Gili Torovezky and his buddy Eric in NJ (USA) took their Source Spinners for a walk with snowshoes in fresh powder. Testing hydration at temperatures around freezing point. Check it out!

“When the forecast called for winter storm Nemo (who comes up with names like this?) to dump 25cm and more of snow I knew two things for sure: 1. Biking is out of question – 2. I will get my workout by cleaning the front driveway.

As I was getting ready with salt (to melt the ice) and shovel, I saw my pair of brand new snowshoes I bought 3 years ago and never used. I knew there is only one guy who knows it all about winter sports (after spending a few years in Vail, Colorado) that can teach me what ‘snowshoeing’ is all about, Eric, my very close friend and the one who got me the outdoor-bug. It didn’t take us much to set up a time and place: Saturday noon, right after the storm passed, in the virgin snow.

So after 20+ cm of fresh snow on Friday and Saturday, I picked up Eric and we headed to the nearby South Mountain Reservation, not before we filled our Source Spinners with dry fruits, camera, first aid kit and of course sport drink mix.

The ‘snowshoeing’-technique is simple: Just lift the leg high enough so the snowshoe will not pick up any snow and stride. The sensation in the beginning is a bit strange, but quickly it turned into complete amazing fun: No need to follow any trails! Eric taught me special techniques going uphill, and how to use the wide blade of the snowshoes to ‘ski’ downhill.

Like in any winter activity you need to dress layered and proportional to the conditions. Since it was sunny and around freezing temp, we dressed lightly with Goretex boots.

And under these conditions you need to hydrate constantly since you sweat even if you don’t feel it! Both my Source Spinner 2L and Eric’s 3L proved to be yet again very reliable partners: The drink never froze and the pack itself sticked to the back, the padding allowing the air to flow and preventing the back to get sweaty. Even after an hour plus of snowshoeing.

In all: It was definitely a fun-tastic experience that will for sure not be the last one!”

 

Thanks Gili and Eric for sharing their experience with us! Sounds amazing!