March 19, 2024

Build Your Own Snow Shoes

Nov. 9, 2014

Invented nearly 6,000 years ago in central Asia, snowshoes are as much a part of the modern winter fabric of northern Michigan as parkas, snow shovels and winter weather advisories.

While there are a plethora of storebought snowshoe options to choose from, sometimes it’s just cooler to make your own; that’s where Alan Wernette, park interpreter for Ludington State Park, comes in.

Wernette and the park are offering snowshoe making classes this November and December where participants can learn to weave a pair of traditional wooden snowshoes similar to those Native Americans have crafted for generations.

CRAFTY CONCENTRATION

"I took a snowshoe making class 25 years ago, taught by a historian fellow at Hartwick Pines State Park, and I fell in love with it. For the last 22 years, I have also taught it," Wernette explained. "I enjoy winter and this is another fun way to enjoy the snow."

Wernette joked that he has "tried and failed at Basket Weaving 101," but weaving a pair of snowshoes, he said, is much easier than you might think.

"The word "˜concentration’ is key," he said.

"And following the steps carefully, but nothing more. A person needs to give at least six or more hours of undivided attention to making a pair of snowshoes."

All snowshoe supplies and equipment, including frames, lacing, bindings and clips are provided in the class, which costs $190.

"The wooden frames are made from white ash or wild black cherry," Wernette said.

The included lacings are neoprene or tubular nylon webbing and the bindings are what Wernette calls "the best snowshoe binding found on the market."

"Yes, they cost four times more than the cheaper, rubber band-like binding, but they make snowshoeing easier by formfitting around your foot, and they’ll last 100 times longer than the others," he said.

COOL CLASSES

Keeping the classes small so that he can work one-on-one with participants, Wernette tries to make it fun, focusing on allowing each student to finish making their complete set of snowshoes within the same time period.

"When I started doing this, the classes were bigger and instructions were only two pages long," he explained. "I quickly learned that a small class with a more detailed instruction manual was less frustrating for the participants, with more focus on each student."

At the end of each session, each student leaves with top-of-the-line snowshoes for regular outdoor use; they can also be displayed as decoration off-season.

"These traditional wooden snowshoes, taken care of, will last at least two to three generations in a family," Wernette said. "Can’t really say that with the metal and plastics used in modern snowshoes."

Additionally, Wernette pointed out that modern metal snowshoes only come in one style (the Bearpaw style), but Native Americans built snowshoes in four styles to best suit their needs, all of which the Ludington class offers.

"And this is why they look so different and cool!" Wernette enthused.

CUSTOM CREATIONS

"If you can walk, you can snowshoe," answered Wernette when asked how easy the sport is to pick up.

"All you are doing when you strap on snowshoes is increasing the bottom of your feet to catch more snow. You simply walk normally–no shuffling your feet, no having poles to assist your movement forward or snowplowing down hills, no wax or groomed trails needed either. And, in years past, I taught cross-country skiing, so I can personally tell you that snowshoeing is much easier and gives you just as good of a workout. One hour of snowshoeing burns off 750-1,000 calories!" All ages and genders, as well as sportsmen and non-sportsmen, are drawn to snowshoeing, Wernette says.

"I always seem to have a good mix," he explained. "Participants come from all backgrounds."

One of the best things about the class, he added, is the satisfaction of making the snowshoes yourself.

"Hopefully, whomever will inherit these snowshoes someday will cherish them knowing you built and used them and they weren’t something you bought at a store," he said.

Ludington State Park’s snowshoe making classes are held Nov. 14 and 15, Nov. 23, and Dec. 12 and 13. Classes are held at the Park’s warming shelter, 8800 West M-116. Park entry fees may apply. To make a reservation, call 231-843-9261 or email wernettea@michigan. gov. Register early, as class size is limited. Additional ski and snowshoe events will be offered in January and February 2015.

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