Sex & snowshoeing
I found an interesting book published in 2007 on sex and camping by Michelle Waitzman titled Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couple's Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature. The book informs couples on how to plan backcountry trips, as well as how to work together to build healthy relationships in a natural setting.
But chapters like "How camping can improve your sex live," "How to keep smelling good enough to kiss," "Holding hands while backpacking" and "How to have sex in a tent without destroying it" made it truly interesting reading. In fact, I had a difficult time putting it down.
In the column that follows, I will not be exploring the joy of sex on snowshoes. Instead, I'll address the gender differences related to this enjoyable sport. In recent years, there have been some design changes to snowshoes with physiological differences for men and women. And there are some differences in snowshoeing activity preferences between the sexes from what I have found in surveying snowshoers.
Many snowshoe manufacturing companies have introduced snowshoes for women. The main difference is the offering of smaller snowshoes with narrower frames and tapered ends. These differences result in lighter weight snowshoes than those designed for men.
Differences are also found in the binding made to fit the smaller footwear worn by women. And since we tend to have color stereotypes, snowshoes now come in pink, yellow, light shades of blue, green and purple.
Tubbs, the largest U.S. snowshoe manufacturer, has a full line of women's snowshoes that equally compliment the men's line and includes 10 styles of shoes for each gender. Tubbs' literature states that the "women's frame geometry facilitates a woman's unique biomechanics and stride."
For example, in their Day Hiking series, the women's aluminum frame Venture model differs slightly from the same men's model. Both gender's Venture 30 are 9 inches by 30 inches. But there is a slight surface size and weight difference between the two: 251 square inches and 4.4 pounds for men's compared to 243 square inches and 4.3 pounds for the women's.
The main difference in their snowshoes, however, is in the sizes that are available between the genders for each model. In men's, the Venture series come in 8 inches by 25 inches, 9 inches by 30 inches, and 10 inches by 36 inches. In the women's they come in one size smaller: 8 inches by 21 inches, 8 inches by 25 inches, and 9 inches by 30 inches. They do not make a 10 inch by 36 inch for women. The same goes for most of their other series where there is a smaller size for women and larger size for men.
As for their bindings, Tubbs has "easy-to-use gender-specific bindings." They state that the women's binding is designed to accommodate a woman's boot shape and size, and eliminates sloppy movement and pain from pressure points.
Atlas is another large U.S. snowshoe manufacturer that has similar differences in sizes of snowshoes for men and women, as well as for boys and girls with their youth snowshoes. Atlas titled their women's snowshoes the Electra after two years of biomechanics research.
The Electra frames are formed to accommodate a woman's natural gate and they are designed with a tapered tail and slightly narrow nose. The Electra bindings cradle a woman's boot and are designed with "carefully placed strapping and padding to eliminate pressure points and keep circulation moving in the cold."
Crescent Moon says they designed their women's series of snowshoes to accommodate their natural stride, and they make them with a smaller diameter aluminum tube to reduce weight of the shoe. The Women's Gold 14 and Silver 13 models are 8.5 inches by 24.5 inches and have an exaggerated teardrop shape to them for easier walking than the standard style for men. Their backcountry Women's Gold 15 is 9.5 inches by 29 inches and is built for women and winter gear up to 200 pounds.
Mountain Safety Research has the Women's Lightning and Women's Lightning Ascent snowshoes. MSR teamed up with an orthopedic gait specialist to assess stride dynamics that resulted in designing a narrower frame and lighter shoe to fit a woman's stride.
Yukon Charlie's snowshoes are tapered at the tip and tail to accommodate the female stride and they have smaller bindings. Their women's Trail Series models come in three sizes: 8 inches by 21 inches, 8 inches by 5 inches, and 8 inches by 28 inches.
So much for the shoes. What about the sport? Earlier this year I surveyed 29 students, male and female, at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. These students had completed my one-credit Wellness 221 Snowshoeing course. Although small in design, the survey revealed some interesting results relative to gender differences and similarities in snowshoeing.
I found there to be more similarities than differences when it came to their interest in snowshoeing. For example, both women and men nearly equally preferred walking on snowshoes over running on snowshoes; hiking on a backcountry trail over competing in a snowshoe race; snowshoeing on a trail with many routes over hiking on a circular trail with a beginning and ending at the same place; hiking on a moonlit night with a few close friends over hiking with a large group of friends; and snowshoeing with one or more snowshoers rather than snowshoeing alone.
