Snowshoe to enjoy the beauty of winter

If you’ve always thought skiing looked fun, but couldn’t afford the years of training it takes, here’s a better choice for you and your friends.

With snowshoes you can enjoy the winter scenery and have fun from the start. For beginners a few lessons can help, but lessons are not necessarily needed. The experts say, “If you can walk, you can snowshoe.”

It’s the easiest way for people of all ages to enjoy a winter snowfall. It can be as easy or a rigorous as you like, and it’s always gentle on the body’s joints.

Snowshoeing has been around for more than 6,000 years and was one of the earliest forms of transportation in Scandinavian countries. Since the early times, however, snowshoes have evolved dramatically. Last year, some 5 million people went snowshoeing.

No wonder. It burns up to 420 calories an hour. You don’t need a lift ticket, and you can do it on a golf course.

There are a number of styles available, but snowshoeing expert Carl Heilman says all modern snowshoes work. The important choice is size.

An 8-inch by 30-inch size is good for people weighing up to 170 pounds. A 9-inch by 30-inch size is for those up to about 220 pounds, and a 1-inch by 36-inch size is best for larger people.

Beginners might want to rent snowshoes or borrow a pair to determine whether it’s a style they like.

According to Heilman, walking in the snow on snowshoes can be one of the most enjoyable things you’ve ever done. It gives the walker a chance to enjoy the beauty of nature, hiking through pristine snow.