One of the first products I saw at this year’s Outdoor Retailer Winter Market was also one of the coolest. At the Easton Mountain Products booth, a bunch of snowshoes were on display that were lousy with innovative and advanced features. But the show stopper was the Vo2 Racing Snowshoes.
On the surface, the Easton Vo2 look like ordinary snowshoes… but take a closer look and you’ll see that there is no binding. That’s because these snowshoes are meant to be incorporated into your cross-training sneakers and boots. Think you have to end your trail running during the winter months because of snow? Think again, because with these on your feet, you can go anywhere, despite deep snow.
The way Easton’s Rich Packer explained it is this: You take an old pair of lightweight running or trail footwear and remove the insole. Drill holes into the sole and attach the Direct-Connect mounting device. Boom… your shoes are now attached directly to the snowshoes so you can train your heart out over the snowy hills and through the icy woods.
According to Easton, the Vo2 Racing Snowshoes also offer a patented Virtual Pivot Traction Cam and Split-Axis crampon for good energy transfer to increase speed and efficiency. Also, that Direct-Connect mounting device allows a full range of motion, which means you can walk or run naturally, instead of clomp around like Frankenstein which, honestly, is how most people walk with snowshoes on.
Best of all, Easton Mountain Products is headquartered right here in Salt Lake City.
For more, you can check out the Vo2 Racing Snowshoes at Easton’s website.