Whether you’re brand new to snowshoeing or an intermediate looking for tips and places to go, the Snowshoes.com Get Going! Workshops provide inspiration and education to become an active, knowledgeable and confident snowshoer! From how to choose the right snowshoe, what to wear, how to plan your trip, and where to find trails and events near you, this workshop will teach you all the essential tools and tricks. Learn tips and techniques for getting started snowshoeing, and find out about resources, events, and trails near you to apply your knowledge. All ages and experience levels welcome. Get a goody bag, great discount offers, and a chance to win great prizes as well!

The event is free, and attendees will receive handouts, information, and chances to win prizes from: Snowshoes.com, Atlas Snow-Shoe Company, Tubbs Snowshoes, Marmot, Outdoor Research, Arc’Teryx, Vasque, Merrell, and Clif Bar.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information visit: http://www.snowshoes.com/news/313

With the majestic mountains raising high above, thousands of people decked out in pink, and a festive atmosphere complete with live entertainment, the Romp is not to be missed!

Website:  tubbsromptostomp.com

Click on these locations and dates for more information:

USA:

Colorado – March 3, 2012

Minnesota (new!) – January 28, 2012

New Jersey – January 21, 2012

Oregon – January 21, 2012

Vermont – January 28, 2012

Utah – February 11, 2012

Washington – February 4, 2012

Canada:

Ontario – January 21, 2012

British Columbia (new!) – March 3, 2012

More information:

Since its inception in 2003, the Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Series® has engaged nearly 23,000 people in the sport of snowshoeing and raised more than 1.8 MILLION DOLLARS for Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation!

Modeled after the highly successful Race for the Cure®, the Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer consists of a 3k or 5k snowshoe walk or a 3k snowshoe race.  The event series has grown every year and now is the largest snowshoe series in the world.

Sadly with all the travel I do to execute the Romp to Stomp events in the winter, it is difficult to schedule a time to get out and snowshoe for myself.

However, today the Romp to Stomp and Tubbs Snowshoes crew headed up to Snoqualmie Pass here in Washington for a snowshoe adventure. For a few hours, we were able to escape the pressures of work, the urgency of deadlines, and the orderly man-made world in which we live.

Katie, Wendy and Kristen: the Tubbs gals

It was a perfect day for snowshoeing: fresh powder, light snowfall, and tree branches laden with a foot of snow. Our guide was Ranger Kim, who coordinates the snowshoe programs out of Snoqualmie Pass, WA. They offer snowshoe treks Fri-Sun starting after the new year.

Ranger Kim Imparts Winter Wisdom to Scott and Kristen

We learned about Spring Tail bugs that live in the snow, Kim gave us tips on how to identify animal tracks, and I discovered that there’s a whole host of mammals that actually live in the snow and rarely ever come up to the surface!

We Love our Tubbs!

At the end of the day, I slid into the passenger seat of car rejuvenated, excited and re-focused on my passion for engaging people in one of my favorite outdoor activities.

The Romp season is coming fast. Soon I’ll be buzzing in and out of airports, getting up at 5am every Sat for a Romp event, and wrapping up one event, only to start another within a few days. But I’m so thankful for this day–that I could be reminded of the joys of snowshoe and that I could remind all of you!

Snowshoeing is truly a unique sport. It allows you to experience the beauties of winter without too much investment in gear or time learning to snowshoe. I encourage you to get out snowshoeing this winter before the Romp. There are glorious places to explore–and the Romp would make a great capstone to your winter adventure.

If you’re looking for some snowshoe trail suggestions, check out Snowshoes.com, which has a database of 3,200 trails all submitted by snowshoers like you!

Happy Snowshoeing!

Wendy Miller
Event Manager, Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Series

Final shot with glimpse of glorious snowy forest. Can you spot Kristen?

We are very proud to announce that the Tubbs Mountaineer was selected “Gear of the Year” by the Outside Magazine Buyer’s Guide this year! See the full article here.

Designed to tackle the most treacherous backcountry conditions, the Mountaineer combines precision and comfort features for unparalleled performance.

“We’ve tested plenty of snowshoes with serious bit, and other that are extraordinarily comfy,” writes Berne Broudy with Outside Magazine, “but what makes the Mountaineer so impressive is how well it performed in both those categories.”

The review praises the patented ActiveFit binding design, which has a two-pull-strap system that gives you a precise fit that won’t budge even in the most rugged terrain. “Thanks in part to two independent toe straps, the binding perfectly cradled every boot we jammed in it, from bulky Sorels to winterized trail runners,” writes Broudy.   “Fine-tuning the fit on the fly was a cinch.  And they release with one quick tug.”

Finally, the reviewers at Outside tout the backcountry-specific Anaconda crampon found on the Mountaineer.  “Flip the shoe over and it’s like peering into the jaws of a great white shark, with eight incisors up front and two more rows of teeth in back, for extra traction when your heel hits the deck.”

Tubbs is thrilled to win the prestigious Gear of the Year award for the second year in a row, with the FLEX ALP taking the award in 2010.  Thank you Outside Magazine!

Winter Trails locations, hours and offerings are posted at WinterTrails.org as they are announced. Venues include alpine resorts, Nordic centers, state parks, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service land. Details accompany each event’s listing on the Winter Trails website.  Registration is also available on-site at each location.

There is no charge for equipment or trail fees. While most events take place on the “official” date, some are held on alternative dates. One of the largest – at Estes Park, Colorado – is being held on January 15, 2011 and is part of the Estes Park Winter Festival.  The www.wintertrails.org Web site is regularly updated.

