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Home , Snowshoe

INFOCUS in your A way-cool workout? Walk» a mile in some snowshoes

Looking for adventure? A great view of nature?

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER Creams that deliver, page 56 Beauty Five fabulous fleeces, page 50 Style Master any pain, page 44 Calm Healthiest chocolates, page 36 Nutrition I N S I WOMEN’S HEALTH WOMEN’S D E

29 youS can do this

U on the Add these to your C The Snowshoe right trek rack. I’m loving it and wishing I had best in done it sooner. It doesn’t get much Great gear to keep you Workout O The perfect follow-up to » cooler than these These two moves will get you powder- my Central Park venture? An in step this winter ready, whether you train in the snow, in F three destinations already-planned ski trip to Alta, the sand, or even in your living room. Utah, the following month. With a feminine shape that eliminates “Using poles and wearing snowshoes annoying fabric flop, the Isis Luna While everybody else hits the Long Neck is a lightweight zip-up forces you to lift your arms and legs N lifts and ski runs, I persuade top that’s warm enough to wear on higher than when ,” says Paul I one friend, Caroline, to rent its own and thin enough to layer. Frediani, senior trainer at Equinox Gym in Its Power Stretch wicking material snowshoe equipment and New York City. No gear? No problem. Rely keeps skin dry and cool ($115, on your core muscles for balance instead. join me for a trek through the isisforwomen.com). wooded cross-country ski Hip Burner near the slopes. To fuel our Place poles about 6 to 9 inches out to your Just a twist of Leki’s Tour FS adjustable 4-hour hike, we strap on hydra- sides and behind your hips. Stand on your aluminum trekking poles gives them a left leg and cross your right leg in front of tion packs, fill our pockets with custom fit for any snowshoeing adventure. the left ankle. Uncross legs, lifting right leg They’re easy to switch from the longer PowerBars, and head out. straight out to side. Hold 3 seconds, return length you need on uphills to the shorter Snowshoe alongside white-tailed About half an hour into a to starting position, and repeat eight times. length for downs. And “snowflake baskets” deer, gray rabbits, or an occasional twisty , we turn onto thick, Switch legs. moose with Vermont Adventure mean they won’t sink in deep powder 1Tours. Explore the hard-pack groomed untracked fields littered with ($79.95, leki.com). paths or tree-lined trails on 2- and 4- fully grown spruce trees and hour snowshoe tours in and around the covered with freshly fallen snow. Rutland area. $45 to $75; vermont We follow bunny tracks until adventuretours.com, 802-773-3343 Redfeather’s Stride the sight of an incredibly steep Snowshoe is made with a mountain—the kind you’d lightweight V-tail aluminum frame, Toting water on the trails is a whole think would win you a medal powerful rubber- , lot less taxing with CamelBak’s and grippy stainless steel Catalyst hydration waistpack. The or massive media coverage designed specifically lightweight pack—which holds a for —stops us in our for women’s narrower strides hefty 28 ounces of fluid—fits snugly tracks. Without much hesita- ($189 for a 21-inch model, $199 against the small of your back. Its for a 25-inch, redfeather.com). wide-mouth cap is a snap to fill and tion, we know our next move. locks down water-drip tight ($35, Halfway up the mountain, camelbak.com). Butt Burner my glutes, hamstrings, and Plant poles in front of you, about hip-distance apart stepping out triceps burn with each steep and about 1 wisconsin step. I dig my pole into the Snow’s no problem when foot in front of Writer Stefani Jackenthal— shin-deep snow and instantly you’re wearing The North snowshoe tips. Load up on a homemade » Lean on poles Face’s Apex Atlas breakfast at Justin Trails Bed who has left tracks in the snow all sink into a snow-covered abyss, Pant. Its innovative, supple for support & Breakfast Resort in western 2 which sends me flying forward manmade material allows while standing Wisconsin before hitting the 10 miles around the country—remembers unrestricted movement—and on right leg of snowshoeing trails on its 213-acre into a not-so-graceful face plant. looks great. Durability? It’s (slightly