Showshoes provide an excellent workout or an enjoyable recreational activity over snow-covered trails or mountains. The shoes spread your weight out over a larger area, allowing you to run or walk across snowy surfaces with ease. Many different types of bindings are available to secure your snowshoes to your feet, and each provides a slightly different connection between your foot and the shoe.
Native Bindings
According to the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, traditional native bindings make it easy to remove snowshoes from your feet without using your hands. This makes them a safe choice for many users, as a simple twist of the foot acts as a natural emergency release system. These native bindings are also lightweight and affordable compared to buckle-style bindings.
Manila rope soaked in oil acts as one of the most popular native bindings. It's quiet, making it an appropriate choice for hunting, and won't stretch out and lose its shape. While rawhide is another native choice, it tends to stretch out when wet and may not hold the snowshoes securely to your feet.
Modern Bindings
Modern bindings are made from materials such as nylon, rubber, aluminum and composite materials. Recreational models feature simple nylon straps that wrap around the foot and buckle in place, which more advanced models include heavy-duty rubber straps. According to eSnowshoes, models designed for backcountry use or mountaineering may feature molded foot pockets made from plastic, metal or rubber to provide a secure hold. Many include a ratcheted buckle for easy adjustment.
These modern bindings can be categorized as either flexible, semi-rigid or rigid depending on how securely the snowshoes stay fastened to the foot. According to snowshoe maker Carl Heilman, flexible bindings allow for a variety of foot placements across the surface of the snowshoe. Semi-rigid bindings feature some form of molded foot pocket for a more secure hold, while rigid moldings combine recessed foot beds and buckles for maximum security.
Binding Function
Snowshoe bindings utilize either a pivoting or fixed operation. Fixed bindings allow users to maintain a natural stride, and attach to the foot using a large, heavy-duty rubber band. This lifts the entire snowshoe off the ground with each step so the shoe doesn't drag the ground. Pivoting bindings attach to the shoe using a pivoting metal bar. According to eSnowshoes, this caused the tail end of the shoe to fall away from the foot each time the foot is lifted. While this results in a less natural stride, it also causes snow to fall off the shoe instead of building up, which can keep legs from getting too tired.
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