Facial hair and fur is not absolutely essential for snowshoeing but it does add a certain class to the activity. The fur hoody here, I think, has the style edge over the more formal overcoat and is certainly going to be a whole lot warmer than just a wool jacket and waistcoat – even if one has filled up with copious amounts of porridge that morning.  

 
Snowshoes are thought to have been used as long as 10,000 years ago. Originally made from wood and animal hide webbing, they proved an efficient way to negotiate deep snow. Without them, it would have been very difficult for many communities to continue trading & hunting and therefore survive the long hard winters. Even horses were sometimes given their own little snowshoes, as here.

Snowshoes were developed in various shapes & sizes, mostly in response to the local terrain. A shorter, wider base was useful where sharp turns were necessary,  in forests for example or on steep slopes, and a long thin design was more suited to open, flatter landscape.  Featured here is a classic bearpaw, quite different to the pointed shape held by the glamorous 50s Miss below. 

This close-up of the bindings shows the amount of work, mostly by nimble-fingered women, which went into each pair of snowshoes.
 
 

And I like to imagine that when the snows thawed and the daisies started dancing again, someone had the bright idea of using them to knock a ball about and invented tennis. Even the sign below suggests tennis, rather than snowshoeing, in this beautiful part of the French Alps.

Inevitably, as winter holidays became more popular, snowshoeing grew into a leisure activity, a welcome change from charging down the slopes. Posing in the sunshine, this polished young woman looks much happier about the prospect of an expedition than the group in the picture above. The matching scarf, hat & gloves probably helped.

The popularity of snowshoe hurdling, however, was understandably shortlived, although I understand there are groups in Canada & the States who still indulge. This photo was taken in the 1920s. The gentleman in 2nd place is clearly being handicapped by his over-large moustache and lack of  cool team logo on his jumper. 

Snowshoes today are more than likely to be lightweight, entirely plastic affairs – and I imagine, are much easier to get around in than the old wood & hide models, as well as being a lot more durable. Certainly, on a first foray last week, when a group of us climbed about 1500ft from the hamlet of Cerviere in the Hautes Alpes, it was much easier than we had anticipated and was also hugely enjoyable. Where the old wooden models do win out, apparantly, is that walking in them is very much quieter. But  just stopping and admiring the incredible views & scenery will give the same sense of stillness – and, very importantly, let you catch your breathe before forging onwards and upwards. 

With thanks to Vintage Winter  for many of the images and Mike Rollins, who is based in Serre Chevalier, for such an inspirational day out.