MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes

MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes Review

See more picture

Well I'll give you a review of the actual product, and not the "Overall Experience".br /br /I've snowshoed on Atlas, and Tubbs, and have to say the are by far the best shoes out there. While others are sliding around on the steep, these things are rock solid. Unlike the tube frame shoes that have small crampons added, these are all crampon. The frame is made of one vertical piece with a serrated edge, it acts like a huge crampon and digs into the snow and ice. This works great during steep traverses.br /br /The ascent bar is a nice feature, but its a little hard to pull them up, especially when wearing gloves. I usually don't bother with them unless its a long ascent. Might have to figure out a way to add straps to them for pulling, as its almost impossible to get your fingers under to raise them.br /br /A tip on sizing. I went with the 25's originally, but ended up buying the 30's. I'm 6'2" and about 200lbs. They 25's were fine in fairly firm snow with a light to no pack, but with a full pack and fresh powder, forget it. I was post-holing like crazy. I'd say look at the MSR sizing chart, and if you're falling in between sizes, go with the larger size. Make sure to add the weight of your pack to the equation also.br /br /Overall I'm extremely happy with these shoes, and I'm sure they will last a long while.

MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes Feature

• Serrated Total-Traction frame delivers unprecedented 360-degree grip.
• Elevator¿ heel lifter reduces calf fatigue, making climbing easier and more efficient.
• 3-strap step-on binding fits a variety of boots and is fast, secure, and easy to use, and lightest snowshoe in its category.
• True-Hinge¿ steel crampon enhances foot stability and minimizes heel drift, resulting in more efficient gait mechanics and less expended energy.
• Materials won't soak up water and freeze; straps remain easy to use in all conditions

MSR's Lightning Ascents represent a revolution in snowshoe design. Available in men's and women’s models, they feature a patent-pending Total-Traction™ frame—made from one vertical blade of aerospace-grade aluminum—that delivers unprecedented 360-degree traction. They're also the lightest snowshoes in their class—about 15% lighter than competitors—with performance and usability that surpass everything that's come before.

Check price now

Related Products

• MSR Snowshoe Bag
• MSR Women's Lightning Ascent Snowshoes
• MSR Denali II Trekking Poles
• MSR Snowshoe Field Maintenance Kit
• Manduka BlackMatPRO 71-Inch Yoga and Pilates Mat

Customer Reviews

The Best snowshoe ever made for climbers. - S. Eckert -
I've been climbing mountains in snowshoes since the 70s. These are BY FAR the best snowshoes I've ever seen or used. Check my other reviews - I'm not that easy to impress. They are light, durable, and have astonishing traction on steep windslab or frozen corn snow... PLUS they do better in soft corn than the tubular frame (atlas) or the semi-rigid plastic (denali) kind. I've been on spring Sierra Nevada slopes measuring over 40 degrees where the crust wouldn't support crampons but these things went right up (with ice axe in hand). They come in 3 sizes, and right now Amazon (at 0) is way below full retail (0) while others are expensive and/or out of stock. [UPDATE: Amazon backed out of the order, even though their website still says it's in stock. Bought a pair from RiverRoadAndTrail.com for 0.] I wore out my last pair in just over 5 years but I don't consider it a defect because I use them hard (climbing, often with a full pack, sometimes walking on branches or rocks with care). Check the rivets for looseness (one of mine wore in half because I never checked them) and send them back to Cascades Design if they get loose - lifetime warranty, and if they can't repair they will sell you a new pair at wholesale price (right now about 0, so I kept my old ones as a loaner pair and bought new ones).



Mar 22, 2010 02:42:04