Customer Reviews

MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes (30-Inches, Orange)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well I'll give you a review of the actual product, and not the "Overall Experience".

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.

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.

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.

Overall I'm extremely happy with these shoes, and I'm sure they will last a long while.

Great snowshoes for steep uphills and icy conditions. The heel bar is key to making steep uphill climbs much easier -- eases calf strain but get ready for a quad workout! The construction is solid and the bindings (three over the top of the foot and one behind the heel) are very stable once adjusted correctly. The cramp-on style frame has excellent traction for sturdy footing on icy surfaces. However, be sure to get the MSR Snowshoe Bag for easy portability (and to protect you and your belongings from the teeth that make it so sturdy!) Superlight!

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 $180) is way below full retail ($250) 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 $190.] 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 $170, so I kept my old ones as a loaner pair and bought new ones).

I bought these for fiancé and myself this winter. We've used them at Mt. Rainer National park and near Snoqualmie pass. Although we didn't use then on crazy terrain yet, they perform great. You will still step on them from time to time as with all snowshoes, but compared to the other brands I've tried (rentals) these feel so much more secure on those steeper areas. If you are only walking on flat terrain these are overkill for what you will need. My only slight complaint is the peg to secure the straps is pretty tough when you first start using them (Friends say this is an improvement on the clip though). I think overtime, this will get easier with use. One thing is for sure; they will not come off when you need them, which is why I still give them five stars. When Panorama point on Mt. Rainer, there is no way these will come undone or have you sliding down the mountain; which is why I bought these in the first place. :)

I really love the quality of the MSR product and the speed and ease of ordering and shipping provided by Amazon. Just one small problem, they sent the wrong size, and when we tried to exchange them for the 25 inch versions we ordered, they just sent us another set of 22's. Next day air and everything, woulda been nice if they had read my letter before just shipping me the same thing twice, making it more of a hassle for me to return it, and now that I am trying to order the 25's on a separate tab, I am unable to do so...maybe they are fixing the website? Wishing I had my 25's...Happy New Year anyway!