“Running snowshoes?” I asked, baffled by the idea of snowshoeing as a “sport” to begin with, I couldn’t imagine running in them. Then a woman pulled out a picture of herself running through my favorite forested trails – trails I hadn’t been able to run in weeks and sorely missed. I was sold before I even strapped a pair on.
A week later (and countless hours of research), I was slipping my foot into a pair of the Atlas Run series snowshoe, designed specifically for trail-happy people such as myself. I’d never snowshoed in my life because I have the coordination of drunken Siamese twins. I was pretty sure I’d make it about ten yards before I face-planted in the snow.
Much to my surprise, the Atlas shoe was light and dynamic. It did not require lessons or special instructions. I set my foot down and launched into a run in a completely natural stride. They didn’t overlap as I’d expected. They just let me run. In the snow. Winter will never be the same.
The Atlas is famous for its spring loaded binding. The binding is suspended in the lightweight frame of the snowshoe and allows natural mobility of the foot in a running stride in both a front to back and side directions. The strapping system is a lightweight webbing that doesn’t require an engineering degree to get your foot into. The Atlas also comes in a lighter weight race version, because apparently snowshoe racing is not that obscure a sport either. I recommend wearing a hoodie. They kick up some snow along the way, but it doesn’t deter from the incredible quality and design of these snowshoes, nor the great fun they bring! Get them at Mountain Gear or online at atlassnowshoe.com/snowshoes/run. //
