In the words of Ned Stark, winter is coming. Actually, depending on where you live, the cold months may have already arrived. With the cold often comes a thick blanket of snow. If you’re a dedicated survivalist, you should prepare yourself for traversing this snow safely. That means wearing warm clothing, carrying fire-starting tools, knowing how to construct a winter shelter. However, you’re not going to accomplish much if you can’t even make it 10 steps into the woods due to waist-deep snow.
Snowshoes are a key asset for winter environments, but it’s not always as simple as buying a pair at your local sporting goods store. There are many instances when off-the-shelf snowshoes can’t be used. For example, your car may break down in the middle of nowhere, or one of your snowshoes could be damaged or lost. Maybe in your rush to bug out, you simply didn’t have time to grab them. Whatever the case, it’s advantageous to know how to build a pair of DIY snowshoes from found materials.
In the following video from Far North Bushcraft and Survival, host Lonnie shows how to build simple snowshoes from some alder saplings and spruce boughs. The outer section is composed of two curved saplings or branches, tied at each end with nylon rope or paracord. Lonnie recommends building the snowshoes at least chest-high for adequate surface area. Two boot supports are lashed to the center, and saplings are pulled through underneath.
We were definitely wondering how much of a difference the snowshoes were actually making, so we appreciated the humorous demonstration at the end of the video. Given this side-by-side comparison, we’d say this snowshoe design is a resounding success.
