SNOWSHOEING GAINING TOEHOLD AS SPORT

SNOWSHOEING GAINING TOEHOLD AS SPORT

STOWE, Vt. (Wireless Flash) -- Snowboarding is taking a back seat to snowshoeing. Experts say there are now more than four million snowshoe enthusiasts in the U.S. alone -- and the snow- climbing clodhoppers are actually gaining a toehold with sports lovers. According to Kathy Murphy of Tubbs Snowshoes, most folks are using snowshoes for hiking, running and walking over snowy terrain -- but there's also growing interest in sports such as snowshoe volleyball. Murphy admits most people think of snowshoes as cumbersome wooden things, but today's models are actually made of lightweight aluminum and are "very space age." The snowshoe industry hopes to increase the number of users even more by holding free snowshoe clinics next week at 10 locations across America.