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Snowshoeing with Jim Joque
Part of the move for overseas manufacturing of snowshoes is driven by consumer and retailer demands for less expensive products, according to Snowshoe Magazine writer Pam Mandel. She reports that lower cost production makes it possible for companies to offer discount snowshoes to consumers. There are still some smaller U.S. companies making snowshoes here. They are not able to compete price-wise, but they value making quality products. And a few of those remaining companies exist in the Midwest. I set out to explore three Midwest snowshoe manufacturing companies who have earned high distinction in terms of their contribution to the sport as well as to the production of snowshoes that stand the test of time. Country Ways Famous for weave-your-own shoes In the January 2006 issue of Silent Sports, I related my experience weaving a pair of Ojibwa snowshoes from a Country Ways weaving kit. Although I am not much of a weaver, the result of my efforts were a beautiful and glistening pair of traditional snowshoes that I not only use but display next to my wood-burning fireplace for added ambiance. They are absolutely the hallmark of north country design and function. During our wedding anniversary trip to Minneapolis this past December, I sheepishly followed my wife for six hours through the Mall of America and IKEA. (I felt I got a greater workout on that shopping spree than I would have from an entire day snowshoeing backcountry trails.) Fortunately, I took a break from shopping and scheduled a meeting on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis with Greg Wilcox, co-owner of Wilcox and Williams Inc., the company that produces Country Ways snowshoe and furniture-making kits. Wilcox, a very pleasant entrepreneur, joined Dyke Williams in 1980 in the snowshoe and country furniture-making business. Wilcox and Williams are highly respected as having top-of-the-line traditional snowshoe-weaving kits. Wilcox can honestly say, "The kits are unique to the industry." All Country Ways snowshoe kits come with straight-grain white ash cut from Minnesota or upper Michigan. The material used for weaving the decks of the traditional shoes is made of high-strength and durable tubular nylon lacing. The lacing will not stretch or sag. And once coated with a polyurethane varnish, the deck becomes very solid, offering great flotation. Country Ways also sells bindings in the "H" style, super strength "A" style with a harness feature, and a flexible rubber binding that stretches up over the boot. In addition to four sizes of Ojibwa-style snowshoes, the shoes with a pointed nose and long pointed tail, they also have children's and adult's Hurons, Alaskans and Green Mountain Bearpaw styles of snowshoes. The latter is a modified bearpaw-style shoe ideal for snowshoeing on country trails. A unique feature of Country Ways is that if you don't want to weave your own snowshoes, you can purchase them already made. Their traditional snowshoes are hand-made and are of high quality, both in materials and craftsmanship. I knew they had a good product when I heard that the U.S. Forest Service in Ely, Minnesota, use their shoes in deep snow and for off-trail travel. Country Ways products and kits can be found online at www.snowshoe.com. E-mail info@snowshoe.com or call 612/861-2262 or 800/216-0710 for more information. The company also markets through numerous retailers. Northern Lites' light aluminum frames This is the fifth year I have taken my snowshoeing class on a field trip to visit Northern Lites manufacturing company in Wausau, Wisconsin. It is a 40-minute drive from the university. Students anticipate visiting a large manufacturing plant and are surprised at the smallness of this unique snowshoeing production company. Upon leaving the plant, however, they are impressed, pleased and interested in what Northern Lites contributes to the sport. The company is personable, customer-service oriented and attentive to product quality. Some of my students later ended up purchasing Northern Lites as a result of the field trip. When I teach snowshoeing, my preference out of five pairs of snowshoes that I own are my Northern Lites Backcountry snowshoes. I admire Russ Post, owner, designer and creator of Northern Lites Snowshoes. In the snowshoe business since 1992, Post puts his engineering degree to his technical advantage. His expertise has led to the design of an exceptionally light snowshoe. The use of a rare spacecraft aluminum in the construction of the upper-end series frames are lightweight, yet 40 percent stronger than the aluminum used for most metal-frame snowshoes on the market. The Northern Lites decking is made of a polyurethane-coated nylon that has extraordinary strength. Toe and heel