Dion Snowshoes Celebrates 25 Years

By Laura Clark

Roughly 6,000 years ago, early man strapped rawhide around wood to facilitate the crossing over the Bering Sea Land Bridge into North America. The classic wood frame snowshoes we still see today that developed were great for covering flat distances and distributing the wearer’s weight evenly over deep snow. I know, I own a vintage pair crafted by Havlick Snowshoes, formerly of Mayfield. With no crampons to grip the snow, climbing even with poles, is tricky and laborious, and undertaking narrow trails, impossible. Still, at times I feel like an owl, silently gliding over the landscape. When snowfall is deep, they are marvelous for tramping snow into a workable pattern for our current narrower, aluminum frame models.

But for running? Not so much. Even in the early 1990s the evolution of smaller, lightweight models, was still back in the dark ages, with wide bases and 26” lengths (Sherpa). Looking back, I can’t believe that we actually ran in these contraptions. But then again, 25 years ago some of us ran in sweatpants and cotton T-shirts. And it was fine because most people did it and we were all equal in that respect. The big name brands before Dion Snowshoes modernized the sport in southern Vermont, were Redfeathers, Sherpas, Atlas, and Northern Lites, refreshingly buoyant, but too wide for narrow trails. Tubbs were favored, also being from Vermont, but very wide with bindings that tended to unhitch. Atlas stayed on, but they were fat. Redfeathers weren’t bad, but still awkward.

I first gave snowshoeing a try with the Western Mass Athletic Club (WMAC) in the early ’90s under the direction of Edward Alibozek of Suffield, Conn. And while it was fun not to worry about rocks and roots, our shins got banged up from wobbly bindings and trying to negotiate narrow trails in wide shoes. 

Most snowshoe designs allowed for excessive lateral movement, letting them bang against racers’ legs and ankles. One of my friends, Maureen Roberts of Saratoga Springs, had her own solution – she bandaged her ankles with surgical tape to avoid painful bruises! 

Bob Dion of Readsboro, Vt., an engineer and runner, thought that folks shouldn’t have to injure themselves for doing something fun. He figured he could create something better that would incorporate the sporadic innovations of the other companies. And really, the field was wide open. My husband Jeff and I, who quickly discovered ourselves in charge of bringing loaner Dion Snowshoes to the events, were quite honestly shocked when Redfeather told us that snowshoe racing was a niche sport and there was no reason for them to tinker with their product. Famous last words.

Much like Phil Knight, who traveled to track meets and sold Nikes from the trunk of his car, Bob took the personal approach, offering loaners to eager athletes. The pinnacle of the success of this approach came when ultramarathon legend Nikki Kimball (Athlete Profile, June 2001), a former resident of Elizabethtown and Keene, N.H., and a member of WMAC, ditched her sponsored snowshoes and won the U.S. Nationals in 2001 wearing a loaner pair of Dions! Nikki won again in 2004 and 2005 and was runner-up in 2003. Besides being sleek and lightweight, the main reason for their success was that from the start, their fastening system did not wobble. You were confident when you placed your foot on the trail the shoe would not take off in a different direction.

This sense of purpose did not come accidentally. Those of us participating in Dion-sponsored events were delighted with an almost weekly showcase of new (and free) improvements to test. Once the initial lacing system was in place, Bob experimented with straps that latched and straps that “velcroed.” With his policy of supplying rentals to our races, the buckling straps were necessary to fit a wide variety of sneaker sizes, while those who had bought their own often opted for the easier Velcro system. This was a bit trickier as not all Velcro products were created equal. Our original versions required us to carry a small bottle brush to sweep off the snow when the straps unfastened! The most likely scenario, however, was that those of us in the back of the pack participated in a scavenger hunt of sorts, seeing how many fallen soldiers we could retrieve. This demonstrated the effectiveness of Bob’s three strap system (two across the top of the foot, and one around the heel); if one strap came loose the snowshoer was often able to continue on their merry way, not realizing that a strap had been compromised.

