Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Gear Advice : Snowshoes

HI,

I have been considering purchasing snowshoes, but I am not sure how to decide between all the options. What features should I be looking for? How do I decide the best weight, size, model, brand, etc? I will probably be using them for day trips mostly or maybe an overnight. I currently live near the Sierras, but I also spend a lot of time in the Rockies. Should the different types of snow affect my decision? Does anyone have a "favorite pair" or something that has worked well for them? Thank you!

The Denali Evo Ascents seem to be popular if you're going to be doing any steeper grades or tougher hikes. It's also nice because you can get an extra 6" tail for extra lift on the days when you're carrying a heavy pack or your in super soft snow. Seems to be a very versatile snowshoe.

http://www.msrgear.com/snowshoes/denalievoascent.asp

Agreed, I LOVE my Denali AScent Evo's. The only trouble I've ever had is on slopes of greater than 35-40deg, when the heel lock tended to collapse. I'm not sure why. They do really well on traverses as well, since they have both the foot crampons and the teeth on the edges of the shoe for traction.

Used them all last weekend with a big pack, and they were great!

-L

Rent before you buy. Most everyone will defend their purchase of a particular type of snowshoe.

Body, packweight and type of snow will determine the shoes you need. I have a friend who has 22", 25" and 30" shoes for different conditions.

The rule of thumb is 1 sq. in. for every pound of body and packweight. A 9" x 25" snowshoe will accommodate 225 pounds.

TSL is not very known in the USA, but they are one the most popular snowshoes in Europe and especially in the mountaineering community. I have a TSL 225, it a composite plastic step-in type. They also make a bunch of models with strap bindings. I prefer step-ins in anything i can buy.
I believe they are now starting to do business in the USA but you won't find them in stores or for rent. You can buy off their website....google them for the web address (Search word TSL snowshoes)

I have an old pair of Tubbs which are 1/3 larger than anything on the market right now, and I still posthole now and then. I was looking at the new shoes and they are too small !! no flotation at all, they may be fast on hard pack but who needs em there?

I have the Redfeather (one of the cheaper models). They work great for general use, maybe not so much for steep icy traverses, but then I'd be wearing crampons anyway. While they don't have the extreme crampons the MSRs do, they do have a hinged crampon at the toe and a fixed one at the heal. They are also very light, so I don't mind so much carrying them just in case.

I used MSR Lightning Ascents for my trip up Whitney via the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek last month. They performed superbly, and I can't imagine making the approach in anything else.

The cookie-cutter frame really bites nicely into hard snow, and you can (sort of) front-point steep terrain with the integrated crampon.

Downsides: the "televator" heel lifter occasionally collapses (doesn't stay put), and the bindings came undone once or twice. Also, there was one place on 40-degree terrain that I thought I could get away with on the snowshoes (rather than switching to crampons) but soon found myself immobilized as the shoes failed to bite into anything at all. [I was traversing/downclimbing]

But all in all, the snowshoe of choice if you're going up North Fork in the dead of winter.

ms2119

Just bought the MSR Lightning Ascents at REI today (on clearance). Was there any particular situation that caused your bindings to come undone?

Can't wait to try them out!

MC

I think the bindings came undone mainly when I failed to properly secure the "tail" of the binding into the (secondary) clip. My experience is that the clip should be as far as possible out laterally to be effective. Also, and it probably goes without saying, one should ratchet the binding pretty tight for the prong to really bite into the rubber hole.

Also, I should elaborate on where the crampons didn't bite. I was on steep, compact, frozen snow, trying to downclimb/traverse. I was too lazy to switch into crampons. All gear has limitations, and I tried to push the snowshoes past theirs.

My MSR Lightning Ascents work great in my particular stomping ground......Sierra concrete. I have the short tails but I rarely use them. But YMMV. The bindings can be a little finicky. They will come loose if not drawn very tightly. Also if your shoes do not have a firm upper, such as pac boots, the bindings will loosen up as they compress the boot.

Thanks ms2119 and mtntrailrunner. The bindings of the Lightning Ascents coming undone when slightly loosened concerns me a bit. I had also considered the MSR Denali EVO Ascents but liked the lighter weight and more narrow heel of the Women's Lightning Ascent (I believe the straps are the same). I do like that the '07/'08 Lightning Ascent has (3) straps vs. just the (2) straps of previous years. Btw mtntrailrunner, I thought the tails would only attach to the Denali EVO Ascent.

Has anyone used both the Denali EVO Ascent and the Lightning Ascent that could compare the two?

Thanks!
MC

I stand corrected. My snowshoes are Denali Evo Ascents. Sorry for the confusion.

I recently bought a pair of the standard Denali snowshoes after looking at quite a few different models. The EVO Ascents looked great and I almost bought those, but they will accept only a 6 inch tail vs. an 8 inch tail for the standard Denali, so I went with the regular Denali with an 8 inch tail. I figure I need every square inch of flotation possible when using a heavy pack. I recently used them on an overnight snowcamp and am very happy with the binding fit, secureness, and overall performance.