Keeping the Snowshoe Making Tradition Alive

For the past 30 years, Bill Novacek has handcrafted traditional wooden snowshoes at his home workshop in Lancaster, selling and shipping his product to customers all over the world.  

Novacek’s business, Coos Canoe & Snowshoe, is an homage to New Hampshire’s northernmost and largest county. An area consisting primarily of national forest land, wilderness and mountains, it comes as no surprise that Novacek sources all of his materials locally. 

Bill Novacek has been making snowshoes and rawhide furniture out of local ash wood for more than 27 years.

“When you purchase some of my work,” Novacek writes on his website, referring to rawhide furniture and canoes in addition to the traditional snowshoes, “you take advantage of all this effort.” 

For the frames of the snowshoes, Novacek uses white ash, a strong, lightweight hardwood. Once the wood is cut to the proper size, Novacek boils it in a stainless-steel tray so that the wood becomes flexible enough to shape around a jig. 

Novacek makes, cuts and ties his own rawhide, which he uses for the netting in his products. “You can’t buy the type that is made exactly the way I like it, so I make it myself,” he explained from his workshop, examining a stack of rawhide piled high on a table. “And it’s a little stronger, too, because I don’t have to use chemicals. Just
a little elbow grease.” 

After the purchased animal skins have been cleaned and dried, Novacek cuts around the perimeter, removing the stomach, tail and neck, which is often thick with scars from bucks fighting one another. He’ll cut the rawhide that remains until he’s left with a long strip about one-half inch wide and several hundred feet long. Next, he’ll put the end in a vise and stretch the material, removing any weaknesses and reducing it to about three-eighths of an inch wide. 

“Hides are like a piece of steel wool,” Novacek offered. “They’ve got all these fibers in there. You can change the shape of steel wool the same way as the hide. After you’ve stretched it with all of your might, it’s going to come out thin and a different shape. It rearranges itself so that it’s got all the play out of it. Everything’s aligned the way you want it, so it won’t stretch while you’re using it.”

The end product is called babiche, a cord of rawhide used by Indigenous people for canoe seats, fishing nets and, of course, snowshoes. Novacek typically uses deer hide in the toe and tail of the snowshoe, a material that keeps its strength when cut finely. Underfoot, where the snowshoe experiences the most wear and tear, he tends to use cowhide. “I’m using the best of both worlds,” he said. 

At times, Novacek will even use moose hide for custom-ordered snowshoes, although he admits it’s more absorbent than other hides, making the shoes heavier in wet conditions. “Some people just get a kick out of the idea of moose hide. It’s more rustic looking than deer hide and so some people just like that style.” 

On average, Novacek can tie two pairs of shoes per day. “And that’s the relaxing part, tying the snowshoes,” he admitted. “Sitting down here by the wood stove with a cup of tea and nobody bothering me.” 

To finish the process, Novacek stamps his logo into the wooden frame before varnishing the entire product, admittedly his least favorite part of his work. “The Native Americans didn’t have varnish. There was no Ace Hardware on the corner. Just plain rawhide and wood. And I’ve done that myself. As long as you bring them in and dry them out at the end of the day, they seem to last just as long as if you varnish them.” 

On his website, Novacek offers four styles of snowshoe for purchase: the modified bearpaw, the modified Maine, the Alaskan and the Ojibwa. Generally speaking, the shorter styles are more maneuverable while longer shoes with tails tend to slide along more easily in the snow.

Novacek also uses a variety of deer, moose and cow hides for the weaving in each of his products.

The modified bearpaw is the most popular because they can be used in varying conditions. Rounded at both ends and resembling an oval, they have a slight lift in the toe. The modified Maine shoe has a more dramatic curve, similar to the shape of a tennis racket, with a short, pointed tail. In this style, the shoes fit alongside one another as the person walks at a normal gait, a feature known as nesting. A long, slender shoe, the Alaskan offers nine and a half inches of curve up to the toe, making them faster in open terrain. Traditionally, drivers of dog sleds would use them to run ahead of the team in deep snow to pack down the trail. 

The Ojibwa — named after the Ojibwe people, an Indigenous tribe that settled around the Great Lakes Region and first developed this unique design — are pointed at both ends, perfect for weaving through brush in wooded areas. Taking a small pair of black and red-painted Ojibwa from the wall, Novacek explained that a similar pair were traditionally crafted for a young boy before his first hunt to symbolize his coming of age. 

“The Ojibwa are very attractive-looking,” he said, returning the decorative pair to its place on the wall. “And I think most people buy them just because they like the way they look.” 

Reflecting on 30 years of work, Novacek shared that he most enjoys interacting with folks who like snowshoeing and appreciate the craft. 

“Life is not all just work. Dealing with people adds a different dimension to it,” Novacek started. “It’s also nice when you have someone that’s willing to pay for your product, but at the same time, you’re making them happy because you have something they view as a quality product.”

To find solitude this winter, consider hitting the snowshoe trails at these locations: 

Great Glen Trails, Gorham

With both groomed and ungroomed trails to explore and one of the largest snowshoe rental fleets in the state, Great Glen Trails is a great place to start for a winter walk in the woods. They also offer guided day and evening tours on Saturdays throughout the season. 

Purity Spring Resort XC & Snowshoe Reserve, Madison

A network of trails wind around Purity Lake and through the tall pines in the Hoyt/Audubon Sanctuary. Snowshoe rentals are available up the road at the King Pine Rental Shop.  

Gunstock Nordic Center, Gilford 

With headlamps and snowshoes, ascend the Tiger Chair and traverse the ridge of Gunstock Mountain on foot. Tours are held weekly on Fridays and Saturday nights. Guided walks
through the Nordic trails are also available on weekends throughout the winter.  

Bear Brook State Park, Allenstown

As the largest developed state park in New Hampshire with 40 miles of trails, this spot is perfect for every snowshoer due to its range of walking options. 

Crawford Notch State Park, Hart’s Location

Embrace the surroundings of the White Mountain National Forest by exploring the trails
in Crawford Notch. A trek up to Arethusa Falls or Ripley Falls are great for beginner and intermediate snowshoers.