Snowshoeing in Fresh Snow is Great For the Mind, Body, and Athletic Community
By: Thomas O'Grady
Tags: Health, Motivation, Inspiration, Training Tips, Exercise

The Fitness Booster

In deep fresh snow of 20-inches or more snowshoeing is no easy task and from a fitness standpoint, this is a great thing. To snowshoe effectively in deep powder, it is helpful to utilize poles (skiing or trekking poles). Breaking through the deep snow with poles will be a total body workout that running does not fully provide.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is an activity that increases both your heart rate and respiratory rate. While running is a quintessential aerobic activity so is snowshoeing. And that is where the two sports diverge.

As a general rule, in running most people think of how your heart rate and respiration increase as your pace increases. While the terrain someone is exercising on is important in running it is the primary rate-limiting step in snowshoeing. The deeper the snow the greater the resistance. Breaking through deep fresh powder will have you moving at a snail’s pace and it will also have your heart racing and your lungs burning. Even in the coldest of temperatures moving at a slow clip, it is possible to break into a sweat while snowshoeing in deep powder.

From an overall health standpoint, this is a great thing. A great cardiovascular workout burns a ton of calories and also has the potential to improve blood pressure, fat metabolism, improve insulin resistance, improve cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, and improve mood.

These benefits are all similar to those we typically associate with running but the benefits are achieved at a slower more intentional pace of a walk. In addition to cardiovascular endurance, the slow, rhythmic, methodical nature of snowshoeing will improve stamina as well.

Strength Training

Snowshoeing through deep powder is an engaging activity that requires you to walk with intention through every step.

Starting with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your arms bent at your sides with poles in hands, you will engage every muscle in your body as you slowly step forward with one foot and arm. The act will be made tougher by the resistance provided by the soft, deep powder.

Breaking through will look more like a march instead of a galloping stride. You will need to look straight ahead, keep your core tight and engaged, and drive your knee forward as you alternate arm pumps in unison. As your foot lifts and moves forward you will need to plant it squarely as it comes down into the snow. It will be met with soft but strong resistance as it pushes against the snow underneath.

With each intentional stride that requires a slow and firm footprint followed by a quick and focused knee drive, you will be recruiting your muscular units to apply high force in a short amount of time before repeating. As your muscles burn in the hours after snowshoeing you will understand the strength and power required to break through deep snow.

This is great for your musculoskeletal system. The added strength and power-producing capabilities in your muscle may translate to improved running speed.

Photo by Alec Moore on Unsplash

Muscle Elasticity

When people think about running, muscle elasticity and stretch is one of the often-overlooked aspects of fitness. Your muscle’s ability to stretch or move through its entire range of motion is important. Stretching is often overlooked by the distance runner but proper flexibility is paramount to health and athletic performance.

Snowshoeing is an intentional activity that requires an appropriate form. Each step brings the legs through their entire forward-backward range of motion (4 of the 6 Dimensions of Movement: Up-Down-Forward-Backward). The goal is to bring to maximize the range of motion and actions that are dynamic — slow repetitive marching motions that bring oxygen and blood to the muscles and make them amenable to change.

Balance and Coordination

Again, when people think about running, balance and coordination are one of the often-overlooked aspects of fitness. Snowshoeing in deep powder requires an individual to be steady on their feet — controlling the movement of the body and considering the placement of the body’s center of gravity.

Balance is the act of standing on one foot and/or walking heel to toe with your eyes open (or closed). This just happens to also be exactly what snowshoeing in deep fresh snow requires. From a starting position, the knees need to lift high towards the sky to clear the snow until the thigh and knee are parallel to the ground — as the leg rises you will need to engage your core and tighten your buttocks.

After reaching the maximum height you will need to drive your leg forward and down, stabilizing your body by planting the poles into the snow for support and keeping your chest lifted forward. Throughout the entire movement, you will combine each distinct part into a single fluid movement. This helps created a patterned movement much in the same way a form drill does.

Gaining Mental Clarity

In addition to almost two feet of snow, the temperatures in the Northeast dipped below 20-degrees-F. Yes, winter blues are a real thing and lack of sunlight is an issue with the decreased number of daylight hours. However, cold can provide a fitness boost in that exposure to cold causes a release of norepinephrine. This hormone release stimulates the brain and nervous system and boosts alertness, cognition, and focus.

Not only will the exposure to cold provide a hormone release but if you are breaking deep powder you are likely exercising alone. The simple quiet and solitude can be tremendously refreshing and provide mental clarity. As your march through the snow you will be in touch with your mind and body as well as your surroundings. The act can be incredibly rejuvenating.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Connecting With The Community

Last but not least you can break deep powder and provide a service to your fellow athletes.

Town parks and bike paths are great places to snowshoe. With fat-tire bikes, cyclists can enjoy biking on packed snow or skiers can get a great workout on the broken trail. Some Facebook groups dedicated to cycling even encourage snowshoers to break trails in the winter to help prepare the paths in the following days for bikers.

Instead of having tension bringing some good Kharma to the table can help improve the fitness and enjoyment of everyone on the trails during the winter.

Fresh snow in the winter offers a great opportunity for runners to supplement their training with snowshoes. Hitting the trails with snowshoes when there is deep powder provides a variety of fitness booster benefits that are helpful for the mind, body, and community.