Snow shoes

I like the Northern Lites, though they are VERY expensive compared to some other brands. The price was worth it to me. They are incredibly light, so even the largest model is lighter than the competitions smallest offering. Quality and materials is excellent, as is the general design. I went with the Tundra model, as I believe a little extra flotation is well worth a little extra weight and a little less maneuverability.

Snowshoing is a trade off between the energy you save by not sinking so deep into the snow, and the energy you loose by lifting the snowshoe with each step. The larger the snowshoe, the less you sink, but the more it weighs. As snowshoes become larger, they also become more unwieldy, especially on steep ground.

Lots of manufactures have tended towards very small snowshoes, I think primarily because they appear lighter and quicker in the store. Because they are made out of heavy, crude materials, a proper sized snowshoe would simply be too heavy. And the smaller snowshoes do work fine on dense, packed, crusty snow. But they are worthless in fresh snow or, god forbid, deep powder.

I've used high-quality small mountaineering snowshoes, and by in large found them to be lacking in anything but hard spring snow. Some of my favorite snowshoes were the large wood and rawhide trail shoes, but the maintenance of a traditional snowshoe is pretty arduous, and they are pretty hard to cary around if you're not wearing them.

The average low-dollar snowshoe is something people usually buy on a impulse, use a couple times, then store in their garage for a decade before donating them to goodwill. It's no wonder, as they have the worst of both worlds: a small snowshoe that lets them sink deep into the snow combined with very heavy materials which taxes them when they lift it out for the next step. In anything but the most ideal snow conditions, it's miserable and very ineffective.

Also, snowshoes tend to get carried a lot. In the in-between seasons and elevations, carrying snowshoes on what you hope will be a hike can be the difference between being able to complete a loop, or having to do an out-and-back because you can't cross the higher portion of the trail. Heavy snowshoes get left behind unless you're just positive they'll be needed. I cary my snowshoes in my plane as part of the winter survival kit, and weight is always a big issue.

Northern Lites are a professional tool, and they cary a professional tool price, but they are very, very nice.
 
I enjoy ice climbing and we usually need to haul our snowshoes in our backpacks after reaching the bottom of the climb so we tend to choose the smallest shoes possible. Here in Spain (and from what I can see I would say the whole Europe), TSL is the brand of choice. Plastic made (steel spikes for grip), built in crampons and built in heel risers (to prevent calf burn in steep slopes). Probably they are not the best suited for deep powder in swallow grounds but for alpine enviroment they can't be beat.

Aluminum tubing and fabric strap decs don't work well when some ridgidity is needed in steep ground.

I hope this helps!
Mikel
 
We have MSR EVO model plastic snowshoes. Very light, well-designed, with excellent gripping teeth for ascending/descending steep slopes. Also got the floaters that attach on the back for soft snow but haven't needed them in two seasons in the Rockies.
 
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