Can you recommend a good all-around snowshoe?

[Chris K]

Looking for suggestions for a good all-‘rounder snow shoe.

I live in Colorado and don’t expect to snowshoe on anything too steep or deep. But they’ll come on overnight trips so light and simple is always good.

If you all have suggestions I would love to hear what your favorite snow shoe is “if you could only have one.”

[jscott]

I really like my MSR Ligtningt Ascent, but you may not need all that grip. I just saw these: 2 pounds. haven’t used them. Half the weight of the Ascents.

https://www.backcountry.com/msr-lightning-trail-snowshoe-mens?

[Mark Verber]

I used a pair of Northern Light snowshoes (I think Elite model) for many years and was quite happy with them.  They were light, had good float.  [I sold them a few years ago when I stopped doing snow trips.] The previous version of the MSR Lighting (which seems more aggressive than the current generation) wasn’t as good the the Northern Lights on moderate slopes, but was better than the Northern Lights when it got steep or icy.

[Mike M]

I think any of the MSR varieties that have the option of tails.  If the snow is semi packed, you can leave the tails home, if powdery, bring the tails

I have both the Ascents and Evo’s, both are good shoes with good grip and good bindings

[Chris K]

Excellent, thanks. Just what I was looking for.

[David Thomas]

Sorry to be David Downer here, but snowshoes are very specific to the conditions.  In deeper, powdery snow, you need a lot of surface area.  In Spring, when it’s all settled down, I usually skip the snow shoes entirely – I find the snowshoe weight and width more bothersome and more effort than just settling a few inches in with each step of my snow boots.  If I’m just wearing them for the crampon points under my feet, I’ll use in-steps or some of the boots I’ve installed screws into for better traction on ice.

So my approach is: go big, but use those big snowshoes rarely.

[John S.]

Wonder why the Northern Lites site no longer works. I think they were having supply problems and several are complaining on their FB page, but James York (bought company a few years ago) no longer posts about the company as of early 2020.

https://northernlites.com/

[Gary Dunckel]

I bought a pair of Northern Lites from someone here on BPL. He didn’t realize that several of the plastic thingies that connect the ‘platform’ to the frame had broken, and he dropped the price considerably. I then sent them to Northern Lites and they reinstalled new ones at a reasonable price (this was just before they sold the company to James York). After just a few laps at my nearby open space, 5-6 of the plastic thingies broke again. This time I fixed the problem by removing the plastic ones and using thick titanium rod lengths to secure the platform to the frame. This has held up nicely for 5-6 years now.

But here’s the thing – besides being quite light, these snowshoes are fine for packed trails that are pretty much flat, but they suck in most other conditions (minimal grip). My main ‘shoes’ are an earlier version MSR with 4″ tails, which will suffice here in Colorado’s mountains.

[jscott]

Yeah, the tails are cool on the MSR.’s. The  Ascents have terrific grip.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

MSR LIGHTNING ASCENT

Do not trouble yourself with lesser ‘shoes. :o)

[Bruce Tolley]

To quote David Downer “…snowshoes are very specific to the conditions.”

My recollection is that the shortest Lightning Ascent are a bit over 4 lbs. (without floater attachment). The Evo Ascents without the floater attachment, a bit under 4 lbs.

For day snow shoe hikes and short 1,2,3 night winter snow camping trips here in the California Sierras, I went with Evo Ascents years ago since they are a $100 cheaper, perhaps a bit more compact, and slightly lighter.

I am walking with the snow shoes strapped to the pack from the CalTrans SnoPark lot to the trailhead and on the first 1/2 mile or so of trail. So the ability to pack the wag bag, the snow shoes, and the snow shovel onto the back of the pack in a compact way was important.

If a strap or other bits breaks, MSR sells all the replacement parts.

If you are of the buy once, cry once, mentality go for the Lightning Ascents.  For this season, you might have to accept what is available on the market.

[Paul S]

I used to use Tubbs, and last year switched over to the 24″ lightning ascents. They ate SO much better at traversing than the tubbs, and also better at going up, and down. A win/win/win. Also, very easy to take on and off.

[Rob]

I just took my Atlas Helium Backcountry 26 inch snow shoes on their first overnight trip. I thought they worked great on every level and would recommend comparing them against whatever else you’re considering

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