"The Babushka Girls" at the start of the 2011 Tubbs Romp To Stomp Out Breast Cancer. (Courtesy photo)

Our day started very early—up by 4am and on the road by 5  to make the 3-hour drive to the Vermont 2011 Tubb’s Romp to Stomp snowshoe series that benefits the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. This year’s romp took place at the Stratton Mountain Ski Resort in southern Vermont and included a “Lil Romp,” a 3k snowshoe race, and two tours of 3k and 5k.

True outdoor enthusiasts who love to do anything in the snow, Roger and I were not fazed by the long drive, even with snow on the roads. Besides, our team, “The Babushka Sisters” would be counting on us to show up. Three members of the team are Slovak (Pat, Karen and Patty), thus the name. The other 2 (Paul and Roger) aren’t Slovak ( or girls) but, in the name of a good cause, we let them be honorary Babushkas for the day.

A member of the Pink Flamingo Team displays her finery. (Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo)

The car thermometer said 19 degrees when we arrived at the Sun Bowl base lodge at Stratton Mountain. Despite the name, the sun wasn’t shining. However, compared to the below-zero temps and high winds of last year’s event, it felt practically balmy. We had come prepared for any weather: wicking base layers; hats, gloves, and neck warmers; insulation layers and windproof outer shells and of course, our babushkas.

The place was hopping and the color pink was in full display. Dressing up or wearing pink are not requirements but let me tell you there was ample silliness on display in both color and costumes. We checked in, got our numbers in no time thanks to the organization of the Tubb’s Staff and the many cheerful volunteers.

Silliness for a serious cause! This team should have taken home a prize for the "raciest" costume!

The seriousness of the cause was also evident in the many breast cancer survivors who were romping today, and by the myriad of participants who were doing the event in memory of someone who had not survived this horrible disease. Our group alone wore 6 names in honor of women we knew.

With 879 of us at the start line (a 2% increase in participants over the 2010 event) the energy was palpable!

The 5k trail was along one of the more moderate ski trails. It had just enough hills to make a few people step to the side of the group to catch their breath.  Cheers, laughter, horn blowing and the stomp of 879 snowshoes meant this wasn’t a quiet walk in the woods.  Mothers carried children when they grew tired, people exchanged picture taking, and dogs on leashes behaved.

Most of the costumes stayed intact except for some pink “hair” that got caught in a tree branch and one pink bra that came undone along the way!  The group moved along as one, slow and steady—this was not a race.  Everyone finished in good time and good humor.

Her mother is getting the workout as the "lil romper" tires. (Karen Chickering photo)

Now the awards would begin and there were many: awards for participating, awards for racing, awards for fundraising….and the real award of having done something meaningful over a disease you can’t control.

If you want to contribute to the fight against breast cancer we’d be happy to see you in 2012 at the next Romp. If you can walk, you can do it!  And if you don’t have snowshoes no problem. Tubbs will be there lending out their latest models free of charge for the event.

If you choose not to actively participate, please donate to a friend who is Romping.

879 participants and counting. (Roger Lyon-Surrey photo)

Hooray to all of this year’s participants!:

The amount of money raised to date at this one event: $80,473.32 Final figures won’t be in until March.
The largest amount raised by an individual: $5930.
The largest amount raised by a team: $12,267.87.

Now The Relaxing . . .

The Babushka team broke up after the awards ceremony with Karen promising that she would sew five bright pink babushkas and matching pink aprons lined with lace for next year’s event. Patty, Paul and Karen headed to nearby Manchester, Vermont to have lunch and check out the upscale outlet Stores before heading home. There is a lot to do in this area besides Romp.  Manchester is known for its designer outlet stores, an unusual commodity in Vermont.  There are 4 downhill ski areas, a number of Nordic ski centers, galleries, great restaurants and the largest independent book store in Vermont—Northshire Bookstore all within a  30 minute drive.