bent) property. Spend the afternoon dog her first snowshoe buzz I untwist my body and sit in the got a lifetime warranty ($149, and lifting left sledding, snow tubing, or relaxing on a IT’S A SNOWY SATURDAY MORNING in New York City, and deep snow, laughing as the tears thenorthface.com). leg straight -drawn . $800 to $1,500 a behind you. freeze on my face. Even with the With the lightness and week or $115 to $250 a night, includ- I can’t handle running shoulder-to-shoulder with sweaty Bend left knee, flexibility of a trail shoe and ing snowshoe rental; justintrails.com, snow melting inside my shirt, bringing toward urbanites under fluorescent lights at my gym. Instead, the support of a waterproof 800-488-4521 your head. I break out my new (as in, still in the box) snowshoes I’m into the moment’s rest. , Montrail’s Stratos Hold for 3 sec- XCR is the perfect choice for and poles—the ones I got as a gift the previous winter— As we approach 8,500 feet, onds, straight- snowy trails. Its midheight cut I feel slightly drunk from the en, and repeat and trudge over to Central Park. offers solid ankle support and eight times. thinning air and excitement. the rubber tread gives terrific Switch legs. After I fasten the straps over my Nearly 3 hours after we left our toasty lodge, traction ($140, montrail.com). and adjust my poles to shoulder height, I the web of trees finally busts open into a wide get in a sumo stance and take a giant step span of snowcapped mountains and blue Forest Gorp forward, trying to avoid clipping the backs sky. We’ve reached the top! My heart pounds Chew on this energy-rich trail mix from the WH kitchen of my heels. It’s like I’m 10 years old again as I high-five Caroline and collapse onto to fuel yourself during a snowshoe hike. Toss these and clunking around in my brother’s size 14 the feathery snow, where we both sit in the ingredients in a large zip-top storage bag. —Devin Alexander . Frustrated, I stop to watch a group of noon sun. Watching the lifts in the distance 2 C low-fat granola 1/2 cup salted, dry-roasted utah guys smoothly snowshoeing across the ter- carrying skiers up the mountain, I’m just as With Suunto’s X9i without raisins pepitas (pumpkin seeds After snowshoeing through rain. I realize I need to make like I’m on an happy not to be aboard. We didn’t need any you’ll never get lost again. roasted without oil) the well-marked trails of Cedar 3 elliptical machine: Step higher, land on the “technical assistance” to climb up here. On The quintessential multi- /4 C dried mixed blueberries, 3 Breaks, a 3-mile wide, 2,500- tasking sports watch is a cherries, strawberries, and 21/2 oz chopped dark foot deep canyon, head back to local ball of my foot, and push off with my front our own and unplugged from civilization— compass, altimeter, and cranberries (do it yourself or try chocolate favorite Red Mountain Spa (a 1-hour foot to move forward. Before long I’ve found no cell phones, MP3 players, or powered barometer; it also has a mix such as Mariani’s Berries drive) for gourmet meals, daily guided 1/4 C chopped dry-roasted my own crunchy rhythm. It’s slightly harder lifts—we’ve found what all treadmills lack: GPS and compatibility ’N Cherries) hikes, unlimited fitness classes, and with digital mapping almonds luxurious spa treatments. $249 to $409 than regular —since I’m not used to the silence, stillness, and peace of nature. services worldwide. Oh 1/2 C yogurt-covered raisins a night plus $100 for an all-inclusive this kind of motion—but it pushes me to And while a medal would have been nice, yeah, it tells time too snowshoeing tour; redmountainspa. work my lungs and legs. And as a triathlete, I knew I had already received my reward. ($499, suunto.com). Makes approximately 4 cups (eight 1/2-cup servings). Each serving has 295 calories, com, 800-407-3002 5 g protein, 51 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 4 g fiber, 98 mg sodium PREVIOUSKENNAN SPREAD:HARVEY/OUTDOORCOLLECTION/AURORA;BY PHOTOGRAPH CLOCKWISE FROM TOP WILLIERIGHT: HOLDMAN/INDEXGOODSHOOT/PUNCHSTOCK; STOCK; BRAND X PICTURES/PUNCHSTOCK; VERMONT ADVENTURE TOURS JENS MORTENSEN; EXERCISES: MICHAEL E

30 WOMEN’S HEALTH NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 womenshealthmag.com NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 WOMEN’S HEALTH 31