Since ancient times people have used snowshoes for moving around during hunting, for explorartions or simply to get around daily in snow terrain.

In old travel reports, pictures show that also the pulling and carrying animals were fitted out with snowshoes. The form of snowshoes varies strongly: the North American Indians have snowshoes in fish and tennis racket shaped. In terms of materials the shoes consist mainly of a wood frame with a covering of leather, animal gut, fur, hemp, more recent models are fitted with wire. The bindings are usually straps, bindings with heel straps were first seen at the start of the last century.

Even though the initial reason for snow shoes was survival, they have always been used for fun by walking. Exactly when it became a sport activity is unknown.
Snow shoe touring had a long unnoticed existence until someone realised that snowshoes were not just an excellent mode of transport for extreme skiers or snowboarders to help in climbing, but also enable us to reach new aspects of nature found far away from the paths, courses and lifts. The sport of snowshoeing is constantly winning new starters, a development that more and more tourist regions are reacting to and are providing an appropriate service as a result. This is also the case in the Dachstein Tauern Region.