Roger and I were staying at the Landgrove Inn for the night and decided to make a stop at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester to see their annual Winter Member’s Exhibition before checking in at the Inn. The long driveway to the Southern Vermont Art Center was an art exhibit of its own; the natural beauty of the birch trees lining the road and the various sculptures placed in the meadows of this former estate all caught my attention on either side.

The juried member’s exhibit turned out to be much larger than we expected filling ten galleries with paintings, photographs, sculpture and mixed media pieces.  We took our time looking through all the galleries and seeing if we were in agreement on our top 3 entries.

Twenty minutes after leaving the Art Center we arrived at the Landgrove Inn at and met co-owner Maureen Checchia. Landgrove Inn is an authentic 1810 farmhouse set in an unspoiled mountain valley outside a tiny Vermont village. I couldn’t help but contrast it with the busy-ness of Stratton Mountain Resort and the Manchester area. What a welcome change! There were no malls, no condos, just thirty-five acres of quiet to explore.

The Landgrove Inn. (Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo)

Maureen showed us around, told us some of the history of the inn and encouraged us to relax, eat from the pot of chili that was on in the den for guests or indulge ourselves with the chocolate chip cookies and tea that are always available.  Having been up before dawn, I was ready for a shower and a nap before dinner—of course, Rip Van Winkle Roger agreed.

At 5:00 we wandered back to the rustic bar and lounge area of the Inn where a buffet of wine and hors d’oeuvres were being set up for an après ski group.  Before I could even order a glass of wine at the bar one of the members of the group invited us to join them at the buffet. Sue, a long time member, was setting out 5 Italian cheeses for sampling that she promised I would enjoy. She told me that their group, the Valley Ski Club of Connecticut, had been coming to the inn each January for over 35 years. When they had first started coming here, the inn was only an après ski place where separate dorm rooms for “girls” and “boys” housed the group. In fact, at that time, they didn’t have to drive—there was a ski train that took them into Manchester from which they would be bussed up to the inn in two busses—one for them and one for their equipment.

Buffet set-up in the bar/lounge section of the Inn. (Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo)

Maureen had told me that 80% of their business was returning guests and this certainly fit for the club. They had reserved 13 of the 18 rooms at the inn for this week-end. Tom, the other half of the Landgrove Inn owner duo, was concerned we would find the presence of so many skiers in one place disquieting. I only found it fascinating. Many of these people had been skiing together for the life of the group. Ruth, an original member of the club, told me that some of the members no longer skied because of age or physical ability but had switched to hiking or snowshoeing as their bodies had changed. Talk about active seniors!

Toasting their long, active friendship. (Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo)

I continued to ask questions of the group while Roger simply sat in a rocking chair before the fire with a beer in hand. When I joined him I noticed that the wood ceiling above was carved with names and dates. Tom told me that in the days before Maureen and his time at the inn the ski guests took to carving their names in the wooden ceiling with a hot poker from the wood stove. He would like to insulate the ceiling and cover up the “graffiti” but most of his guests think it would take away from the charm of the room.

There was an intergenerational foosball game going on among the guests, a number of whom had just recently met. Truly this room offered a convivial and friendly atmosphere that encouraged mingling yet offered enough space to be on your own if desired. I had a hard time removing myself from the glow of the wood stove and the warmth of the company but our dinner reservation beckoned.

This Foosball game was a challenge of the ages. (Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo)

The dining room has cozy tables for two or four, and expandable seating for large parties. Their menu offers a variety of appetizers and entrees as well as homemade soups and daily specials. Roger and I both had salads with house dressings–his a balsamic vinegar, mine a garlic based dressing.  I chose the crispy duck in cherry sauce with sides of rice pilaf and fresh green beans done al dente for my entrée. Roger ordered one of the evening’s specials: Pork Mediterranean– medallions of pork in a tomato, capers, olive and artichoke mix. Unfortunately we didn’t have room for dessert although I would have loved to sample the apple crisp, the cranberry cheese tart AND the brownie sundae! We went to bed early with a vision of tomorrow’s ski on the Inn’s 10 k of trails beckoning.

