Photo: Snowshoes Mistaya River Winter Recreation

Sitting in the snow banks of the Mistaya River is a pair of snowshoes. To enjoy the winter recreation opportunities, hikers use snowshoes to distribute their weight to help walk on the snow instead of sinking into it.

A pair of modern snowshoes sit in the snow banks of the Mistaya River. The wonderful backdrop to the snowshoes is the snow covered valley of Mistaya River and Mount Sarbach.

To make hiking easier in the snow, hikers use snowshoes to distribute a person's weight to help walk on the snow instead of sinking into it. Snowshoes were originally made of hard wood and rawhide lacing. The ones pictured are a more modern snowshoe made of plastic, metal and synthetic fabric. Snowshoeing has become a popular form of winter recreation.

Snow shoes were used by fur traders and trappers whose livelihood depended on getting around easily in the deep snow. Now they are mostly used for recreational purposes such as hikers and runners to be able to continue their hobby during the winter months. ... continue below the picture...

This picture is part of the photo album "Snow Shoeing" - there are more beautiful images waiting for you.

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The stunning snow covered Mount Sarbach is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and is named after Peter Sarbach a mountain guide from Switzerland.

Snowshoes in snow on the banks of the Mistaya River during winter with Mount Sarbach (3155 metres/10351 feet) in the background, Mistaya Canyon, Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, Canadian Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Canada. Banff National Park forms part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site.