When I asked participants to identify the reason why they snowshoe, the results were again similar. Whereas 47 percent of the women and 58 percent of the men preferred snowshoeing for serenity, silence and appreciation of nature, 41 percent of the women and 24 percent of the men preferred it for adventure, exploration and fun. Six percent of the women and 9 percent of the men said they snowshoed for camaraderie, fellowship and sharing experiences, and also 6 percent of the women and 9 percent of the men did it because it was a convenient sport, inexpensive and easy to master.
Attitudes differed when it came to more aggressive snowshoeing. When asked about playing snowshoe dodgeball versus much less competitive hide-and-seek on snowshoes, a greater percentage of men, 75 percent, preferred the aggressive game compared to women, 53 percent.
When asked if they prefer snowshoeing in an area where there is lots of action and an opportunity to experience excitement with others compared to snowshoeing in a quiet area to experience solitude, 83 percent of the men preferred excitement whereas only 35 percent of the women did.
In terms of risk taking, 91 percent of the men over 48 percent of the women said they liked to take risks when snowshoeing, such as climbing steep elevations, hiking along high ridges and crossing frozen lakes and ponds.
But when asked about participating in an orienteering challenge on snowshoes that required cognitive thinking through use of a map and compass in contrast to playing a less mindful game of volleyball, women preferred the mental challenges of orienteering more so than the men, compared 71 percent to 50 percent.
This data could imply that men prefer to take more risks and be somewhat more aggressive on snowshoes than women. And it appears women would rather use their brain than brawn when snowshoeing. This study is not conclusive and may not reflect the opinion of a larger population. Nevertheless, this small sampling of snowshoers offers food for thought.
Interestingly, my survey showed that both women and men enjoy romantic and enjoyable snowshoe hikes with a significant other. Of the men, 92 percent agreed and 76 percent of the women agreed they enjoy the time together. (This could imply men are a little more eager to get their mate out on snowshoes for romance reasons, but that's subject to debate.)
Snowshoeing may and may not help enrich a couple's relationship. Early in my marriage many years ago, I wanted to introduce my wife, Liz, to snowshoeing. I asked her to join me on a snowshoe hike at a local nature center. The snow was deep that year, and we rented traditional Iverson Michigan-style, wood-framed snowshoes for our adventure.
We shoed across a frozen creek and into an open field. Upon reaching the 100-yard mark and struggling to maneuver in deep snow, Liz looked at me and said, "Is this your idea of having fun?" She turned around and shoed back to the center to dispose of her Iversons.
While that experience didn't enhance our relationship much at the time, more recently Liz and I have enjoyed leisurely snowshoe hikes on lightweight aluminum-frame snowshoes along the Big Eau Pleine Flowage where we live.
I know of couples who enjoy the same and others who prefer backcountry snowshoe challenges. Both types say snowshoeing enhances their relationships by providing a healthy and enjoyable outdoor activity to share in. For example, last season one of my students and his spouse snowshoed from Bayfield to Madaline Island and back over the frozen bay on Lake Superior on a brisk winter day. It added a touch of adventure to their marriage.
However, I have not heard of any spicy intimate interactions when couples are out on the trail. But it is very chilly out there during snowshoeing season.
Based on an Outdoor Foundation report titled "Outdoor Recreation Participation Top Line Report 2010," snowshoeing participation increased 17.4 percent, from 2.9 million people in 2008 to 2.3 million in 2009. As far as gender participation on snowshoes, the most recent data from a National Sporting Goods Association 2004 participation study showed 46.3 percent of snowshoers were women and 53.7 percent men.
Gender differences or similarity aside, generally men and women (and boys and girls) equally enjoy the increasingly popular sport of snowshoeing.
Snowshoe racing events are open and welcoming to both genders. The United States Snowshoe Association racing categories are dived into 10 age groups for both men and women. At the 2010 USSSA PowerSox National Championships snowshoe racing event in Syracuse, New York, 133 men and 71 women competed. The top contenders formed the 2010 U.S. National Snowshoe Team made up of five senior women, five senior men, three junior girls and three junior boys.
In snowshoeing, Americans have a sport that is neither segregated nor dominated by either sex, and equally enriching for all.
Jim Joque is the coordinator of disability services for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He is also an adjunct adventure education instructor at UWSP, teaching courses on camping, backpacking, snowshoeing, adventure leadership and Leave No Trace. In addition, he serves on the Wisconsin State Trails Council.
