LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - When it comes to knowing the ins and outs of snowshoeing, five youth from the Deh Cho have a big foot up over their peers.

Charlene Deneyoua, Madison Pilling, Brandon Norris and Alicia Norris from Fort Simpson along with Tyler Jumbo from Trout Lake have all won the right to represent the NWT in snowshoe biathlon at the upcoming Arctic Winter Games.

Fort Simpson athletes who will be competing at the Arctic Winter Games in snowshoe biathlon include, from left, Brandon Norris, Madison Pilling, Charlene Deneyoua and Alicia Norris. Also on the team is Tyler Jumbo from Trout Lake. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The athletes make up five members of the eight-person team that will compete in Yellowknife from March 9-15.

Although they make their sport look easy as they run over the snow during practices, the youth are the first to admit that snowshoeing isn't a walk in the park.

"At first it was a challenge," said Brandon Norris who competes in the junior boys division.

Charlene Deneyoua is quick to agree.

"It was really hard," said Deneyoua, a senior girls competitor.

The challenge all comes down to the equipment involved- a set of snowshoes.

Snowshoe biathletes at the Arctic Winter Games aren't allowed to use modern snowshoes made out of lightweight metals and plastics. For these athletes it's back to the basics.

The athletes have to wear regulation-sized snowshoes made out of a wooden frame and webbing of leather or gut.

"They're like big shoes," said Alicia Norris.

For footwear, traditional mukluks or moccasins are used. How to secure the two together is the first thing you have to learn.

Athletes have to tie their mukluk-clad feet to the snowshoes using soft leather, hide or lampwik.

If you don't tie the bindings properly, they come undone when you're running, said Brandon Norris.

Once you have the bindings secure you still need to learn how to snowshoe properly.

When you snowshoe you making a shuffling movement with your feet, said Norris. You have to keep your feet low to the ground so all your energy is used to push you forward instead of using it to bring your feet up, he said.

There's also the matter of running with two large objects strapped to your feet.

In the beginning it's not easy.

"I fell down a lot," said Madison Pilling.

The trick, said Pilling, is to spread your legs a bit more. It does get easier when you get the hang of it, she said.

"They're really neat to run in," said Alicia Norris.

The five members of the team have been practising their snowshoeing technique since there's been enough snow on the ground, said Bessie Norris, who is coaching the team.

The team did a lot of training to build up endurance and conditioning. The better shape the biathletes are in, the better they do in the marksmanship portion of the races, said Norris.

The team snowshoes together on the golf course and practises their shooting using air rifles in the Norris' basement.

All five members of the Fort Simpson team competed at the trials for the Arctic Winter Games that were held in Hay River on Dec. 15. Having all five members move on to the games is exciting, Norris said.

"We're so proud about having the whole team make it," Norris said.

Getting the team this far was a joint effort with a number of people including Doug Swallow and Pat Bobinski, who is the coach for the Hay River Biathlon Club, said Norris. The team also received funding to help with transportation from Sport North and MACA.

With two months remaining until the games, all five athletes agree they're excited to compete.