If the snow's deep but you're not up for skiing, then snowshoes might make the difference between a slogfest and a fun day out. Snowshoe-agnostic Dan Bailey finds himself won over by this capable model from MSR.

Described as the 'pinnacle of ultralight and aggressive all-terrain performance', the Lightning Ascent is the model in MSR's extensive snowshoe range that's best suited to the rough - and often steep - ground found on most UK winter hill walking routes. This is the update to a model that's been around for years and is generally highly rated, the key change being a new and allegedly more comfortable binding system. If your snow seeking takes you to higher elevations and more challenging places, this is a capable, user-friendly, and confidence-inspiring design, which has the build quality to last for years.

The Lightning Ascents have led me to reconsider my attitude to snowshoes, which was  - I'll admit - a little sceptical before now. In fact the only thing counting against them is the steep price tag.

Really...? Snowshoes...?

It's the UK, not the Yukon. Far from being an everyday essential, snowshoes clearly fall in the category of occasional-nice-to-have. Full-on winter conditions can be fleeting here, snow depths are generally not that great, and much of the ground you cover on a typical day out is likely to be wind-scoured anyway. Yet there are still spells most winters, particularly in Scotland, where travel without some kind of snow-flotation is onerous at best, implausible at worst.

If you own a ski touring or nordic setup then that's clearly the way to go, because skiing is smoother, faster and just more fun. But we don't all have the skills, or the budget to blow on a bewildering choice of ski gear. With a pair of snowshoes you need no expensive or lengthy tuition, you can quickly and safely teach yourself. Better still, they'll work with your existing winter walking boots. And they're less hassle strapped to a pack - think overnight backpacking in the hills for instance. Snowshoeing may be the pedestrian option, but it's also cheaper and not as much faff. And on the right day a pair may well make the difference between getting up your snowy Munro and having a brilliant time, or trudging to a standstill halfway.

In use

Sturdily built, with a comfortable and easy-to-fit binding system, the Lightning Ascent feels like a very competent all-terrain model. Light enough for bimbling around forest trails, or for use on the snowy approach to a continental ice climb, they also have the grip and manoeuvrability you need on the steeper, rougher and icier ground found on your average Scottish winter hill day. A larger surface area is going to give you more flotation on the snow, and alternative bigger snowshoes are indeed available; however a larger deck would also  be more cumbersome, and I feel the Lightning Ascent strikes a sound balance between lift and dexterity. For extra lift an additional tail piece can be bought separately, though I can't picture an occasion in the UK where I'd be likely to want this.

In the North Highlands we've had a couple of big low-level snow dumps so far this season, allowing me to use the Lightning Ascent on afternoon walks virtually from the doorstep - a welcome alternative to wading boot-deep in the woods.

They also proved their worth on a very snowy early season ascent of Ben Wyvis. It was a day when skiers were setting the pace and those without were giving up at the treeline. Only one very determined walker made it to the top, and his post-holing crawl looked agonising. By contrast the Lightning Ascents gave me enough lift to float over the worst of it, so while progress was still far from effortless they really did make all the difference.

Deep cover on the lower slopes gave way to a patchwork of wind scour and drifts higher up. Where the ground steepened on An Cabar I found the snowshoes more than capable. Their sharp-toothed aluminium frame bites into ice and neve with ease, whether you're traversing, climbing or descending, while a hinged crampon at the toe gives extra uphill grip. As with a ski touring binding, to take the strain off the calves in uphill mode a heel bale can be popped up (using the tip of a pole). MSR's comically grand name for this is the Ergo Televator; I'll just call it a flap, but either way it's simple and effective.

Until receiving these to review I had not been a regular snowshoer, but it didn't take long to adapt my stride. It needs a high leg lift, and a wide stance to avoid slicing your inner ankle with the opposite foot - something the kick patches on my overtrousers have taken the brunt of when following narrow ski tracks. Perhaps the sharp-edged metal frame of this design is particularly prone to trouser-cutting, but on the other hand it's great for traction. On rough ground these things are easy to handle, and about as uncumbersome as I can imagine it ever feeling with great big platforms strapped to your feet. For the varied terrain of a Scottish hill, one step heather, then ice, then deep powder, they're a proper 4x4.

Using the Lightning Ascents, I'm sure you could get by without crampons a lot of the time; but on a typical UK winter hill day you might encounter all sorts of conditions including lots of ice, and because of this uncertainty I've not yet been able to bring myself to leave the crampons at home. This does of course mean carrying two sets of stuff instead of just one.

Sizes

The Lightning Ascent comes in both men's and women's versions - and before you scoff, the material difference is a narrower frame and smaller foot binding on the female model. The men's snowshoe is available in three lengths, 22, 25 and 30 inches (MSR being American). Which one is right for you depends on both your body weight and the type/depth of snow - as described in a useful size chart on the MSR website. Being about 80kg in weight, and not expecting to be out in 'deep snow' (60cm+ by their definition), I opted for the mid range 25 inch size, which seems to offer a good balance of flotation, manoeuvrability, lightness, and easy carrying on a rucksack.

Weight and robustness

With their high grade alu frame and durable nylon decking these things are built really solid, and should take loads of abuse - even scraping on rocks and heather (let's face it, Scotland is not the environment they were primarily designed for).

Per pair, the mid-sized men's 25-inch model weighs 1.95kg (1.8kg for the women's equivalent), and although fairly long they do strap neatly to the side of a day pack - you'll want a big one. It's a significant addition on top of the other winter essentials already weighing you down, but for something this big and sturdy I don't think it's at all unreasonable.

On the feet they add to the heft of whatever (presumably warm and chunky) footwear you've picked, and you will certainly notice them since weight on the feet increases fatigue over a long day. But is it really much worse than a pair of crampons? If the snowshoes make the difference between summit or retreat then they'll fully justify their weight and bulk.

Lighter - and cheaper - plastic snowshoes are available, but it's unlikely any offer comparable durability or traction. For something this rugged and capable the Lightning Ascent seem to be at the lighter end of the scale - but not by much. By comparison MSR's own 25-inch Revo Ascent snowshoe weighs 2.14kg, while among alternative makes the Tubbs Flex Alp 25, which looks to have a fairly similar remit, is 2kg.

Bindings

Some snowshoe bindings look fiddly or otherwise mediocre, and I once even had a pair (generally fairly useless) that required you to be wearing crampons; but MSR have clearly put a lot of thought into the bindings on the most recent design of the Lightning Ascent. This Paragon Binding (does every feature need a name?) consists of a soft plastic mesh that wraps evenly and snugly around the toe, without pressure points that might dig in or restrict your circulation. It's secured with three stretchy rubber straps that let you very easily and securely tighten the fit right up. The metal buckles are simple, effective, sturdy, and won't ice up. A couple of minutes is all it takes - less faff than getting into most crampons. This binding fits a wide variety of shoe sizes and types of footwear. I've been sticking with B1 and B2 boots, for the warmth, and have yet to find a pair that don't work well.

Ethics and environment

The ones for sale here are made in Ireland, which reduces the carbon impact of distribution (apt for a product that can only be used in snow). Being so well built, they're really the opposite of a disposable product, and I don't imagine I'll ever need to get a new pair.

Summary

If you're looking at deep snow on the hills, and you're not up for skiing, then snowshoes are a good compromise option that might make the difference between a slogfest and a fun day out. On steeper, rougher ground the Lightning Ascent are generally considered to be among the most capable models on the market - not cheap, but well made and well designed. I was a bit agnostic about snowshoes in the past, but they easily won me over.