Topic

Lightest snowshoes on the market today?

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chris smead BPL Member
PostedSep 24, 2012 at 2:19 pm

Heya everyone,
Anyone know what the lightest snow shoes on the market are these days?
I'm looking forward to some winter trips.

chris smead BPL Member
PostedSep 24, 2012 at 2:48 pm

Wow! Didn't know such a thing existed.
I'm guessing I'll need something more durable though. I've been looking at these Altas Run snowshoes. Not sure if they are good. I've only been snow shoeing once, so I don't know a whole lot yet.

PostedSep 24, 2012 at 3:51 pm

"I'm guessing I'll need something more durable though."

Indeed! Check out the snowshoes at Northern Lites. Either the Elite or the Backcountry will serve you well for all but technical snowshoeing. They are top quality and the lightest real snowshoes I am aware of. I have used the Elites for the past 5 years and am well satisfied with them.

http://www.northernlites.com/

PostedSep 25, 2012 at 7:43 am

In Japan these are what are used on steep mountain trails, instead of snow shows. They are called, “wakan”. They do a better job in gripping the snow than snowshoes and work better in the very tight brush and rocky terrain you find here. They only weigh 735g (the Northern Light Elites weigh 1134g).

wakan

PostedSep 25, 2012 at 5:04 pm

What a great MYOG project using cheap ski poles and a tube bender.
But how well do they stop postholing, Miguel?
If postholing is not an issue, why carry more than Microspikes (for backpacking – not talking about climbing).

John S. BPL Member
PostedSep 25, 2012 at 7:12 pm

Wakan looks to have little float ability and only lateral toothed "crampon".

Mike M BPL Member
PostedSep 25, 2012 at 8:16 pm

every year I'm out snowshoeing I see a lot of folks that are on too small of snowshoes (maybe the right snowshoe, but they are the wrong weight :))

if you're always on very compact snow you can probably get by w/ a smaller shoe, but if you have to contend w/ less than compact or any powder you're going to regret too small a shoe

PostedSep 26, 2012 at 12:54 am

The wakan weight listed is for the two.

Wakan are also designed for the local conditions here, where, for the most part, snow is very wet and very deep. They wouldn't work very well in dry snow (like up in Hokkaido). Walkers here interchange what they use, between wakan and snowshoes, according to the weather and conditions. The wakan certainly wouldn't stop postholing in dry snow, so in those conditions people here use snowshoes. The wakan work very well on steep terrain, though, and the lack of webbing between the struts is part of what gives them better grip in the steep snow.

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