Informal snowshoe clinic Saturday 2/13 at 11 AM at Cornell golf course

After some requests from people who are interested in seeing what snowshoeing is all about without the stress of either going out at night with the regular group or committing to a race like Super Frosty Loomis, I’ve rounded up some loaner snowshoes and will be at the Cornell golf course on Saturday at 11 AM to answer questions and take whoever shoes up on a short run (no more than 2 to 3 miles). Park to the right of Moakley House.

I hope to have at least six or seven pairs of snowshoes of varying types and vintages, and with luck, @esambo and @Dave_K will be able to join us, since they have a lot more snowshoe experience than I do. Of course, anyone else who has their own snowshoes, like @hubitron, @gumbywhale, @Gretchen, @billwatson, are also welcome!

Since this is just an informal group run, there’s no need for an official signup, but given the limited number of loaners I have, please reply here if you’d like to come and if you need snowshoes. If too many people are interested, I’ll do it again some other day.

Of course, please wear a mask and to the extent possible, keep your distance. (I anticipate some of that won’t be possible, if people need help figuring out the snowshoe buckles, so masks are doubly important.)

In terms of gear, dressing for snowshoeing is similar to running, with a few tweaks:

  • Wear whatever running shoes you’re comfortable in. The only ones that might be a problem are Hokas, since they have that huge stack height.

  • If you have them, I recommend wool socks. Your feet will get wet, and wool tends to be a good insulator even when wet. Or so the sheep claim.

  • On your legs, I recommend two layers: a pair of normal running tights under nylon wind pants or something waterproof. Snowshoes kick up a lot of snow that hits the back of your legs, and normal tights will get soaked quickly. If you don’t have water-resistant pants, maybe try two pairs of tights.

  • On top, layer as you normally would for winter running, but try to have a waterproof jacket as your outer layer. You’d be amazed how high the kicked-up snow goes on your back (sometimes over your head).

  • Whatever gloves or mittens you normally wear are probably fine, but since you’ll need to bare your fingers to put on the snowshoes, err on the warm side.

Any other questions beforehand, feel free to ask!

People who have expressed interest at one point or another include @Anngel, @aaron.proujansky1, @brian-lazzaro, @julie19, and @caitlin-loehr.

See you Saturday!

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Thanks for organizing, Adam! I would enjoy attending and would appreciate being able to use a pair of snowshoes.

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I would love to try it out and get some tips. I plan to attend and will let you know ASAP if I can’t.

I appreciate you wrangling the shoes and taking the time.

Best,

Anngel

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I was testing a 360º camera the other day and took this video of doing the gorge loop at the bottom of the golf course. The trails will be more packed down on Saturday and should be good running.

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Thanks for setting this up Adam! I have my own snowshoes but will be tagging along for some tips and company!

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Pretty cool. I’ve seen other races using something like this to show some detail of the trails and post the video on their race websites. Now all that’s needed is a drone for aerial videos, which is pretty cool as well.

Steve

My secret plan (drat, you’ve made me talk!) is to try recording some of our courses and other regular runs and see if people find those videos useful or enjoyable. I was using an Insta360 ONE X2.

I’ll be getting a chest strap that will make it easier to carry while running, although then it will record only 150º in front. I gather that you can also put the selfie stick up over your head to simulate drone video. There’s even a 10-foot selfie stick if you really want the drone look, though I’d worry that even the normal one would be running into branches.

There are drones that will automatically follow you, but they’re a lot more expensive and can fly for only short periods of time. The Skydio 2, for instance, only goes for about 20 minutes.

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Thanks for organizing this! I’d like to try running in snowshoes. Kristine would also like to try if there are enough pairs.

@apacheck Sounds great and you’re both welcome! So far we have five people coming who need snowshoes and eight or nine total loaners (one of the loaners will work only if Kristine or Anngel have small feet).

And @Dave_K and @esambo are planning to come as well, so we can get more snowshoe advice and stories from them.

For @Anngel, @aaron.proujansky1, @brian-lazzaro, @julie19, @caitlin-loehr, @apacheck, @Dave_K, and @esambo:

Since one person was wondering, yes, this is still on despite the chilly temperatures. Just dress warmly and make sure to wear a warm winter jacket over your running layers for when we’re getting the snowshoes on, along with a pair of warmer winter mittens. Worst case is you get hot when running.

Thank you for setting up “the great snowshoe try-on of 2021” . I’m gonna order some Dions.

Cheers, Anngel

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