But chapters like "How camping can improve your sex live," "How to keep smelling good enough to kiss," "Holding hands while backpacking" and "How to have sex in a tent without destroying it" made it truly interesting reading. In fact, I had a difficult time putting it down.
In the column that follows, I will not be exploring the joy of sex on snowshoes. Instead, I'll address the gender differences related to this enjoyable sport. In recent years, there have been some design changes to snowshoes with physiological differences for men and women. And there are some differences in snowshoeing activity preferences between the sexes from what I have found in surveying snowshoers.
Many snowshoe manufacturing companies have introduced snowshoes for women. The main difference is the offering of smaller snowshoes with narrower frames and tapered ends. These differences result in lighter weight snowshoes than those designed for men.
Differences are also found in the binding made to fit the smaller footwear worn by women. And since we tend to have color stereotypes, snowshoes now come in pink, yellow, light shades of blue, green and purple.
Tubbs, the largest U.S. snowshoe manufacturer, has a full line of women's snowshoes that equally compliment the men's line and includes 10 styles of shoes for each gender. Tubbs' literature states that the "women's frame geometry facilitates a woman's unique biomechanics and stride."
For example, in their Day Hiking series, the women's aluminum frame Venture model differs slightly from the same men's model. Both gender's Venture 30 are 9 inches by 30 inches. But there is a slight surface size and weight difference between the two: 251 square inches and 4.4 pounds for men's compared to 243 square inches and 4.3 pounds for the women's.
The main difference in their snowshoes, however, is in the sizes that are available between the genders for each model. In men's, the Venture series come in 8 inches by 25 inches, 9 inches by 30 inches, and 10 inches by 36 inches. In the women's they come in one size smaller: 8 inches by 21 inches, 8 inches by 25 inches, and 9 inches by 30 inches. They do not make a 10 inch by 36 inch for women. The same goes for most of their other series where there is a smaller size for women and larger size for men.
As for their bindings, Tubbs has "easy-to-use gender-specific bindings." They state that the women's binding is designed to accommodate a woman's boot shape and size, and eliminates sloppy movement and pain from pressure points.
Atlas is another large U.S. snowshoe manufacturer that has similar differences in sizes of snowshoes for men and women, as well as for boys and girls with their youth snowshoes. Atlas titled their women's snowshoes the Electra after two years of biomechanics research.
The Electra frames are formed to accommodate a woman's natural gate and they are designed with a tapered tail and slightly narrow nose. The Electra bindings cradle a woman's boot and are designed with "carefully placed strapping and padding to eliminate pressure points and keep circulation moving in the cold."
Crescent Moon says they designed their women's series of snowshoes to accommodate their natural stride, and they make them with a smaller diameter aluminum tube to reduce weight of the shoe. The Women's Gold 14 and Silver 13 models are 8.5 inches by 24.5 inches and have an exaggerated teardrop shape to them for easier walking than the standard style for men. Their backcountry Women's Gold 15 is 9.5 inches by 29 inches and is built for women and winter gear up to 200 pounds.
Mountain Safety Research has the Women's Lightning and Women's Lightning Ascent snowshoes. MSR teamed up with an orthopedic gait specialist to assess stride dynamics that resulted in designing a narrower frame and lighter shoe to fit a woman's stride.
Yukon Charlie's snowshoes are tapered at the tip and tail to accommodate the female stride and they have smaller bindings. Their women's Trail Series models come in three sizes: 8 inches by 21 inches, 8 inches by 5 inches, and 8 inches by 28 inches.
So much for the shoes. What about the sport? Earlier this year I surveyed 29 students, male and female, at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. These students had completed my one-credit Wellness 221 Snowshoeing course. Although small in design, the survey revealed some interesting results relative to gender differences and similarities in snowshoeing.
I found there to be more similarities than differences when it came to their interest in snowshoeing. For example, both women and men nearly equally preferred walking on snowshoes over running on snowshoes; hiking on a backcountry trail over competing in a snowshoe race; snowshoeing on a trail with many routes over hiking on a circular trail with a beginning and ending at the same place; hiking on a moonlit night with a few close friends over hiking with a large group of friends; and snowshoeing with one or more snowshoers rather than snowshoeing alone.
