Exploring on Snowshoes at Snowfarm
Snowshoes are one of the oldest inventions in the world being devised as a faster way to travel across snow around 4000 BC in Central Asia.
They were later widely used by Indians and Eskimos in the northern parts of North America as a principal means of winter travel and today hunters, trappers and other workers still often take to the snowshoes in remote places where snowmobiles and other vehicles are unable to manoeuvre.
Snowshoeing is an increasingly popular sport worldwide and Snow Farm in the Pisa Range provides the ideal setting.
General manager Sam Lee says the sport’s appeal lies in its accessibility.
“This is a low impact sport with no experience necessary and people can decide how much they want to tackle on the day. It might just be a short walk or an adventure to the farthest reaches of the Snow Farm.”
He says snowshoeing can be an alternative to skiing but the two are also complementary.
Snow Farm has a couple of trails marked out for snowshoeing “but we invite people to embrace their inner adventurous spirit,” says Sam. “ It is easy to walk around one of our many cross country ski loops but snowshoeing was invented to travel across unpacked snow between villages so many people like to walk out to the Roaring Meg river and follow it along to the Meadow Hut. We also encourage visitors to snowshoe to our backcountry huts for an overnight stay.”
People planning a snowshoe adventure should book online to ensure equipment is available.
“We recommend booking for a half day, either from 9.00am until 12.00pm or 1.00pm until 4.00pm, as this is usually enough time on snowshoes for most people,” says Sam. “ We offer an excellent half day rental package of $50 for adults and $28 for children.”
“We are constantly evolving our snowshoe fleet and introducing new snowshoes each year which are worn over high ankle hiking boots. Snowshoeing has to be one of the best ways to get into an alpine environment with the least amount of effort,” says Sam. “There is nothing quite like exploring on foot and snowshoes are the best way to get off the beaten track.”