Snowshoeing

bigdesert10

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I'm pretty new to snowshoeing, and my shoes are pretty entry-level. I'm curious how much of a difference the lift bars (under your heel) make when hiking at an incline. Anyone have any insight?
 

mtwarden

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I'm pretty new to snowshoeing, and my shoes are pretty entry-level. I'm curious how much of a difference the lift bars (under your heel) make when hiking at an incline. Anyone have any insight?

for very steep longer ascents, they are great- not used a lot, but when I do I'm glad they are there
 

GLB

WKR
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My Wife and I do a fare amount and enjoy it when we have good snow. I really like to ski and use a fat shorter ski with a Nordic binding for turing in deep snow. It gets me in the backcountry and I like to hit some of the small hills to get a Tele turn in or two. Both are great excercise and a good way to get out there when the snow is deep.
 
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Dec 26, 2016
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Anyone running tubs frontiers? First pair of shoes for me. Just using for day treks in the big Horns on forest roads and were ever looks fun off the trail or road. Won't be summiting Everest or packing my life on my back for 10 days. Me clothed at 200lbs then with my pack n some food for the day and just in case stuff I'm thinking about getting these in 30in flavor.
FRONTIER SNOWSHOE 30 Amazon.com : Tubbs Snowshoes Frontier Snowshoe : Sports & Outdoors


Edit- further research has me thinking the wilderness model will be better suited for my shenanigans

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mtwarden

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not snowshoes, but close :) I have some Altai Hoks skis, that if it isn’t too steep or rugged, they do really well- more flotation than shoes and generally quicker

had them out last weekend with the wife- skied into USFS cabin

5Lqoovz.jpg


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mtwarden

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a tough 11 mile loop (lots of vert)- pretty much virgin and deep snow so used my Lightning 30's- takes a little getting used to as they are wider and longer than my running ones

CZ9otNt.jpg

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sveltri

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not snowshoes, but close :) I have some Altai Hoks skis, that if it isn’t too steep or rugged, they do really well- more flotation than shoes and generally quicker

had them out last weekend with the wife- skied into USFS cabin

5Lqoovz.jpg


0r89gyP.jpg

These things look so intriguing. I'm not a skier, although I live 20 mins from a ski area, but I would love to try these out.
 

mtwarden

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I’m not much of a skier either; reason I gave up on x-country skis for backcountry use- these are a lot easier to maneuver and with a portion of skins on them already, much better climbing

What I need to do is take them to a ski area on the bunny hill and take some lessons- I could be a lot better on downhills
 

Owenst7

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Jun 19, 2017
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Reno
Anyone running tubs frontiers? First pair of shoes for me. Just using for day treks in the big Horns on forest roads and were ever looks fun off the trail or road. Won't be summiting Everest or packing my life on my back for 10 days. Me clothed at 200lbs then with my pack n some food for the day and just in case stuff I'm thinking about getting these in 30in flavor.
FRONTIER SNOWSHOE 30 Amazon.com : Tubbs Snowshoes Frontier Snowshoe : Sports & Outdoors


Edit- further research has me thinking the wilderness model will be better suited for my shenanigans

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

A 30" seems huge to me. I weigh 165 lbs...probably not over 200 lbs with my pack and clothes typically. I run a 9x26" powder wing that I used for backcountry snowboarding when I lived in Alaska. I have a cheap Costco pair of 8x25s that I frequently use instead even though they are heavier, simply because they are more manuverable. I'm usually doing stuff above treeline in deep, dry snow these days here in Reno. I have some old military magnesium framed shoes in Alaska with the tails on them (they look like tennis rackets) that are probably about 30". I liked those for checking traps on frozen lakes, but they were easy to tangle up if you weren't moving in straight lines.

I've started watching eBay recently for some MSR Denali Ascents. I went for a couple ski rides down the mountain last time I was out. Trail shoes with a tube frame can get scary on the really steep stuff, and they're really tough to sidehill with.
 

mtwarden

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I have 30” Lightnings and frequently they are just right, on several occasions I’ve even added tails; but in other conditions my little running shoes are plenty

My wife has 22” Lightnings that I also borrow on occasion :D

I’ll add that the Ascents have really good grip on steeper/firmer terrain and the heel lifters work pretty well on steep ascents
 

GLB

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This is what I like to travel over snow with. I have used Skis hunting small game with my longbow, it makes a fun challenge.
 

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Owenst7

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Jun 19, 2017
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I have 30” Lightnings and frequently they are just right, on several occasions I’ve even added tails; but in other conditions my little running shoes are plenty

My wife has 22” Lightnings that I also borrow on occasion :D

I’ll add that the Ascents have really good grip on steeper/firmer terrain and the heel lifters work pretty well on steep ascents

How do you think the decking on the Ascents would handle rocks/talus?

I have been looking at a plastic-decked shoe like the Denali's (discontinued) or the Evos in a 22" because I could add tails for the approach and then remove the tails for summiting. I'm typically in deep, fluffy powder where you'd posthole to your waist without shoes, but a lot of the summits are extremely icy and windblown with scattered talus patches. I'm cringing even time I'm walking on rocks with my Hypalon deck, but every three steps is back in to a deep snowdrift or an ice patch. I suspect the hard plastic deck on the Denali/Evo would hold up a lot better, but I know a Hypalon deck floats a lot better in the powder.
 

mtwarden

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I'm in talus pretty frequently (and knock on wood) and I haven't had any issues w/ the decking, but agree plastic would probably hold up better in the long run- of course MSR has one of the best warranties out there, so if there was an issue- it would be taken care of

the tails, wether for the Evo or Ascent, are definitely a big plus- like you said, put them on in deeper powder, remove them in more packed snow
 
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Truckee
The MSR ascents (plastic) I mentioned in an earlier post that I have regularly used each winter for over a decade have crossed many chunks or granite and held up fine.
 
OP
justinspicher
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Dec 27, 2012
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I am sure jealous of all your snow. Down here in SW Colorado we haven't had the winter I was hoping for. It's been in the low to mid 50's, making what snow we did have turn into mud.
 

mtwarden

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we're doing pretty well across the state; about 90-110% normal snowpack for most of our drainages- this is before this latest storm that's going to last into mid-week- definitely a blessing
 
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Oct 10, 2016
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Sweden
not snowshoes, but close :) I have some Altai Hoks skis, that if it isn’t too steep or rugged, they do really well- more flotation than shoes and generally quicker

had them out last weekend with the wife- skied into USFS cabin

5Lqoovz.jpg


0r89gyP.jpg
Question, say you are using the universal bindings, and wanting to ski to an area and then hike/snowshoe from there. How stiff of a boot do you want? I am wondering if a stiff hiking boot would be too much stiffness for the universal bindings on the skis?

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