traction devices are also made from the super aluminum used in the frames. Trademark TruTrak bindings are made with three straps going over the toe and foot arch that lock onto hook buckles. They also come with a super-strength nylon heel strap. In my opinion, the Northern Lites snowshoes are technological gems. There are two series. The Quicksilver Series is a snowshoe of high quality and sold at an affordable price. These shoes are ideal for recreational hiking and are often the series used by recreation and school programs. They come in two sizes, 8"x25" and 9"x30". The Extreme Series is technologically a higher standard shoe than the Quicksilver. The frame is made of a stronger and lighter alloy, and the series has five different shoes used for varying applications. The Backcountry is a 9"x30" snowshoe designed for hiking, backpacking and mountaineering. The Backcountry Rescue shoe is structurally identical to the Backcountry but is bright orange in color for the purpose of search and rescue use. On the smaller end are the 8"x25" Elite, sized for the lighter snowshoer. They have been used for trail and backpacking as well as racing. But the shoe that is popular on the snowshoe-racing scene is the Elite Racer that is sized to comply with the U.S. Snowshoe Association racing standards. It is 8"x20" in size and 32 ounces in weight. On the larger end of the Extreme Series is the Tundra made for packing weight of 250 pounds and over. Post claims his frames save wearers 2,000 pounds of lifting per mile. Besides being a very light snowshoe, Northern Lites offers a limited lifetime warranty on the Extreme Series. As long as Post stays in business, he'll repair his snowshoes. His are not throwaways. Northern Lites can be purchased directly online at www.northernlites.com or at several retail stores in the Midwest. E-mail snowshoe@ispmonsters.com or call 800/360-LITE for more information. Redfeather New kid on the block The Redfeather Snowshoe Co. is not as small as the other Midwest snowshoe companies. Where other companies may produce a 1,000 pairs of shoes a year, Redfeather makes over 25,000. A further comparison: Tubbs produces well over 100,000 pairs annually. Redfeather Snowshoe Co. is now a Midwest snowshoe company, having moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, in January 2006. Based in Colorado since it was established in 1988, Redfeather manufactures good lightweight aluminum-frame snowshoes. Their claim to fame is their V-shaped snowshoe tail that offers great tracking capability in the snow. Redfeather is also known for having introduced the first ratchet binding system, interchangeable bindings and crampons. Additionally, their live action hinge springs back with each step. And their free-sliding heel plate in the Pilot II binding automatically fits a snowshoer's boot. Technology is no stranger to Redfeather snowshoes. The have many lines. In four styles of recreational snowshoes, Redfeather offers round-tail Explorers, the V-tail Pace (a women's series) and the round-tail Hike. The latter are ideal for recreational trail and backcountry snowshoeing. In their high-performance line, they make the more technical V-tail Alpine, the V-tail Stride women's series, the rounded-tail Guide and a running and fitness snowshoe simply called Race. Redfeather also has a series of snowshoes for kids. They make the Youth, for small children, and Youth 2 shoe for kids up to 125 pounds. And popular on the store shelves are their Snow Paws that allow children to leave bear tracks in the snow. Redfeather is now a division of ORC Inc. of La Crosse, a company that employs workers of all abilities. ORC has been a cornerstone of the La Crosse community for over 40 years, and promise to be a pillar for Redfeather, too. Redfeather sales manager Bryan Kuhn says, "Redfeather snowshoes is a part of the ORC Industries family – a not-for-profit that employs over 800 highly motivated, disabled workers at its Texas and Wisconsin manufacturing facilities. By providing people with disabilities an opportunity to lead independent and productive lives, ORC is tapping into a deep reservoir of passion and commitment." Redfeather snowshoes can be purchased at many retail and online outlets. They can also be purchased directly from www.redfeather.com. Contact them via e-mail at redfeather@orcind.com or by phone at 800/525-0081. Jim Joque is coordinator of disability services for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He is also an adventure education instructor teaching courses in camping, backpacking and snowshoeing, and a trip leader for the university's wilderness orientation program. Joque currently serves as education director for the U.S. Snowshoe Association and is a Leave No Trace master educator.
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