After a full breakfast of French toast, poached eggs and sausage we changed into ski clothes and met Carl Eric–as he likes to be called–at the ski center which is attached to the inn. Carl Eric, 69, has been running his satellite ski business, housed at the inn, for 15 years. He rents skis and snowshoes if you don’t have your own, and grooms and tracks the inn’s 10k of trails. Skiing is by donation. He is also a registered ski instructor if you need a lesson. Curt lived in Sweden until age 7 when he and his family moved to the states. I think he must be responsible for the recipe for the “glog” that is available at the inn to warm you after a ski!

The trails are tracked for classic skiing and there are plenty of choices for the beginner to the advanced skier. The inn’s 10k of trails connect to the National Forest trails which are maintained by a local ski club. The Catamount Trail (a 300 mile backcountry trail that runs the length of Vermont) shares a part of these 10k, too. Since we had our 3 hour trip back to northern Vermont ahead of us, we decided to sample only the inn trails.

The flat to undulating trails have no big hills to climb or descend.  Most Nordic ski areas in Vermont are either all up or all down and this is a welcome change, a great place to enjoy an even tempo or practice technique. Open views of meadows, barns and the small town of Landgrove offer the quintessential beauty of Vermont as you ski. After about 1 1/2 hours of skiing, we reluctantly took off our boots and said our goodbyes.

A view of the Village of Landgrove from the ski trail. (Patricia Lyon-Surrey photo)

The week-end was perfect with two days of exercise, good food, good company and the pure joy of having participated in an activity to better the world. I would encourage anyone who wants a relaxing yet active Vermont experience to put a team together for the Romp to Stomp and then bring yourself over to the Landgrove  Inn for your own après snowshoe celebration. I wish I had brought the rest of the Babushksa Sisters along!

Testing snowshoes is a tough job, but someoner has to do it! (Tim Jones photo)

Editor Note: Since this story was last updated in March, a lot of snowshoe companies have made some pretty impressive changes to their lineups. Stay tuned for an update as soon as snow flies. In the meantime, these reviews should help you sort out what’s out there now.

After Tim’s recent story on choosing snowshoes, so many of you wrote asking for the results of the EasternSlopes.com snowshoe tests that we’re sharing them with everyone before the test is complete.

We aren’t writing about every snowshoe on the market. Not even close! That’s because we haven’t actually tried all the snowshoes on the market, and we won’t write about anything we haven’t actually used.

We have put in a lot of miles on some of these snowshoes. These are real miles, on packed trails, icy crust, and untracked powder on flats, steeps and sidehills, with packs on and without.

We deliberately try to break snowshoes. So far, we’ve (mostly) failed . . .

Here’s a look specific snowshoe models we’ve actually used. In some cases, the tests are still incomplete and  we’ll be adding info and opinions as the winter progresses. We also  hope to be testing additional shoes this winter. So stay tuned! If you agree or disagree with any of our assessments, please feel free to post a comment, we’d love to hear about your experiences.

Tubbs Couloir 30 ($200-250), 5.5 lbs/pair; 9×32 inches

Tubbs Couloir 30 (Tim Jones photo)

Tim’s everyday go-to snowshoe for years has been the Tubbs Couloir 30. He used his first pair so often the plastic decking began cracking where it wrapped around the frame. Tubbs replaced them without questions and he’s had no issues since. The Couloir is wider (9 inches) than some other snowshoes which provides more flotation, though some people might find it too wide.

The binding on this shoe is as good as we’ve ever tried–very easy to get into and out of even with mittens on—just be careful to keep the flip-up catch that secures the heel strap clear of ice. The binding pivots easily so the tail of the shoe drags as it should and any snow on it slides off as you lift. The binding also flexes slightly side-to-side which may help the shoe stay flatter on the snow for better traction when sidehilling. An easy-to-use flip-up wire heel riser makes long climbs less tiring on your calves.  Nice touch.  The aggressive steel claws stay sharp and traction is excellent in all conditions.

