How to Take Care of Snowshoes
Snowshoeing is a great way to get outdoors in the winter. You'll get a workout and be able to enjoy all the beauty of the season. If you live or vacation in a climate with a lot of snow, invest in some snowshoes both for practicality and for fun. Traditional wooden snowshoes take a little more care than their modern aluminum or plastic cousins, but if you make sure to maintain them, either options can last you a lifetime.
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Instructions
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Wood
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Pick a place where you will keep your snowshoes. Usually hanging them on a wall is a good option--they'll look cool, they'll be out of your way, and they'll get plenty of air circulating to keep them dry. If they contain rawhide this will also keep them out of the way of any stray rodents. They should not be hung in direct sunlight.
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Wipe them off whenever you come in from snowshoeing. It's particularly important that traditional wood and rawhide snowshoes don't remain wet for extended periods.
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Sand and varnish wood snowshoes once a year, usually just before the start of the season to ensure they won't swell or warp. You can use marine spar varnish of the type that's sold at boating stores, and apply with a small trim paintbrush. If the webbing on your snowshoes is made of rawhide, this should also be varnished liberally.
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Inspect wood snowshoes once in a while during the season to ensure the varnish is intact. If you notice any breaks, just re-varnish the spot.
Aluminum or Plastic
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Check the hardware in modern style shoes to ensure the rivets that hold the deck and bindings have not worked loose, and tighten where necessary.
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Inspect nylon decking to spot any loose strands of material. These should be clipped off before they catch and create more runs in the decking.
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File the teeth on the traction system once in a while, if you notice they are worn. This will keep your snowshoes biting nicely as you make your way up any inclines.
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Give your snowshoes a gentle bath at the end of the season in lukewarm water. This will ensure no salt or dirt remain on the shoes when you store them.
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References
- Photo Credit snowshoes image by Guy Verville from Fotolia.com
