Ontario Trail News - find you favorite snowshoe trail, and a quick snowshoe lesson from the Hamilton Spectator

Find your favorite snowshoe trail

Snowshoeing: A Quick Lesson

Snowshoeing: A Quick Lesson

Adventure Attic 28 King St W Dundas ON L9H 1T7 905-628-2929

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Adventure Attic in Dundas, Ontario has been providing top quality clothing and equipment in a friendly, relaxed and non-commissioned atmosphere since 1987.

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Looking for some wintertime adventure?

Snowshoeing is a great way to get outdoors during the winter months. It’s safe, easy to do and a fantastic form of exercise that will give you a full body workout as well as some much needed sunshine, fresh air and adventure.

Exercise can be hard to come by during the snowy seasons-but it goes a long way to staying happy and healthy. Snowshoeing offers a low impact and safe workout that strengthens muscles, improves endurance and burns a massive amount of calories.

The concept of snowshoes is a simple one. Putting more surface area on your feet distributes the weight more evenly across the snow, making it easier to walk on, rather than sink into.

On modern snowshoes the frame is made of aluminum making them strong, lightweight and maintenance free.

The decking creates the increased surface area and is composed of extremely rugged, waterproof material 

Ontario Trails News - find your favorite Northern Trail, and North Bay Snowshoeing!

Find your favorite Northern Trail!

North Bay shines in Special Olympic snowshoeing (PHOTO GALLERY)

Saturday, January 31, 2015   by: Liam Berti

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North Bay's Jon Touw sprints ahead of the field in his 100-metre snowshoe event. Touw and classmates J.J Stickland and Carley Tucker all claimed at least one gold medal each over the weekend. PHOTO BY DAVE STEVENSON

The only thing brighter than the blanket of falling snow at the Clarion Resort on Saturday afternoon were the smiles of the Special Olympic Ontario Winter Games snowshoe athletes.

Among those biggest were three of North Bay’s competing athletes, who claimed a plethora of medals on their home turf in front of a screaming crowd of family and friends.

Jon Touw, 16, J.J Stickland, 17, and Carley Tucker, 17, all took to the podium in their respective disciplines and categories, each earning at least one gold medal.

“It has been amazing,” Stickland said after his last heat. “We all came together as one. We found new friendships and it has been awesome.”

On Saturday, Stickland and Tucker sprinted 100 metres to golden glory, while Touw finished second in his division of four, all against stiff competition.

“It was really hard because the second race I had, the finals, was really stacked,” said Stickland, whose mother is a former world champion in Special Olympic powerlifting.

“I didn’t know how I would do, but I feel like I did alright,” he continued. “I’m happy with the way I performed.”

Earlier in the competition, on Friday, Tucker won her first gold in the 200-metre discipline, while Touw sprinted to an impressive second place in a field of five.

“All the fans came out hard, stuck it out in the cold,” Stickland said gratefully. “That’s what North Bay is all about: it doesn’t matter if it’s warm or cold, they always come out and cheer us on.”

Despite being exhausted and out of breath in the aftermath of two days of intense competition, Touw said he had a lot of fun and that he couldn't stop thinking about winning.

What’s more, the three athletes are also classmates in grade 12 at Widdifield Secondary School.

“We are all in the same class and program, so we see each other pretty much every day anyway, but this has been fun,” said Stickland.

Unfortunately, their medals don’t guarantee their advancement to the 2016 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. The Special Olympic organizers now take many different factors and combine them into a complex equation that determines their advancement.

Needless to say though, North Bay’s three snowshoers have positioned themselves well among the provincial talent, and all said the experience of the Ontario Winter Games has been wonderful.

After their final races and award ceremony at the Clarion Resort this afternoon, the athletes enjoyed a special closing dinner before the closing ceremonies and athlete's victory dance party. 

“It’s been great!” Stickland said simply. “I’ve met lots of new friends and so many nice people; other than the food, that’s been the best part for me.

“It doesn’t matter if they have a disability, they are a bunch of amazing people,” he concluded. 

Check BayToday for more soon on North Bay’s athletes in the weekend’s events

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Ontario Trails News - more on snowshoeing in Muskoka, and join the discussion on our snowshoe page

Find your perfect - snowshoe trail, and join our discussion on this activity!

Jan 18, 2015 History and adventure on the enduring snowshoe

Class is in session

Craig Mcdonald explains a medicinal usage of the leaves of a Beech tree to the first attendees of the snowshoe adventure.

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Huntsville Forester

By Roland Cilliers 

LAKE OF BAYS - The snow is thick across Muskoka and that makes it perfect weather for a snowshoe.

The first of six guided snowshoe adventures was held Jan. 17 and hosted by the Township of Algonquin Highlands. The different trips each have a unique focus and cover topics including surviving winter, the ecology of winter and the history of forestry.

Craig Mcdonald, a former recreation specialist at Algonquin Park, led the first class of about 15 people through the history of snowshoeing.

“The emphasis was on getting a better appreciation for the Aboriginal heritage of snowshoeing in North America. It gives people perspective of how finely developed it is. There are so many different types of snowshoes for different conditions and different terrain conditions. This is something that’s evolved over thousands of years,” said Mcdonald.

"There are so many different types of snowshoes for different conditions." 
- Craig Mcdonald

The adventure started at the Oxtongue Lake Community Centre before participants embarked on a guided snowshoe trek of a nearby property. McDonald has spent years working around Ontario and shared his in depth experience on things like traversing the wilderness and why snowshoes are designed the way they are.

An expert with a wealth of knowledge on snowshoes, Mcdonald told participants about the many different types of snowshoes, how they’re made, why they were so crucial to native tribes and even provided a number of stories of his own experience.

Mcdonald believes that the snowshoe has stuck around both for it’s utility and its ability to provide unique experiences for those looking for winter recreation.

“It allows you to access areas that you couldn’t otherwise,” said Mcdonald. “They are ideally adapted to North American forests. We have a lot of fallen timber, and skis, without a highly prepared trail, aren’t as good for travelling in these types of conditions. Snowshoes can handle virgin snow with no previous packing.”

For more information, or to book attendance in a future snow show adventure call 705-766-9968. Or, visit the website at www.skithefrost.ca.

The last snowshoe adventure is scheduled for Feb. 22.