Maine Guide Snowshoes

[Hammer67]

I was a very well-behaved boy in 2014 and Santa saw fit to get me something I'd been wanting for a long time - a piar of traditional, ash-framed snowshoes. I ended up going with a pair made by Maine Guide Snowshoes - their "Rabbit Hunter" model, 11" x 40."

I sold off my modern, metal-framed snowshoes last year and decided I wanted to go 'trad' - partly because I just think they are way cooler, and also for the practical reason that for late-season hunting and wildlife watching, I find that trad 'shoes are a lot quieter.

There are a variety of different snowshoe shapes, designed to excel in different conditions - some for tracking well across open country, some for maneuverability in tight forest, more/less floatation, etc. Our typical conditions in eastern Idaho are deep and dry and powder (hence I wanted a good-sized shoe, with lots of floatation) and a mix of open and forest. The Rabbit Hunter design seems to be a good compromise - an all-arounder, with a little bit of an uplifted tail for backing up/turning in tight quarters. I also went with the larger size so that I can still have adequate floatation when hiking with a loaded pack.

The workmanship on these shoes is excellent, with tight, durable lacing that looks like it will last a long time:

The bindings are a simple, but beefy setup, with two webbing straps to go across the top of the boot, and a thick heel strap. A big plus is that they are simple enough that if I took them on a multi-day trip and something broke, they would be easy to fix (no obscure, specialized parts):

I can also see evenutally getting a smaller pair for those times when the snow isn't super-deep and I'm just going for a quick trip with the dogs up the hill behind the house, but for now, I'm supremely happy with the quality and design of these shoes, and I know that I'll have them for a long, long time. :thumbup:

 

[Camber]

Nice write up man, and beautiful scenery.

 

[popedandy]

I snowshoed a lot in the mountains in northern and northeastern Utah when I was younger. That design looks like it would work really well in that area. It looks like you have some beautiful country to get out in.

 

[John A. Larsen]

I used to use the old long wooden trail snowshoes when in the Army as the magnesium ones did not give me enough "Flotation" with the heavy rucksacks we carried. They had leather bindings and we had to shellac them every years so they would not absorb water and stretch. Do you have to shellac your bindings? John

 

[mewolf1]

Those shoes look really sweet! I'm curious as to how long the lacing will hold up, but I'm skeptical that way. I have a pair of Ojibway style that are laced with the flat Nylon lace and are holding just fine. The first pair I ever got was the Green Mountain Bear Paw, thirty+ years ago, I was skeptical then too, Being laced with Neoprene, but have never had to do a darn thing to them. My Third pair are Michigan style laced with raw hide and have a bit more maintenance, but dang it feeds the romantic idea of the real thing. One day I want a pair of Alaskan style for cruising, but the reality is many years I'm just hoping to get enough snough to justify putting Snow Shoes on. Snow in your area does not seem to be an issue.

 

[neeman]

What a wonderful pair.


I used to have and use a pair of Tubbs Alaskans in neoprene
Long with a big turned up front, you could run with them (when not carrying a heavy pack)
They were great in the very deep powder snow of the Adirondacks
Not so good for climbing........

I also had an original pair of Prager aluminum and neoprene deck snowshoes

I had a chance to buy a pair of Faber Huron in 75
They cost $35 then.............
Oh well.
https://www.fabersnowshoes.com/snowshoes/traditional

 

[taldesta]

Beauty shoes, nice playground!

Great to see appreciation for the traditional ... for the beauty and for the ease of repair in the field.

I've stopped replacing leather bindings and went to a simple and inexpensive webbing a few years back - not as sturdy as the Maine Guide. Easy on, easy off as well. I do weave a long strip of repair webbing with buckle into the shoe in case of failure though. I used to handle the newer models and wish for a pair ... but could not see me managing a good fix in the field at all.

There is abundant wild area here where the shoes are so useful. I like that you don't need a trail, nothing groomed - just prep and head out.

I've made a cook-fire pit with benches and table on sawhorses out back Where this property drops sharply to the river. Pretty view. And, I am always amazed at the tracks along the river ice, even when it is flowing high before solid freeze-up. I can only get to it on shoes now ... but you have to know that my real job is to make a path for the dogs to fly along. Or snow bathe on.

It was one paw up and three down on the snow crunch today so we left the clearing of the firepit and woodpile for a warmer day.

You might not want a smaller pair for that quick trip with the dogs

I've posted this before ... but every year, when I go face down in the snow ...

Susan

 

[Hammer67]

Nice pics, Susan - I particularly like the last one.

We had a couple more winter storms roll through in the last few days. Conditions are such right now that if I stayed on a packed trail, I'd be fine without snowshoes, but where's the fun in that? With all that fresh fluffy stuff on the ground, I wanted to get the dogs out and not be confined to the trail. A little vid I put together from yesterday's outing, for those of you that aren't totally sick of winter yet...:

[video=youtube;YxYU0OCm-Ds]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxYU0OCm-Ds[/video]