Snowshoes

I’m still rocking old wooden and hide Beavertails made by the Chesnut Canoe Company. I love them. I use rubber bindings. They work a dandy, and are sweet for glissading. Old school at it’s best. HOWEVER… I got the girlfriend a pair of fairly pricy GV shoes with pivots, heel lifts, nice crampons, awesome bindings and no snow flinging. They seem pretty cool…

I’d like to get a pair of snowshoes this winter but I’m not sure what I should be looking for. Are there any brands that are better? Where’s the best place to buy them? Help out a complete noob!

I asked the same thing and was recommended to buy Atlas or MSR

I purchased mine from The trail shop… the staff memeber was helpful they had snowshoes for my wieght in stock

You can always check out MEC aswell I just find in Halifax the stock is not always the best

Tubbs is the No. 1 brand, followed closely by Atlas. I’m not as familiar with MSR.

One key factor you consider should be the ease of binding use with gloves or mitts on. I’m looking into getting a new set of shoes this year - my old ones work fine but the bindings are a nightmare to get tight enough, especially when the straps ice up. Ackk!

Yea, I’ve seen some ridiculous binding systems.

I’ve got Atlas 930. I picked them up at MEC last year. I really like them. They’re easy to get on and off. They fit perfectly with my hiking boots too. The only thing is they kick up a trail behind you, so make sure you wear snowpants, or else you’ll get wet in the caboose!

MSRs are good too, but I don’t find those as easy as the Atlas. But, that’s just a personal preference…

The high end sport shops shoes have high end snowshoes and cost a lot.
I would buy something like that if I was seriously going snowshoeing.
I use mine for packing the trails for riding purposes, so a $120 pair is good for me.

The big sports store in Bayers Rd mall has had a great selection of affordable shoes.

I look for good bindings, reasonable traction, and I don’t like shoes that have gaps between the rails and the material at the back of the shoe because when you are in soft snow the snow comes up through the shoe and when you step it snaps up and fires the snow on the back of your legs and butt.

Jim’s right… it is annoying to shower yourself in snow. I have tried to figure out why they have that gap, but I have no fruits for my efforts.

(Snowshoes are priced according to size.) I only paid $200 or something for mine… I think the smaller models started at $160… probably the same size Jim would have used. I suspect the extra $40 was for the brand name ‘Atlas.’ It’s the ones with a tapered end that are for running that end up being really expensive.

I’ve had mine for… maybe seven years? And I use them a lot as it’s my primary form of winter training. They are just now starting to show signs of wear. They aren’t something that you’ll have to replace frequently, so I wouldn’t worry about spending an extra $40 - $80 if you have it. I’ve seen too many department store snowshoes fail miserably.

I have a pair of Atlas 1025’s and I like them. Yes, they do snap up throwing some snow but because they do I can walk backwards or sidestep obstacles a lot easier and as long as you wear a hat and keep your neck covered it makes fun to run. Tubbs also snap up but MSR does not. A friend of mine has a pair of MSR that have a simple metal hinge pin but the shoes are plastic and creak a lot while hiking. These shoes are the lowest price in the MSR lineup but the higher end snowshoes are nice. MSR specializes in high end camping gear. Hub Cycle in Truro carries Atlas and Tubbs and is able to get MSR if they do not have any in stock.

I have a pair of Yakima’s and a pair of Louis Garneaus.

Both were bought without knowing much about snowshoes. They both function very well and do the required job of walking on the snow.

It is my belief that snowshoes are like bikes. Buy what you like and you can never have too many.

And I have a pair of hand-made originals made by a native community in New Brunswick! Can’t get much more authentic than that (yes, they are difficult to use going up hill but they really make you use your skills!).

I have the MSR’s and like them - noisy as all get out - but nice for smashing around on. Had them for a bunch of winters - push 180 without gear and they look new. Did I mention they were noisy in crusty snow. Noise cancelling earbuds may take care of that - now if only it would go below zero and stop showering - jeesh!
nb

Santa brought me MSRs. LOVELOVE LOVE!