For several years now, Marilyn has used the Tubbs Odyssey 25 (9×25 inches) Women’s which has since been replaced by the upgraded Women’s Couloir model. She simply loves the shoes, has no trouble at all handling the bindings with mittens on. She’s happy, we’re happy.

TSL Over The Top 30 ($220) 6 lbs/pair; 8×31 inches

TSL Over The Top 30 (Tim Jones photo)

These aluminum-frame snowshoes are made in Vermont. They are slightly heavier than some other snowshoes, but bombproof–you couldn’t break them if you tried, and we’ve tried. The 8-inch width makes for more natural walking but a little less flotation.

The bindings are solid, very positive, comfortable but take some tinkering to fit. Once set up they are easy to use even with mittens. The heel lift is awkward to engage and disengage without removing mittens, but there when you need it. The steel traction cleats are long, sharp and aggressive. These are my favorite snowshoes for hard crusted snow.

TSL 227 Escape ($150) 4.8 lbs/pair; 9×29 inches

TSL 227 Escape (David Shedd photo)

These lightweight composite snowshoes look like they’ll break instantly. Three seasons later and many miles with heavy packs in tough conditions, they’re still going strong.  The plate-style bindings are easy to use once set to your boot, comfortable, supportive and have a flip-up heel lift. The ribbed composite deck grips well on softer snow while six stainless-steel spikes and a traction claw grip on hard snow. A little “keel” hanging off the back end helps the shoes to track straight. David’s sweetheart Susan loves these shoes.

LL Bean/Tubbs Pathfinder (159) 4.6 lbs/pair, 9 x 31 inches

LL Bean/Tubbs Pathfinder 30 (David Shedd photo)

We haven’t given these a full test, but they cost much less than the top-of the line Tubbs and even less that the (nearly?) identical Ventures. With a lighter, less expensive shoe you give up some features such as the heel lift. The binding allows a little more random foot movement and the heel strap is harder to tighten, but it works with mittens on. If you only occasionally head up steeper mountains with a pack on, it appears these will do just fine and you’ll appreciate the lighter weight on the easier trails.

Yukon Charlie’s Guide 825 ($125) 4.8 lbs/pair, 8×27 inches

Yukon Charlie's Guide 25 (Tim Jones photo)

Yukon Charlie’s shoes have been redesigned since I got these but the basics remain the same. For inexpensive snowshoes, the quality is surprisingly good. The bindings are solid and easy to use with two ratcheting buckles over the boot and a simple heel strap adjustable for length. The traction claws are aluminum and dull easily on rock but work fine on crusted snow. On warmer days, snow tends to ball up in the aluminum crampon. To solve this problem (which is common to all aluminum crampons) spray them with silicone before the start of each trip. The Yukon Charlies are a no frills snowshoe that works; definitely worth a look if you are walking primarily on easy-to-maderate terrain and don’t want to pop for bells and whistles you don’t need.

LL Bean Winter Walker 30 ($119) 5.25 lbs/pair, 9 x 30 inches

LL Bean Wilderness 30 (David Shedd photo)

Impressive in early testing, these look to be a genuine a bargain for a recreational snowshoe for easy to moderate terrain. Bindings are fairly simple to use with some practice. We lent them to novice snowshoer Matt Marean and he had some difficulty figuring out the bindings initially, but no trouble once he’d used them a bit. We’ll have more on these shoes later when they’ve seen more miles on varying snow conditions.

Kahtoola Flight Deck TS24 ($274), 4 lbs/pair, 9×24 inches

Kahtoola TS 24 (David Shedd photo)

Unique, dual-purpose snowshoes. A separate cleat system straps to your boot, serves as an aggressive traction creeper when you don’t need the flotation of the snowshoe. Cleats snap onto the aluminum-frame snowshoe deck (three sizes available). Neat, simple, works extremely well when the deck is on a firm surface, harder in deep snow. A pull tab releases binding easily. The decks are low profile, easy to carry on  a pack.

