I love snowshoeing. I love the quiet, being out with Karl, being able to go up, down and around things.

About 12 years ago, I rented a pair of snowshoes to go on a group excursion to cut Christmas Trees. The snow was deep and powdery. I fell in love with snowshoeing and found my first pair, Tubbs, slightly used, at the Army-Navy store in Whitefish. I bought a second pair of Tubbs in a short length for use on packed trails and ice – the crampons and general stability from the larger footprint is wonderful on ice.

10 years ago, I bought another pair – Salomon’s – out of a catalog…because I thought they looked cool.

I LOVE the Salomon’s (top 2 photos – Tubbs orginal in the bottom photo). I only use the others when I am trying to convert someone to snowshoeing. I give them the Salomons which are easy to adjust to different boot sizes and have the most wonderful binding system. In addition, that toe piece allows for a more natural stride as well as giving a bit more stability.

I have never seen the Salomons again in a catalog. I’ve never seen them in a shop. So far, I can’t find a U.S. store that sells them online. I spent a good part of last evening and again this morning looking…

…because yesterday, after slightly over 10 years of use, one broke. When I first got this pair, I wondered about the hard plastic bottoms as well as the plastic ratchet bindings. But, 10 years later, they have stood up. I can get in and out of these with gloved hands. In the past weeks with snow, ice and frozen snow, I have them on and off 6-7 times a day – I don’t even walk to the garage without them because of the ice.

The Tubbs, they work fine in the snow. They are a huge pain to get into and out of. The binding systems on snowshoes are one of the main complaints as you read reviews of different models and brands. I have no idea why the Salomons did not catch on in the U.S.

I will keep looking, but in the meantime – repair has been attempted:

Now, we wait…