Poor Man´s Ikea Snow Shoes

Where I live, snow is not something you can take for granted every winter. We have some every year but this does not mean you will always get the chance to play snowball wars or even build up a snowman, not to say taking out your sled. Nevertheless, everytime our peaks and mountain ranges get this white coat, crowds gather at the skirts of the range and fill the narrow and few roads to get there. Often to be only able to see the snow far from their cars.

Most of the times, people are fine with just sliding down the side of the road where there are small hills. So investing in expensive gear is not very popular, and many end up with soaked shoes and frozen jeans after a couple hours having fun in the outdoors.

But poor man's stuff is also ready for those that dare to enjoy the snow but have no money.

You may be one of these people who likes all the IKEA's stuff. In that case, you are lucky!

Ikea shells some small ironing table for just around 4 € (JÄLL Ironingboard). If you are not one of those fans, anyway, there is no reason you will not spend 8€ in a pair of poor man's snowshoes.

In my particular case, I rescued the board from my mother-in-law's garbage and at this moment I saw the instructable in my mind.

2 IKEA JÄLL Ironingboard

1 elastic car straps with hooks per ironing board

Snow (of course)

Hot chocolate with enough mugs if you're not alone.

Just lay the ironing board on the snow, upsidedown and (unlike I did in the pictures) with the broad end facing forward.

Put one foot in the middle on top of the board, in a manner that the front board's "leg" rests on the boot.

The rear "leg" will probably lean on your heel.

Now is the time for tying the board to your foot with the hooked rubber strap, which is a personal design rather than technical. There are, though, some tips I wish to write here:

1. the strap should keep the board tight but not so much that it will not let the foot work properly (it must be possible to separate the heel from the board when your body advances leaving the foot behind. see step 5)
2. The strap should keep the foot centered both longitudinal and laterally
3. The strap should be easy to adjust, which is probably needed in the firsts attempts, or after the first Km or so.
4. It is better not to have knots that will frozen and be impossible to unlace or need your naked hand to be worked, which will probably lead to painful soaring or even frostbites.

Now you can walk, or waddle, depending on your body size.