Recyclable snowshoes for the Norwegian Armed Forces
These days, the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency supplies 20.000 pairs of new Norwegian-made plastic snowshoes to the Norwegian Armed Forces.
-The new snowshoes have good carrying and gripping capacity. They provide stability and are suitable for a wide range of shoe sizes. In addition, they have a clear environmental profile, says project manager Tom Georg Bjørklund in Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency.
The new snowshoes are supplied by Snowmotion AS, which is owned by Rottefella and Bertel O. Steen. The agreement with the company is up to 48 million NOK and the company has tested and developed the new snowshoes in collaboration with NDMA and the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Dragging the snowshoe instead of lifting
The fully molded plastic snowshoe offers a number of new features:
- The new snowshoe has been developed to provide a more ergonomic gait, says Bjørklund.
The snowshoe is a drag snowshoe: You lift your foot and drag the snowshoe across the snow.
- This way you get the impression that the snowshoe is lighter than it is, says project manager Bjørklund.
The new plastic snowshoes weigh only 1,525 grams per snowshoe and are very easy to put on. Wearing parts such as buckles and straps can be changed in the field with your bare hands, without the need for tools.
Green profile
The collaboration with the company Snowmotion has given the new snowshoes a green profile. The snowshoes are made out of recyclable plastic and can be returned to the manufacturer who will dismantle and reuse parts of the material in the snowshoes.
The snowshoes are also robust and more flexible than the previous ones. They withstand temperatures down to minus 40 degrees and can be bent and twisted and then return to their original shape.
- We have tested the snowshoes well and we have only received one snowshoe that has broken, says Bjørklund.
From size 36 to 52
Another important detail is that this snowshoe has a wide range of shoe sizes. The snowshoe's binding is designed to be used from size 36 without a foot bag to size 52 with a foot bag.
- Another novelty with the snowshoes is that they have a heel handle shaped like a hoop that can be pulled up when walking uphill. You then get a lighter walk and feel that you are walking on flatter ground. The heel lifter is also adapted to the shoe size, says project manager Tom Georg Bjørklund in Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency.
