Using snowshoes lets us tackle routes in a winter environment. They're simple to use and no particular physical preparation is needed, but this mustn't deceive us into underestimating the risks of the mountains.
Definition: ciaspole, ciaspe or snowshoes are a particular piece of equipment worn under your boots for winter trekking, useful for making walking on snow-covered ground easier.
History and use of snowshoes
Snowshoes were born in mountain environments (the earliest traces are in the Siberian area), where hunters and farmers needed to get about during the long winter months, when the blanket of snow completely covered paths and beaten tracks. The first rudimentary examples were heavy and bulky, made of wood, leather and rope. Over the years, communication routes improved and technological progress brought new means of moving over snow, and snowshoes fell out of use.
The use of snowshoes has been rediscovered in recent years as an alternative to the various mountain sports. Today the models on the market have extremely advanced technical features (lightness, strength, flotation, speed of use).
Types of snowshoes
There are various types of snowshoes. For the sake of systematic rigour we can say that there are three different types: bean-shaped, Canadian and modern. It must be said, though, that this systematic classification is purely ideal, but it does manage to represent correctly the evolution of snowshoes over the course of history.
Bean-shaped snowshoe: this is the earliest design, and you probably won't find them on sale any more. These are snowshoes made of an oval frame (shaped like a bean, in fact), of wood or aluminium, into which cords are threaded and woven together to form a net. This net is fixed to the foot with laces and straps.
Canadian snowshoe: much longer than bean-shaped snowshoes, Canadian snowshoes often have a long tail. Precisely because of their shape they're excellent for deep snow and less suited to steep routes with hard snow. They're available with various binding systems.
Modern snowshoe models: they come in different shapes, broadly speaking halfway between the two previous ones. They're made of plastic and aluminium, with the advantage of being both light and strong. They have different binding solutions and usually have small crampon teeth underneath to improve grip even on steeper routes, traverses and icy snow. Almost all models have a hinge that lets you keep the snowshoe completely flush with the sole of the boot, or leave the snowshoe free to move.
The guide continues in the second part on snowshoes.