When I asked participants to identify the reason why they snowshoe, the results were again similar. Whereas 47 percent of the women and 58 percent of the men preferred snowshoeing for serenity, silence and appreciation of nature, 41 percent of the women and 24 percent of the men preferred it for adventure, exploration and fun. Six percent of the women and 9 percent of the men said they snowshoed for camaraderie, fellowship and sharing experiences, and also 6 percent of the women and 9 percent of the men did it because it was a convenient sport, inexpensive and easy to master.
Attitudes differed when it came to more aggressive snowshoeing. When asked about playing snowshoe dodgeball versus much less competitive hide-and-seek on snowshoes, a greater percentage of men, 75 percent, preferred the aggressive game compared to women, 53 percent.
When asked if they prefer snowshoeing in an area where there is lots of action and an opportunity to experience excitement with others compared to snowshoeing in a quiet area to experience solitude, 83 percent of the men preferred excitement whereas only 35 percent of the women did.
In terms of risk taking, 91 percent of the men over 48 percent of the women said they liked to take risks when snowshoeing, such as climbing steep elevations, hiking along high ridges and crossing frozen lakes and ponds.
But when asked about participating in an orienteering challenge on snowshoes that required cognitive thinking through use of a map and compass in contrast to playing a less mindful game of volleyball, women preferred the mental challenges of orienteering more so than the men, compared 71 percent to 50 percent.
This data could imply that men prefer to take more risks and be somewhat more aggressive on snowshoes than women. And it appears women would rather use their brain than brawn when snowshoeing. This study is not conclusive and may not reflect the opinion of a larger population. Nevertheless, this small sampling of snowshoers offers food for thought.
Interestingly, my survey showed that both women and men enjoy romantic and enjoyable snowshoe hikes with a significant other. Of the men, 92 percent agreed and 76 percent of the women agreed they enjoy the time together. (This could imply men are a little more eager to get their mate out on snowshoes for romance reasons, but that's subject to debate.)
Snowshoeing may and may not help enrich a couple's relationship. Early in my marriage many years ago, I wanted to introduce my wife, Liz, to snowshoeing. I asked her to join me on a snowshoe hike at a local nature center. The snow was deep that year, and we rented traditional Iverson Michigan-style, wood-framed snowshoes for our adventure.
We shoed across a frozen creek and into an open field. Upon reaching the 100-yard mark and struggling to maneuver in deep snow, Liz looked at me and said, "Is this your idea of having fun?" She turned around and shoed back to the center to dispose of her Iversons.
While that experience didn't enhance our relationship much at the time, more recently Liz and I have enjoyed leisurely snowshoe hikes on lightweight aluminum-frame snowshoes along the Big Eau Pleine Flowage where we live.
I know of couples who enjoy the same and others who prefer backcountry snowshoe challenges. Both types say snowshoeing enhances their relationships by providing a healthy and enjoyable outdoor activity to share in. For example, last season one of my students and his spouse snowshoed from Bayfield to Madaline Island and back over the frozen bay on Lake Superior on a brisk winter day. It added a touch of adventure to their marriage.
However, I have not heard of any spicy intimate interactions when couples are out on the trail. But it is very chilly out there during snowshoeing season.
Based on an Outdoor Foundation report titled "Outdoor Recreation Participation Top Line Report 2010," snowshoeing participation increased 17.4 percent, from 2.9 million people in 2008 to 2.3 million in 2009. As far as gender participation on snowshoes, the most recent data from a National Sporting Goods Association 2004 participation study showed 46.3 percent of snowshoers were women and 53.7 percent men.
Gender differences or similarity aside, generally men and women (and boys and girls) equally enjoy the increasingly popular sport of snowshoeing.
Snowshoe racing events are open and welcoming to both genders. The United States Snowshoe Association racing categories are dived into 10 age groups for both men and women. At the 2010 USSSA PowerSox National Championships snowshoe racing event in Syracuse, New York, 133 men and 71 women competed. The top contenders formed the 2010 U.S. National Snowshoe Team made up of five senior women, five senior men, three junior girls and three junior boys.
In snowshoeing, Americans have a sport that is neither segregated nor dominated by either sex, and equally enriching for all.
Jim Joque is the coordinator of disability services for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He is also an adjunct adventure education instructor at UWSP, teaching courses on camping, backpacking, snowshoeing, adventure leadership and Leave No Trace. In addition, he serves on the Wisconsin State Trails Council.