A Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Trail Skills from the Far North [Paperback]

Garrett Conover (Author), Alexandra Conover (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 1994

This guide teaches how to live and travel in the winter wilderness using Native American nomadic skills. It includes plans and detailed building instructions (as well as sources for those who would rather buy) for the essential equipment of the Native American snow walker: snowshoes and moccasins, toboggans, tents and clothing. A snow walker can haul 130 pounds of gear on a trailed sled more comfortably than can a skiing or snowshoeing backpacker carrying less than 45 pounds and using the most modern equipment. The text includes 80 photographs of American Indians in the north, demonstrating techniques and building equipment. It provides a guide to the techniques of snowshoeing along frozen waterways, carrying supplies in towed toboggans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill (October 23, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070228922
• ISBN-13: 978-0070228924
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,224,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb book on winter travel in the bush, January 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Trail Skills from the Far North (Paperback)

This book is first-class! It has the attention to detail that only the Conovers, both Maine Guides, could bring to it.

It covers snowshoes, bindings, moccasins, boots, toboggans, tents, stoves, food, clothes, and travel by snowmobile. There is even an excellent discussion on the psychology of winter camping.

The emphasis is on winter traveling the way Native Americans have done and are still doing it -- in a safe and comfortable way.

The sources of equipment and further information at the end of each chapter are very valuable.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in winter wilderness travel and camping or in the material culture of the Native Americans of the Sub-Arctic boreal areas.

Rich Howe

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greatest Outdoor books of our generation., December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Trail Skills from the Far North (Paperback)

I cannot snowshoe very often in Tennessee (hah ha) but this book makes me wish I could. I had read Garrett's Beyond the Paddle and loved it so I got this book and was blown away. I would reccomend it to anyone who likes to camp-out in woodland areas in the winter. Every view in this book is perceptive, inciteful and entertaining. Do not pass this one up. It ranks up there with the works of Bill Mason, Cache Lake Country and works by Calvin Rustrum.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Book Coming!, November 2, 2005

By 

Snow Ranger (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Trail Skills from the Far North (Paperback)

The newest edition of the book previously published as "A Snow Walker's Companion" and "The Winter Wilderness Companion" is hot off the presses and made it's sales debut at the 6th Annual Traditional Winter Camping Symposium near Eau Claire, WI this past weekend.

"Snow Walker's Companion" by Garrett and Alexandra Conover, published by Stone Ridge Press, will be available on Amazon and other outlets in time for Christmas/Chanukah shopping. The book now includes a color photo section and updated information on equipment sources as well as titanium stoves, GPS and sat-phone use and other improvements since the 2001 edition.