On-line registration for Winter Trails begins November 15, 2010. Those who register on-line will have an opportunity to win prizes offered by Winter Trails supporters. On-line registrants also will receive updates on events and any weather advisories that could affect a particular venue.

“Snowshoeing and cross country skiing are winter outdoor activities that can be enjoyed by individuals, groups of friends and family members,” said Reese Brown, a Winter Trails organizer. “They are affordable, easy to learn and they provide moderate to vigorous exercise, depending on an individual’s effort. With obesity rates in the U.S. at an all time high, Winter Trails can introduce active and not so active children and adults to sports that provide winter outdoor recreation.”

Romp to Stomp Series History

Since the Series began in 2003

Total participants: 22,974

Total raised for breast cancer: $1,326,475

Romp to Stomp Series 2010

Total participants: 5,558

Total raised for breast cancer:  $327,843
_______________________________________
2010 RESULTS BY EVENT

New Jersey
327 Participants
$27,168 for the raised North Jersey Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Avg raised per participant: $80

Vermont
620 Participants
$60,783 raised for the VT/NH Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Avg raised per participant: $91

Utah
508 Participants
$27,507 raised for the Salt Lake City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Avg raised per participant: $47

Washington
749 Participants
$38,325 raised for the Puget Sound Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Avg raised per participant: $43

Ontario
Participants: 400
$30,901 raised for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Avg raised per participant: $77

Oregon
735 Participants
$18,009 raised for the OR/SW WA Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure: $14,000
Avg raised per participant: $20

Colorado
2,219 Participants
$125,149 raised for the Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Avg raised per participant: $42

Thank you to all who participated, volunteered, and sponsored–your dedication, commitment, and investment inspired thousands to stay active in the winter and to make a significant impact on the fight against breast cancer. We hope to see you next year!

If you’ve ever wondered about the versatility and durability of modern snowshoes read on. I’m a professional dog musher and live in Greenland’s Ittoqqortoormiit with my 17 dogs: 16 males and 1 female. Her name is Girly and she’s very popular.

Ittoqqortoormiit is very remote but it’s home for 460 people and over 400 working Greenland Dogs, the only breed allowed above Greenland’s Arctic Circle. By remote I mean 500 miles from the next community. There are no roads leading in or out of Ittoqqortoormiit. Outsiders coming to work here have been known to freak out, panic and want out because it’s so isolated. There’s no plumbing. Storms and cold are brutal and polar bears are always about. It’s a tough place.

Ittoqqortoormiit is a place of extremes. Despite summer’s 70 days of perpetual daylight it’s very rarely T-shirt weather and there’s not a single day in the year when you can’t see snow.  We get only two re-supply ships per year and what’s here by September is what we rely on until the following July, for me it means gear that withstands abuse and brutal cold.

Come winter we have 56 days when the sun never rises and we live in total polar dark. It can snow any month of the year in Ittoqqortoormiit and Christmas here is always white. Gravity-sped cold dense air can rush down vertically off cliffs to create colossal coastal 100-knot piteraq winds. Windows pop and houses have been known to explode. Everyone is vigilant for polar bears wandering about houses, bears that fear nothing and have a tendency to eat people. No-body walks far unarmed. Reach twelve and kids can legally carry a firearm.

The Ittoqqortoormiit sea ice sledding season – November to July – is probably the longest in the world and sometimes I’m away travelling with my dogs for three months. Minus 40 temperatures aren’t rare here. There’s no getting away from the cold and there are only three things I can do to warm up: put on more clothes, eat, or exercise. My dogs don’t carry me. Skis or Tubbs snowshoes enable me to generate heat and stave off hypothermia while breaking trail for my dogs through snow that’s sometimes chest deep.

When I’m home I train twice daily by running, whatever the weather even in deep snow I run my own trail system wearing Tubbs snowshoes.

I know about other makes of snowshoes, enough not to be impressed.

If you’d like to know more about how and where I use my Tubbs snowshoes:

http://www.garyrolfe.com/sponsors-endorsements/index2.htm#Tubbs

(or Sat, January 16: special Estes Park, CO date)

Location: various locations across the USA!

Info: www.wintertrails.org

To Register: Winter Trails Registration Form (registration not required, but recommended!)

Don’t miss the 15th annual Winter Trails Day®–a FREE snowshoe demo happeneing at dozens of locations across the country. Winter Trails Day offers children and adults a chance to try snowshoeing and cross country skiing for FREE, and to discover the great fitness and social benefits with these easy-to-learn winter sports.

Visit www.wintertrails.org for a location near you, or check out the list of “anchor” winter trail sites:

• Kirkwood XC Ski Area & Snowshoe Center, CA
• Echo Lake, CO
• Estes Park, CO (Jan 16, 2010)
• Weston Ski Track, MA
• Fort Snelling State Park, MN
• White River Park (Mt. Hood), OR
• Liberty Mountain, PA
• Soldier Hollow, UT.
• Mountaineers Snoqualmie, WA

Location: Scenic Caves, Town of the Blue Mountains, Ontario

www.tubbsromptostomp.com

Join us for the Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Series®–a 3k snowshoe walk or 5k snowshoe race that benefits the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation®.

This beginner & family friendly event is a great way to beat the winter doldrums, get out snowshoeing, and support a fantastic cause.

Since its inception in 2003, the Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Series® has engaged more than 16,000 people in the sport of snowshoeing and raised nearly ONE MILLION DOLLARS for breast cancer awareness, research, & education!