Snoe Shoes

“After day of hiking through snow in the catskills I have decided to break down and buy a par of snow shoes...

I spent some time in an EMS store a while back looking at snow shoes so I have some idea of what I'm looking for, but I was hoping for some input from you northerners...

I will be using them mostly for peak bagging the catskills and the adirondacks, rather then strolls on level ground..

What do you recommend or use?

Thanks a ton....

'32oz”

“Crampons. The MSR snowshoes - the ones with the metal frame are prolly best for your needs, but snowshoes are not really meant for peakbagging. You'll be carrying them (make sure you have daisy chains on your pack and Arno straps ((Campmor)) to secure them - plastic buckle straps won't hold them). Snowshoes can be very dangerous on downhill trails.”

“Thanks Gremlin, I have crampons and micro spikes... the guys with snow shoes blew me away... lot easier with snow shoes..

'32oz”

“You probably were on packed trails then, right?”

“semi packed.... 3-5 inches of new stuff

i need to get back up there and do balsam before march 21st

'32oz”

“MSR Lightning Ascent - Great for peak bagging if you don't want crampons. There is an 'ascender' bar that you flip up under your boot heel that allows you to climb.

Make sure you wear gators though as the entire bottom frame of the shoe is serrated and you'll tear your pants or skin!”

“Thanks sandy, that was one of the ones on my list.. Hope to see you in July/Aug!!!

'32oz”

“Also, th enice thing about snoe shoes shoes and down hill is you just plunge step down and let the shoe slide a little as you go. You'll be down in no time. But then glissading is much faster and mor fun if it is that steep.”

“.”

“also looking for a GPS.... no clue where to start though...

'32oz”

“When ice cliombing we would wrap our ankles with duct tape to protect our gaiters. Skisoeing and glissading are a little to scary for this old guy.

32, I have a Garmin 450t and it's fantastic, I guess. It offers far more than I can use (hunting, fishing, tidal timetables) and is too complicated. I'll take a course in the spring. I got a great deal on the Garmin from a friend who owns a mining company. His geologists wouldn't use them, prefering the laptop sized military type.

If I had it to do over I”

“32oz - I've had Atlas for about 10 years and they have held up great - so the 10 or 12 series would definitely be worth considering. For peaks in the Northeast - there are times when snowshoes come in handy, especially if you are doing mid-week hikes, hiking less popular routes or are among the first out after a snowstorm. In my experience, in the Northeast - you don't need to follow the weight guidelines for snowshoes. If you get only one pair, get the size smaller than the one recommended for your weight.

MSR Ascents come in two flavors, as far as I know. They are controversial - some love them, some think they are junk. I suggest checking out a thread like this before buying: http://www.viewsfromthetop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34030”

“I use the Denali Evo but wouldn't really consider them for ascending steep hills. That why I have G12 crampons.”

“I have Atlas too, but a couple yeasrs ago they and Tubbs were bought by K2 and the production moved offshore. I have issues with that.

GV and Faber (Google) are Canadian made and one of them will be my next pair.”

“I have Redfeather's with the pointed tail and like them.
Previously had used round tailed snowshoes and as I walk with toes pointed slightly out kept stepping on the tail of the other show a major pain, does not happen with the pointed tail.
Also current snowshoes have steel crampons, aluminum wears too quickly on rock patches of which there are a lot in the North East.

Snowshoes or skis are mandatory in the Adirondack high peak region in winter.”