One huge flaw with these shoes is the tight toe cords which don’t allow the deck to pivot freely. You pick up weight of the entire snowshoe (and any snow on it) with each step, which is tiring. And, they flip snow onto your legs and back with each step . . .  Annoying.

The real flaw of these snowshoes for wilderness use, however, is that the webbing harness on the cleat freezes up and they are nearly impossible to put on your boots and take off in the cold. Not a good choice for winter camping.

LL Bean Trailblazer 30 ($220 includes special winter boots with step-in binding), 3.2 lbs/pair, 8 x 30 inches

LL Bean Trailblazer Step-In (David Shedd photo)

Another intriguing step-in snowshoe binding concept, this one free-pivoting so decks shed snow. Spring-loaded steel pins snap into metal detents built into very comfortable winter boots that you could wear anytime you are out in snow. The connection point looks flimsy, but neither David nor I have been able to break or twist out of them—not even wearing a 50-pound pack! The step-in feature works easiest on a firm surface—more difficult in deep snow. Simply push with the tip of a ski pole to release. Much more testing needed this winter!

MSR Lightning Ascent 30 ($250), 4.4 Lbs/pair, 8×30 inches.

We tested these serious snowshoes on on a variety of snow conditions from  wind-drifted powder to frozen crust to rotting corn snow and they passed all tests with flying colors. Strong, stable lightweight aluminum bar-stock  frame with cleats around the entire perimeter for excellent grip and flotation in all snow conditions, even with a heavy pack.

Heel riser flips up easily for climbing. Like all snowshoe bindings, this one has a (short) learning curve. I’m a bit concerned about potential wear on the edges of the frame when encountering exposed rock or ledge (it happens a lot in the northeast) but there is otherwise absolutely nothing bad to be said about these superb shoes.

MSR Denali EVO Ascent, ($170), 4 lbs/Pair, 8×22 inches,

MSR Denali EVO Ascents with Flotation tails (Tim Jones photo)

We tested these on a variety of snow conditions from wind-drifted powder to frozen crust to rotting corn snow. They are excellent lightweight “emergency” shoes  and ideal for use by a smaller person without a pack. They have an excellent and secure binding that’s easy to use with mittens. They are, however,  simply too small and too flexible for regular use on steep or sidehill terrain with a winter backpack. An optional “flotation tail” is beautifully engineered to fit securely to the tail of the shoe. Unfortunately, it provided no useful added flotation that we could determine in any of the snow conditions we encountered. In fact, the lengthened tail combined with the short tip of these shoes causes the shoe to tilt down and dig in deeper at the tip, making walking awkward, especially in soft-but-heavy snow. On breakable wind crust they will trip you up. Based on our experience in the snow conditions we’ve encountered so far, we recommend the shoes but NOT the flotation tails.

Slow-but-steady, snowshoes will take you step by step into a winter wonderland. (Tim Jones photo)

Gliding on cross-country skis is elegant (and exhausting). Carving turns on open slopes and through the woods on Telemark and alpine skis is exhilarating. Sledding is simple joy. But if I had to choose one piece of equipment to enjoy snow with, it would probably be a good pair of modern snowshoes.

Slow-but-steady snowshoes are the All Terrain Vehicles of winter. Pick the right pair for you and you can go almost anywhere from the highest summits to the gentlest valley, through deep snow or over slippery ice.

If you don’t already own snowshoes, I’d strongly recommend renting and/or borrowing (ask your friends!) as many different pairs as you possibly can to try out before you buy. Most cross-country ski areas rent snowshoes; so do outdoor shops and many snow-country lodges.

Each brand and each model has slightly different characteristics, different bindings, different price tags. The more you’ve tried, the more likely you are to find the right pair for you.

