Snowshoes

How to make Primitive Snowshoes

By Allan "Bow" Beauchamp
(Photos and text in this ection by Allan "Bow" Beauchamp)

Here is a rough sketch of how to make primitive snowshoes

1. Brush snow shoes: Simply bend supple green bows as shoe hoops and weave smaller hoops in the inner side and fasten these with cordage. Then make foot holders from birch bark sheets, poplar bark, yellow birch bark, clothing or cordage in between.
2. Cordage snow shoes: Start with bent willows, and create a flat webbing. Or heavy sasal rope as a woven "spider web".
3. Sledge snow shoes: Using two long alders, and a couple of smaller ones to open them up. Then make the cordage weaving for the inners! You can use grass cordage bindings as I do for the foot fasteners, for the students. Or simply make bark sheet snow shoes, with grass cordage. It's easy fun for kids and good for light layers of snow!

• Firstly, find a supple sapling and bend it as a hoop. Tie this at the end. This is for the exterior hoop.
• Secondly, find a smaller supple sapling, bend it on itself and inner weave itself onto itself so it makes a hoop.
• Thirdly, do the same step again as number two but use a still smaller one.
• Now, lay the three hoops on the ground and use some cordage and tie the second hoop to the first hoop. Remember you need a spot for your foot, so put your foot on the second hoop and leave a place for your foot to go through (the toe section needs to move freely). If you don't what I'm talking about here, you need to first try on a pair of already-made snowshoes and go for a walk (not the modern industrial kind, but the original type made from wood). You will then quickly come to understand why there is a need for a hole.
• Lastly, tie the third hoop to the second hoop, and check that where you tied this hoop your foot will fit through. If it won't then retie the second hoop cordage a bit wider at the front.
• Now, you have some choices:
  • Put your foot on this structure, and envision where the extra space is (the hole)
  • If you know how to make grass cordage you can fill this in with the thick grass cordage layer by layer.
  • Or, you can take your T-shirt and put it over the whole structure and cut two holes for your grass bindings, and tie the T-shirt where you tied the first hoop end.
  • Or, you can take birch bark strips and make a "weaved mat" and tie this to the top of the framework (under your foot).
  • Or, you can weave some supple boughs in an "over and under" fashion across the top of the structure.
  • Or, you can use a large garbage bag, and lay it on the top under your foot, make ends by grabbing the bag, then take these ends and go under the first loop wall and over again and tie the bag at the top under your foot.
  • So, some "simple" choices, and some "more work" choices, depending on what you bring, what you have, your time frame, and what you are able to fashion.