Patent ID: 8020321

Claim:
A snowshoe having a boot footbed that permits rotation of a user's boot along two axes of rotation during use of the snowshoe, comprising: a snowshoe frame, a footbed platform with a connected front cleat and binding, to retain a user's boot on the footbed platform, a transverse pivot rod connected to the cleat for rotation of the cleat, footbed and binding on a pitch axis relative to the snowshoe frame, the footbed platform and cleat being positioned between two generally longitudinally extending members of the snowshoe frame, one at a left side of the pivot rod and one at a right side of the pivot rod, and with tension bands secured to the longitudinally extending members and to the pivot rod at the left and right sides, the bands being in tension such that the bands support the footbed platform and attached cleat and binding on the snowshoe frame, and at each end of the pivot rod, a roller extending perpendicular to the pivot rod on a generally longitudinal axis relative to the snowshoe, with the tension band engaged around the roller and the roller being in a rotation connection to the pivot rod, whereby the user's boot is afforded pitch rotation about a pitch axis defined by the transverse pivot rod to facilitate forward steps, and also roll rotation relative to the snowshoe frame, within a transverse vertical plane, to permit comfortable tracking on sidehill terrain.