snowshoe, a light, oval wooden frame that is usually strengthened by two or more crosspieces, strung with thongs, and attached to the foot and that is used to enable a person to walk or run on soft snow without sinking. Snowshoes were used by Indians and Eskimos in the wintry northern areas of North America. They are now used principally by hunters, trappers, farmers, lumberjacks, and sports enthusiasts.
The sport of snowshoeing probably orginated in northern Asia several thousand years ago. For North American Indians and early settlers, snowshoes were a principal means of winter travel. They are still used by hunters, trappers, and other workers in areas where snowmobiles and other vehicles cannot manoeuvre.
The two basic types of snowshoes are the short, broad, tailless bear-paw and the long, narrow shoe with a tail variously named Maine, Michigan, Alaskan, etc. The bear-paw is best for rough or heavily wooded terrain, where manoeuvrability is most important; the longer shoe is better for more open country or for racing. Snowshoes are usually made of wood with leather lacing, although by the 1980s lightweight metal, synthetic lacing, and plastic were in use.
Snowshoeing as an organized sport pursued only locally probably began with the founding of the Montreal Snowshoe Club in 1840. Snowshoe racers, moving with a characteristic bent-knee, shuffling gait, can cover a 100-yard (about 90-metre) course in just over 12 seconds and a mile (1.6 kilometres) in about 5 minutes.