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Snow Shoes - advice needed!

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 JackM92 18 Feb 2014
Am thinking about buying some snowshoes for mountain routes, to save time/effort on the walk-in.

They'd need to be able to cope with terrain up to 30-40 degrees and be grippy on neve.

Has anyone got any recommendations of shoes, brands etc.??
SethChili 18 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/snowshoes/ascent/lightning-ascent/product...

MSR make serious mountain snowshoes , although they are very expensive considering how little they will be used in the UK .
Most other snowshoes are designed for ambling around powder snow covered forests and rolling trails . Pretty useless once you hit a hard angle or the snow gets solid .
 CurlyStevo 18 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider:

I found recently that on 30 - 40 degree ground snow shoes were more of a hassle than they were worth. We found they don't cope with steep ground well they just tend to slip after a certain inclination.

Also in deep powder they still sink in a long way, maybe not as far but its harder to get your foot out again.

I got the worst heel blisters I've had in a very long time and we didn't walk very far in them!

They also don't cope well with rocky ground or snowy ground with a lot of rocks in.
 AlanLittle 18 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider:

Having bought snowshoes for snowboard touring, and used them a few times, I've reached the conclusion that I urgently need to either learn to ski or save up for a splitboard. Snowshoes really aren't very good for anything other than strolling through the forest.

Short approach skis might be another option to conisder.
 d_b 18 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider:

On steep ground you are better off taking off the snowshoes and kicking your way up if it's soft, or adding crampons if hard. TSL snowshoes are good value, but there is a bit of variation in the binding systems so try them with your boots.
 girlymonkey 18 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider:

I use my snow shoes loads for approaches, but never on 30 degree plus stuff!! They are great for tracks that have had loads of drifting, big plateaus with lots of soft stuff. I'd say try to get them quite light so that they are not a hassle to carry when it does get steep. I used them yesterday and was glad of them, and wouldn't have wanted to use skis because the light was flat and it was total whiteout. It would have been miserable on skis, but snow shoes really useful. Other days, in good weather, I would definitely take my skis. This winter has been a particularly snow shoe winter.
 TobyA 18 Feb 2014
In reply to CurlyStevo:

what type did you use?
 CurlyStevo 18 Feb 2014
In reply to TobyA:
Dunno, they were red plastic and had a plastic rail around the outside with two metal front points on. I may have been unlucky and some of its a learning process on what ground they are good on, but all in they were a waste of money for our intended purpose (which was to make the walk in to cogne ice falls easy after a major dump of snow), the other climbers had already trudged in a track for the most part anyway.
Post edited at 11:30
 TobyA 18 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider:

I've had MSR Lightning Ascents for something like 8 years. They are very strong and reliable, I've seen lots of cheap snow shoe binding break off the shoe, so although expensive I think the MSRs are worth it in that sense.

They also grip well on harder snow with an aggressive crampon and the serated metal strip frame (as opposed to the more common tube frame that slips on hard snow.

I'm not sure how much use you'd have for them in the UK though?

BTW, snowshoes are pretty crappy for walking around in deep powder in forests! They need to be huge to stop you sinking in a long way - you might as well just use forest skis. They are much more effective on harder snow or crusted snow vimeo.com/37548869 I felt smug that day!
 TobyA 18 Feb 2014
In reply to CurlyStevo:

TSLs probably. They're French I think - and don't seem suited for the snow round here either, way to little flotation and overly complicated designs at least in their more expensive versions.
 CurlyStevo 18 Feb 2014
In reply to TobyA:
When I was using the snow shoes I thought their main advantage would have been on breakable crust conditions.
Post edited at 11:38
 d_b 18 Feb 2014
In reply to TobyA:

Whenever I see that video I am impressed by the anti gravity dog.
 TobyA 18 Feb 2014
In reply to davidbeynon:

He's cool isn't he? I think having four feet and weighing a tenth of my weight must help though.
 nniff 18 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider:

we hired some cheap rubbish for the walk in to Gavarnie. I was fine in them, but my mate suffered agonies. Better than wading, but if there's neve around I'd be in normal boots. Perhaps if the there was a nix and the shoes had a crampony bit I'd have a different opinion
 jon 18 Feb 2014
In reply to TobyA:

Yeah Toby, that video says it all! Like the walking pole phobia people have, some folk are strangely reluctant when it comes to wading through deep snow. We've got over a dozen pairs of MSR Evos and Lightnings of all different sizes that we lend to clients. Luckily the've been supplied direct by MSR as they are about the most expensive on the market. In my opinion they are not as sturdy as TSLs but are chalk and cheese when it comes down to comparing them in use. Our fleet also includes a few Tubbs which are nice in gently sloping powder, some big TSLs which we tend to give to heavy people, Grivels which neither of us like and othe odds and ends. We did have some very big Tubbs but these now reside in the back of Chris Craggs's car... look at his tracks: http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=232697


I'd recommend Lightnings - especially if you intend to carry them on a route or if the approach isn't too steep and doesn't involve too much traversing. For steeper approaches including traverses then I'd say Evos are maybe a bit better. It's also important to know that the suffix 'ascent' means that the shoe is fitted with a heel lift making steeper ground more comfortable.
 CurlyStevo 18 Feb 2014
In reply to jon:
The ones we had had heel lifts you could engage when needed and they did help but after something like 30 degrees the snow shoes tended to slip back a lot and it was harder than walking in boots / crampons.

I found in very deep powder ( there was about a metre of proper powder) the snow shoes we hired were not very good, they still sunk down, maybe not as far but then it was harder to lift feet or wade with the snow shoes on. I think ideal conditions would be not too much powder or breakable crust and not on too much of an inclination. We hired them to make the last section going uphill approaching ice climbs easier after the day before in Gressoney we'd found a 20 minute walk in took 1 hr in the deep powder, with the steeper bits being very time consuming, the snow shoes didn't make these bits any easier.
Post edited at 14:38
 jon 18 Feb 2014
In reply to CurlyStevo:

I think Stevo that with a metre of powder nothing would really make your life any easier! Yes, I agree pulling your feet out destroys your thigh muscles. There's no doubt that skinning on wide skis would be easier in very deep snow as the movement of pushing them forward makes them rise, but then of course you have boot issues.
 CurlyStevo 18 Feb 2014
In reply to jon:

I guess it was a learning experience - it was only the first time I've used snow shows so perhaps next time they will prove more useful
 KiwiPrincess 18 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider:
MSR have side crampons as well as front points so can be used to cross slopes and zig zag up. I use them to access climbing in NZ a lot, if it's not skiable terrain. The other brands are really just for walking trails at winter.
Mine have lasted at least 5 seasons and are scratched and have a couple of the plastic bits that tidy up the straps broken but are still structurally sound.
I'd highly recommend them

Definately Better than boots only, Skiing is best if suitable.
Post edited at 23:12
 Kai 19 Feb 2014
In reply to The Ghost Rider:

The only snow shoes I ever wear are Yowies:

http://www.yowies.com.au/

Good for hoofing up steep terrain. If the snow is soft enough that they don't work, I'd rather be on skis.
 richprideaux 19 Feb 2014
In reply to KiwiPrincess:

Another vote for MSRs... I was sceptical at first but soon learnt to trust them on some pretty steep terrain.
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