Monday, December 3, 2012

Snowshoeing – great exercise in a heartbeat

Snowshoeing – great exercise in a heartbeat
By Rick Hellard           

Rating: *****

This article by Rick Hellard illustrates the physical challenge snowshoeing represents, while still capturing the excitement of the activity. It also gives some helpful tips and tricks for beginners in order to test your strength, and start on the right foot.

    The author starts off with an impressive list of outdoor running activities he has participated in, and then continues to state that snowshoeing proved to be physically demanding for him. I personally found intimidating, but he manages to ease his audiences nerves with jokes and puns within his personal experiences. The article briefly suggests a few good trails in the Ottawa area that are recommended for people of all experiences as well as good places to buy and rent equipment. The author then continues about the importance of proper gear and clothing, and the lemons that would accumulate should someone fail to dress appropriately.

Finally, the author offers his advice on how to have an enjoyable and safe snowshoeing experience. He includes that one should have proper fitting snowshoes, and should dress appropriate to weather. One should avoid cotton clothing, and should also be chilled or even cold before they head off so that when they finally get their blood pumping, they do not overheat. On long outings, it is suggested that you bring water and food that is not likely to freeze. Lastly, one should respect the environment and the people around them.

I gave this article five stars because the tone was very good natured and even humorous, which made it interesting to read. I also think that it will prove to be a useful article when we finally get some snow and go snowshoeing ourselves.   

By Jen Hauteclocque





Hallard, Rick. “Snowshoeing – great exercise in a heartbeat”. Ottawa Outdoors Magazine. OttawaOutdoors.ca. Online. December 3rd, 2012.
http://ottawaoutdoors.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=547:snowshoeing--great-exercise-in-a-heartbeat&catid=35:adventure-articles

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