Official Homepage of USSSA

The Official Title Sponsor of the USSSA 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 U.S. National Snowshoe Championship Events

**** We've got a Big Week of racing coming up ** Next Qualifer Races Jan. 28 * Bigfoot Boogie Traverse City, MI. * Colorado State Snowshoe Championship Ski Cooper, CO * Glacial Park Snowshoe Race Ringwood, IL * Iowa Snowshoe State Championship Cedar Falls, IA * Kahtoola Bigfoot Snowshoe Festival Midway, UT * Phillips Flurry Snowshoe Race Phillips, WI ** January 29 * Kahtoola Snow or No Snow Race Flagstaff, AZ * Low O2 Snowshoe Challenge Red River, NM * Mt. Shasta Snowshoe Races Mt. Shasta, CA * Curly’s MA & CT State Championship Pittsfield, MA ** POSTPONED * New Jersey State Snowshoe Championship High Mountain Park Preserve in Wayne NJ POSTPONED Until Feb.4 * CANCELED * Ohio State Snowshoe Championships Kirtland, OH at the Lakes Farmparks * Sidehiller Snowshoe Race Sandwich, NH * For more information on these events click on Event Calendars ****

We've secured some great deals on hotel rooms near the site of the 2012 National Championships

As soon as you commit to attending the race make your reservation. These rooms may go fast

See the deals as well as other important information on the 2012 National Championship page

The 2012 Dion USSSA National Championships

will be held on

February 24-26, 2012

in

Frisco, CO

At

Summit High School adjacent Iron Springs Open Space

Some updates: Town of Frisco is extremely excited to have us. They want to setup an info table on Friday at the registration. Racers will get a discount at the Frisco tubing hill too. Frisco Main Street will be hosting our racers all Saturday night...Upstairs at Johnny G's, Moosejaw, Backcountry Brewery, Blue Spruce, Ollies, etc.

Menu For Friday Night National Championship Dinner/Reception
Antipasto Sausage Skewers
Smoky Eggplant and White Bean Dip with Pita Chips
Chipotle Black Bean Dip
Shrimp "Margarita" with Avocados and Garden Tomatoes
Grilled Hoisin Chicken in Lettuce Cups
Greek Salad Skewers
Zucchini Cannelloni with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Cream Cheese Pesto Dip with grilled herb pita chips
Cream Cheese Sun-dried Tomato Pesto with Grilled Pita Strips

Free for all registered athletes. Guests and non-athletes $10

RUNNING ON WATER: EDITION NUMBER 21

Snowshoe Racing Blossoms In Durango...

2nd Annual "Winter Warrior 5 & 10k" Race arrives February 11th!

Beyond the clatter of my preciously busy hometown of Durango, up high among vanilla-coated pines and naked aspens there is arising another, albeit softer, clatter. The sound is from 'sport snowshoes' dancing across wintery landscapes like the mystical hooves of Santa's reindeer. These are NOT your grandfather's snowshoes. Rawhide webs and leather bindings are an eon of high technology lost to these 8"x 22" speed weapons made from composite decking and frame materials to which NASA would approvingly nod. These new generation snowshoes, the love children from die-hard winter athletes like myself, have suddenly become the vehicle of choice for a winter fitness revolution drawing millions of dry-land fitness warriors - such as runners and cyclists - toward a loving embrace of winter endurance training

Photo by Joe Viger

Wanted

New columnists to be featured on this site.

Do you have some knowledge connected with snowshoeing you are dying to share? Can you write an interesting article?

We are looking for a few authors willing to write an article or a series of articles to be featured on our website.

What do you get out of this? You get the bragging rights of belonging to a very exclusive club of great writers. Sorry but we can't pay for your submissions.

If you are interested please send your submission to webmaster@snowshoeracing.com

Any article submitted will become the non-exclusive property of the United States Snowshoe Association to use or not use as they see fit. We will not stop you from submitting your writing to other publications, but we do ask that if it is used by them you let us know so we can ask to place a link to it if we see fit.

Feature Article

Written by Phillip Gary Smith Published on January 18, 2012: A classic two-for-one is a big benefit for the 2012 Winterfest Snowshoe Race. In addition to qualifying for the United States Snowshoe Association’s National Championship in Frisco, Colorado, February 24-26, 2011, a participant could also qualify for the New York State Championship. With championship-type age groups (five-year increments) for racers, toasty eats with beverages when one finishes, and a Citizens 5 km optional course, one has every reason to be there. The glorious Mendon Ponds Park is the perfect location, in addition, as a racer picks up packets at the park’s Calvary Lodge. Read More

Attention Service Men & Women

USSSA All Military Division

We offer what we call the "All-Military" Division at our annual US National Snowshoe Championships. All active duty members of all branches of the US Armed Forces are invited to compete in our 10km National Men's and Women's Snowshoe Championship events.

You do not need to 'qualify' to compete. But, you do need to be a current USSSA member and then register for the National Championship event. You can find the NC entry form and usssa membership information on our website at www.snowshoeracing.com.

Help us spread the word. We have a team division too. Individually, male military members compete in the men's 10km NC race and female military members compete in the ladies 10km NC race.

Top 5 All-Military finishers in each race earn medals. Top male and female team (3 or more members from same branch) win a team award to display at their base for a year.

We expect to have snowshoe vendors on site in Frisco CO at nationals who can provide loaner snowshoes too. Just be aware, the race course starts at over 9000' elevation and goes up from there.

Weather Conditions at site of

2012 National Championships
in
Frisco, CO

For International Snowshoe Information Click on logo

More ways to stay connected with us


CHEYENNE--Brent Weigner, age 62, has become the oldest person in the world to run an ultramarathon (any distance over 26.2 miles) in the interior of Antarctica. Weigner finished fourth in the Antarctic Ice Marathon 100K (http://www.icemarathon.com/) on December 2, covering the 62.1 miles in 15:41:04 despite a wind chill of -12F. His time broke the previous 60 and over record of 16:12:53 set by Frenchman Henri Alain D’ Andria in December of 2010. Weigner’s time also bested the previous U.S. record of 17:16:53 set by California man Mike Pierce in December of 2006. Weigner also set a new world standard for running marathons and ultramarathons on all the continents a record seven times.
After running four 25 kilometer loops through snow and ice in the interior of Antarctica (79.46S, 83.16W), polar runner Weigner – whose effort coincided with the 100-year anniversary of man reaching the South Pole – was warmly welcomed at Union Glacier Camp by 13-time Everest climber Dave Hahn, among others. Two other competitors in the 100-kilometer race did not fare so well, and were put on intravenous drips immediately after the race. Weigner, however, said he felt fine and actually considered carrying on to run 100 miles.
Weigner, a former geography teacher and cross country coach at McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, thrives in extreme polar races. In 1999 he became the first person to run ultramarathons (races longer than the official Olympic marathon distance of 26.2 miles) on all seven continents. His record of 267 days still stands today. In 2002, he served as a consultant, helped organize, and ran in the first South Pole Marathon. Weigner also cofounded and ran in the first North Pole Marathon in 2003. In 2006, he completed Antarctica’s first stage race and the only 100 mile race ever held on mainland Antarctica. In 2007, Weigner ran and also served as the onsite race director for the Antarctic Ice Marathon and 100K. He is the only person in the world to have run ultramarathons at the Geographic South Pole (2002) and the Geographic North Pole (2003).

Photo by Joe Viger

Mendon Ponds Winterfest DION Snowshoe USSSA National Championship Qualifier Has Additional Benefit