Snowshoes are a form of footwear devised for travelling over snow. They work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the persons foot doesnt sink into the snow. Traditional showshoes have a hardwood frame with leather lacings.
Some modern snowshoes are similar, but made of light metal while others are a single piece of plastic attached to the foot to spread the weight. In addition to distributing the weight, snowshoes are generally raised at the toe for maneuverability.
They must not accumulate snow, hence the latticework, and require bindings to attach them to the feet.
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