The same procedure was applied to the cleats, the teeth that provide traction and enable you to grip the snow firmly and propel forward. Manufacturers started out with short aluminum cleats, but then Bob developed longer versions for deeper snowfalls. Theoretically, this would have worked if other crampons had been stronger, so we continued our treasure hunt for lost and broken cleats. Before a race, most folks dither about how many layers to wear; some of us dithered about deep vs. short, much like XC skiers debating on waxing choices. Now with the advent of better materials and durable stainless steel ice cleats to accommodate global warming conditions, these debates are just a fond memory from the early days. Most of all we trusted Bob and his passion to create a workable product. He was a die-hard snowshoer all year-round. 

Bob reminisces about “The time I did the Savoy 15-Mile Trail Race in the summer when I was wearing snowshoes to test the new cleats I had designed. I remember the looks I got from runners when I passed them!” Well-known as a local New England trail running legend long before he began designing snowshoes, Bob was a serious competitor, winning and placing in many ultra events and directing many more. As such, his approach to refining his product was based on experience. Feedback was up close and personal from the many who tested his innovations and felt part of his effort to expand their sport.

According to Bob, “We have the only truly modular snowshoe system out there.”  Just visit the website, and you can see how many options are available. Lighter-weight individuals who feel they need more grip, tend to opt for deeper cleats, while the heftier sort do fine with the standard cleats. But with the easy-switch system you can change on a dime. If your binding frays, no need to replace the entire snowshoe, just add a new binding. Originally constructed in Bob’s driveway shed in his home town of Readsboro, Vt., the company expanded to Bennington, and has now moved to larger quarters in nearby Pownal, Vt. If you are into the shop local philosophy, know that unlike Tubbs or Atlas, none of the manufacturing is farmed out to China. Inquiries are welcomed and you’re invited to set up an appointment to tour the facility and obtain personalized hands-on advice.

Did you notice the website Dion-NeviTREK? In 2013 Joanne Petrozzi bought out Mayfield’s Havlick Snowshoes equipment and design, creating the NeviTREK Snowshoe brand, catering to hikers and mountain climbers. She met Bob at the 2018 U.S. Snowshoe Nationals at Prospect Mountain in Woodford, Vt. With Bob and his wife Denise Dion looking forward to semi-retirement, Joanne purchased Dion Snowshoes LLC outright in 2019. Bob now enjoys the best of both worlds – he gets to work three days a week planning, purchasing materials, processing orders and consulting, and has two days free to garden and play golf. 

Like Bob, Joanne and her team individually handcrafts each snowshoe and uses materials manufactured only in the U.S. The NeviTREK Adirondack series is designed for the most demanding conditions, while the Tracker is slightly lighter. Both supply a sense of wonder and freedom to the backcountry trekker, who is now able to explore on a maneuverable base. Like the Dions, NeviTREK have a limited lifetime warranty which does not cover obvious abuse such as running on pavement or mounting on microspikes. Or way back, when snowshoeing legend, Rich Busa, now 96, of Marlborough, Mass., jokingly tried to wrangle a free pair of Dions after standing too close to the fire barrel at Mt. Greylock!

To be honest, I do miss the “good ole days” when the snow was so deep that the frontrunners broke trail while those behind got a free ride, with the outcome of the race being decided in the final 50-yard sprint. Pretty much the same folks showed up every weekend. Still, in some ways we were ahead of our time. At our first race of the season, Edward Alibozek, would distribute race bibs and pins, which we were cautioned to keep in our car to use until the end of the season – reusing at its best. We were proud to be innovators in what was then a niche “You do what?!” sport. 

Following in the footsteps of the once start-up Nike, Bob Dion and now Joanne Petrozzi, have proven that personalized service, unbridled enthusiasm, and an evangelical attitude are what makes the difference in any business venture: dionnevitrek.com.

Laura Clark (snowshoegal133@gmail.com) of Saratoga Springs is an avid trail runner, ultramarathoner, snowshoer and cross-country skier. She is a children’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.