalled
by the other systems, it maintains the tension required and, above all, the
buckles never freeze.
|
| 8. |
Easy maintenance:
The new materials no longer require
special maintenance. They can be put away anywhere during the summer season and
require no special adjustment or treatment. Only a visual inspection of the
components is needed to know if the snowshoes are functional or
not. |
It
is, in great part, thanks to the improvements mentioned above that the snowshoe
has become once more a sport valued by lovers of winter outdoor sports. It is
also thanks to the low cost of purchase that this sport is gaining in popularity
with families, since it allows enjoyment with family and friends, at a low cost,
and its transportation is easy, since it uses very little space. As any sport
worthy of respect, accessories now come with its practice, such as
transportation bags to put away the equipment, telescopic walking sticks to
balance the body in slopes and climbs, thus distributing the body's pressure
points, insulated, light and waterproof winter sport boots, and gaiters to stop
snow infiltration in the boots.
GV
Snowshoes is a pioneer in the area of new snowshoe manufacturing which thrills
the winter outdoor lovers. Our efforts in the research and development have
allowed us to create new products that are more technical and sophisticated in
order to offer to the followers products that will revolutionize in ingenuity
and efficiency, and mostly to continue to write the history of the
snowshoe.