Frame, filler, binding and cleats, the four major components of a modern snowshoe. (Tim Jones photo)

A snowshoe, has four main components: the frame, the decking which fills the frame (in the case of plastic snowshoes, frame and decking are one), bindings, and traction cleats. Each of these components has its impact on how the snowshoes will perform for you.

Most modern snowshoes have a lightweight aluminum frame which (except among traditionalists) has replaced the bent ash of yesteryear. The decking of modern shoes is plastic instead of rawhide. This combination is strong, lightweight and essentially maintenance free.

The other modern standard is a stiff plastic deck that does away with the need for a frame. They look like they’d break easily. They don’t .

Bindings are especially important. They should be easy for you to put on and take off, preferably with mittens on.  More than one pair of snowshoes sits unused in an attic or garage because the bindings are hard to use.

One thing to look for in the binding: does it allow the snowshoe to pivot freely when you lift your foot so the tail of the snowshoe stays on the snow with each step? Some snowshoes have a tight connection (called a toe cord) that forces you to pick up the entire weight of the shoe  and any snow that’s on it. Snowshoes with a tight toe cord can flip snow up your back (and down your neck) with each step. Yes, that’s as unpleasant as it sounds. . ..

Sherpa made the very first "modern" aluminum framed snowshoe more than 30 years ago. Not how wimpy the cleats are compared to newer designs--but they still work. (Tim Jones photo)

The final component of modern shoes is traction cleats. These were pioneered more than three decades ago by a defunct company called Sherpa. I still have  a pair of the original Sherpa’s  and the “teeth” under the foot are tiny compared to today’s crampon-like designs.  In fact, many of today’s snowshoe claws are so aggressive, they’ll take you some places you used to need full crampons.

In addition to the claws directly under your foot, most modern snowshoes also have additional cleats or spikes  back under your heel area. These allow extra traction on steep downhill terrain if you put a bit of weight on your heel. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is go glissading down a steep slope on your snowshoes—especially if you are wearing a pack.

Any snowshoes are better than no snowshoes, but good ones that you like and find easy to use are the best of all. Snowshoes give you infinite opportunities to enjoy winter at a safe and friendly pace, uphill and down,  across the snowcovered landscape. Try some out today. Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out and enjoy!

Size Matters

The sizing charts companies provide to help you choose snowshoes only tell part of the story. Most only tell you to choose by your weight. But is that weight with or without winter boots, clothes, and the pack you need to carry your winter safety gear? See the problem?

There’s also the matter of flotation. Bigger snowshoes generally float you higher on softer, untracked snow than small shoes do. Some of the tiniest snowshoes today are made for running on packed and groomed trails—but they’re about useless anywhere else. They look tempting, but be careful.

The plus side of smaller shoes is that they are lighter and, perhaps a bit more maneuverable

Personally, I generally pick snowshoes a size larger than the sizing chart recommends—I’d rather go too big than too small, have a little more flotation than too little.

Snowshoe Testing Notes

Alas, in all the years I’ve tramped the trails on snowshoes, I’ve never found the perfect pair for all terrain and conditions.  But some are awfully close . . .

In recent years I’ve extensively tested aluminum-frame shoes from TSL, Tubbs, Yukon Charlie’s and Kahtoola. Each has had its pros and cons .

I have less experience with the composite plastic shoes. I tried pre-production prototypes of the first plastic shoes nearly two decades ago when Bill Forrest of Forrest Mountaineering and Patrick Smith of Mountainsmith were making them out of blue plastic barrels. MSR now markets the direct descendents but I’ve never tried the production models. Tubbs and GV Snowshoes also have new composite shoes. I have, however, extensively tested an excellent pair of composite shoes from TSL and will happily give my impressions.

You can occasionally find surplus Canadian military issue snowshoes with magnesium frames and wire fillings for sale, particularly in northern New England. They are bombproof but weigh a ton.

And then of course there are still wood framed snowshoes filled with either traditional rawhide or neoprene. Beautiful to look at and perfectly wonderful on soft snow, they require more care to use and maintain than the knockabout modern models.