Snow shoes.

“Can anybody tell me about MSR snow shoes.
Has anybody used any of them, please no hypothesizers, genuine users.
Contrary to popular belief, it does snow over here.”

“I rented a pair last year and was genuinely impressed. I don't recall the model # but they had detatchable tails and cost about $385 new apparently. Did about 6 miles in them, I guess. They were great!”

“Thanks”

“I own a pair of Denali's and their great. I especially like the side traction bars which alot of other shoes do not have. This is good if you do any kind of traverseing. I notice that the MSRs don't have the sticky snow problem either. I believe they cost about $120. Nice little pair of snowshoes.”

“Thanks.

Anybody used the ones with heel locks(?)”

“I am kinda partial to them (I helped with the testing and design) and in most conditions I like them better then the competition in everything but the deepest powder. They work best for lighter user's and when the powder isn't up to your neck and in spring snow conditions.......the one area where they really shine is in spring snow, firm or heavy snow, that's where the heel lifts really work well, like when your climbing a steep ridge, on many routes you can use then instead of your crampon's. Like Wasatch mentioned, the side rails really work on traverses, most snowshoes don't like to traverse. I have only used the heel lift's on a couple occasions and they worked great, the version that uses the heel lifts has a better binding (in my opinion) then the other models, it works really well with stiffer and bigger boots.....if you have small feet make sure it fits your boots well.

The largest tail add-on (8") can be kind of a of a problem...in deep powder, when you would really need it, it makes the toe of the shoe sink in at a different rate then the tail (you walk with the toe slightly pointed down), you can offset this to some degree by moving your foot back in the binding as far as possible. The mid size tail, 4" I think, works best in most snow conditions. I can't tell ya how many times we were heading out, hit firmer snow and I reached down, pulled of the tails and practically ran down the mountain..

If you expect to use the shoes with the large tail extension all the time, you may be better off with another pair of shoes, if you will be in all kinds of snow conditions, they are great...plus you can't beat the price.”

“You may want to look at the Northern Lites Backcountry. They are one of the lightest on the market. I've used them for a year now and am real happy with them.”

“After reading mtnsteve response about the heel thing. These are called the Ascents, I've used them on one occasion, but forgot to pull the bar in the back up. They also have a couple of spikes which the Denali's don't. My one friend likes them alot, he swears that the bar in the back helps alot on ascents.”

“What mountainsteve and wasatch say seems right on to me. My buddy has a pair and we did Dix in a snowstorm. Good on the steep - my big Atlases wanted to ski - but on the deep powder and not-so-steep terrain, mine (and his Tubbs) performed better.”

“Also, I seem to remember the bindings coming loose several times.”

“I'm looking forward to using the Ascents I got last year... just before I had that small 'altercation' with my ankle. I was planning kindof a last-minute trip and the price was definitely right. The only dig I've heard about them is related to noise on crusty snow.

I've seen that Northern Lites website before, too, and was wondering how sturdy they were, being so light. What are the bindings like on those?

It seems like that's where 'the rubber meets the road,' so to speak. I recall someone recommending a ratchet binding, but I forget which make... Tubbs, maybe, or Atlas?”

“I use tubbs!

8)”

“Get a pair with heel locks that flip up to raise the boot heel for climbing steep slopes. As long as your'e not carrying alot of weight the MSR's are great.”

“Sounds good blokes.
I have a pair of tubbs, and my feet skew sideways no matter how tight the bindings are and it drives me nuts.
It's usually not a problem with deep powder over here, we can only dream.

Do they kick up much snow, the Tubbs kick up heaps.

If you guys have any tips or pointers I'd love to know as the "sport" is still very new here.”

“Use ski poles.....adjustable if you can afford them......they are also used as your "sticks" in the summer.

Get the ones that have a replacable tip's on the end so you can still use your baskets after a summer of banging them on rocks.”

“The Northern Lites use a rubber strap/metal buckle. I may have a few photos around. I'll post them if I find them. If it has a particular name, I don't know it.

I haven't had any problems with them yet, though I've only had them for one season.”

“Thanks, Mike.

The Denali Ascents have rubber straps (2 across the arch and one around the heel) and what I guess you would call a 'simplified' buckle... with no moving parts.

All My parts are healed up --- now if only we can get some SNOW up in North Carolina this Winter!”

“Tilt, Tubbs has a model that have the ratchet system.

I have a pair of Tubbs Altitude (regular strap binding).”

“a-HA!

Seems like there was SOMEone who sent their SS's in for some warranty work and they got the ratchet bindings put on for a good price --- and they were frothing at the mouth all over the place about it, LOL

I think maybe it was Snowpeak, that wacky Irish girl from Colorado...”

“Snownymph got her Atlas bindings upgraded for free, I believe.”

“Hey, I was in the right hemisphere... <G>”

“Atlas bindings upgraded for free? Can someone tell me about this?”