The practice of snow-shoeing goes back several millennia. Once an essential travel tool for hunting and everyday life, the North American Indians developed the art for specific uses. Travel routes were not what they are today, and there was a great deal more than that we have in our mountains. Snowshoes have served the military and made movement in the frozen North possible. The use of snowshoes for recreation is a recent development, the real boom happening as recently as the 1990s. Since then, this simple idea has undergone many improvements for recreational use and today allow you to go almost everywhere, on all types of snow (except very hard snow) and on virtually any terrain. A large number of practitioners have been able to discover a different facet of winter in the mountains. Hike across the Catalan Pyrenees, and discover a beautiful and unspoilt environment. The Nordic skiing areas at Font-Romeu and Capcir have signposted hiking trails. Remember that the mountain and the snow can be dangerous, and appropriate safety rules should always be followed.
