Evo Ascents

[MadRiver]

I’m waiting to get my new replacement pair of Lightning Ascents (second replacement pair) and will use them sparingly given their track record with breakage, so I’m looking for a different shoe as my main workhorse for climbing. Has anyone used the Evo Ascents? Are they subject to the same design flaw as the Lightning Ascent? Or are all MSR products subject to the same profit over engineering/safety ratio as the Lightning Ascents?

 

[DougPaul]

I’m waiting to get my new replacement pair of Lightning Ascents (second replacement pair) and will use them sparingly given their track record with breakage, so I’m looking for a different shoe as my main workhorse for climbing. Has anyone used the Evo Ascents? Are they subject to the same design flaw as the Lightning Ascent? Or are all MSR products subject to the same profit over engineering/safety ratio as the Lightning Ascents?

I have a pair of Denali Evo Ascents (an earlier version)--they work well and appear to be more rugged than the Lightnings.

BTW, there have been some long threads on problems with MSRs in the past. (They appear to be very popular, so more reports of problems does not necessarily mean lower reliability.) The following search will find the past threads on MSR snowshoes: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...=&as_occt=any&cr=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&safe=images (The internal search will not index on 3 letter acronyms, Google will.)

Doug

 

[una_dogger]

I have had a pair of MSR Denali Evo Ascents for about five years now -- they are my main workhorse snowshoe. I like their traction above treeline and very steep sections but often find them overkill for alot of NH4ks, they are a bit heavy and clunky, pricey and the crampon/binding combination gives me pressure point pain in the balls of my feet.

I recently picked up a pair of Tubbs Flex Trek to function as my lighter duty snowshoes for below treeline peaks -- 3lbs 6oz, love them -- comfortable binding system, televator, and less rugged crampon that's lighter and easier on my feet. Have used them on a Bonds/Zealand Traverse and Carrigain with no problems so far. Best buy at $99 from EMS.

Men's:
http://www.bing.com/shopping/tubbs-...tubbs+flex+trek&lpq=tubbs flex trek&FORM=HURE

Women's:

http://www.bing.com/shopping/tubbs-...ex+trek&lpf=0&lpq=tubbs+flex+trek&FORM=CMSMSP

 

[MadRiver]

I have read most of the threads on the Ascents and have even contributed to them. My second pair didn’t even last a season of moderate hiking, let alone aggressive hiking. My first pair took a lot of abuse and finally gave up the ghost after three years of aggressive climbing so I didn’t think twice about their design. The second pair, however, has absolutely no excuse for their failure. I’ll wait and see how this new pair fares, but I feel I should hedge my bets and look for something new in the meantime.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Lightning vs Evo

I switched from the Lightnings to Evos a couple of years ago after repeated failures of the Lightnings. Each time the cleat broke at the rivet. They replaced for free, but that does no good 6 miles out when it breaks. Carrying a replacement I felt was ridiculous because of the difficulty in making the actual change. It requires some tools, and I think my fingers would freeze off because it would be impossible for me to do with gloves on. Plus, if you drop a piece in the snow, good luck finding it!

It is immediately apparent when comparing the two side by side that the Evo has a better, stronger cleat. It is made of heavier gauge metal than the Lightning's, and doesn't have the rivets in the same places.

IMHO you would be better served by the Evos.

KDT

 

[Chip]

Or are all MSR products subject to the same profit over engineering/safety ratio as the Lightning Ascents?

The Evo Ascents are rated to 180 lbs without the added tail attachment. I suspect many MSR users (with clothes and gear) exceed that. They are also often used as crampon substitutes in rocky conditions. All that coupled with that single pivot point for the crampon/deck attachment...I'd carry a spare if I used MSRs.

 

[PamW]

I too have an older version of the Evo Ascents and have had no problems with them. I am not sure how heavy they are, but looking at the current version they are only 2 oz heavier than the lightnings. When I was looking a few years ago, I did a bunch of research and concluded that the Evos were the most durable and used by many park/forest services/rentals, including backcountry rescue in Alaska. Good enough for me. The biggest drawback is the noise on ice, which is considerable.

 

[peakbagger]

Just for the chuckles, if you look at the snowshoes carried by NH Fish and Game and other rescue groups, they are carrying and using Sherpa snowshoes . Sherpas have their limitations but they are just about bombproof. I did like the hybrids that some folks were building where they mated a pair sherpa snowshoes with a Tubbs TD-91 binding. The TD-91 had better side to side stiffness.

I really didnt like the newer sherpa bindings (Lotus?).

There are still heavy duty clones of sherpas made in canada at http://irl.bc.ca/Forestry Supplies/snowshoes.htm.


I bought a pair of lightning ascents last fall and have used them once. Bought them from LLBeans so worse case I will uses their guarantee.

 

[hikerbrian]

The Evo Ascents are rated to 180 lbs without the added tail attachment. I suspect many MSR users (with clothes and gear) exceed that.

Not rated to - recommended to. Meaning there is less flotation for a heavier individual. Kind of immaterial in the northeast anyway where we get some form of cement somewhere in the snowpack every year and flotation is not as critical. As far as durability goes, the evo ascents are about as bomber as you can get. I always thought that the Lightning Ascents were designed to shave a couple of ounces, which is supposedly very noticable on the feet. MSR's website seems to corroborate this "ultralight" design feature. But like many ultralight products, the durability suffers. As someone said in a previous thread, not all MSR products are created equal.

 

[MadRiver]

Totally agree that flotation is not an issue. I've always liked the decking of the Lightnings over the Evo, yet I'm getting tired of replacing them. I'll wait until I get my new ones and pray that I can complete the season before I have to make a decision. Though it does sound like a new pair of Evo Ascents are in my future.

 

[vinovampire]

I’m waiting to get my new replacement pair of Lightning Ascents (second replacement pair) and will use them sparingly given their track record with breakage, so I’m looking for a different shoe as my main workhorse for climbing. Has anyone used the Evo Ascents? Are they subject to the same design flaw as the Lightning Ascent? Or are all MSR products subject to the same profit over engineering/safety ratio as the Lightning Ascents?

Sorry, but what exactly broke on your Lightning Ascents? Did you explain the problem in this thread and I missed it or do you have a link to a place where you did describe the problems? Just from my prospective, it's difficult to have a useful discussion when the issue is unclear.

 

[MadRiver]

There have been a few threads on this board about the failure of the Lightning Ascents. In short, my first pair broke at the pivot pins, holding the bindings to the decking, and my second set broke at the rivets on the bindings.

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4667&highlight=snowshoe+failure

However, this particualr thread is about the pro's and con's of the Evo Ascents.

 

[mtruman]

We've had Evo Ascents for several years now and although we have nowhere near enough miles on them we've been really happy with them every time out. We'll be happy to give them some more exercise this weekend if we can only find somewhere with enough snow...

 

[vinovampire]

There have been a few threads on this board about the failure of the Lightning Ascents. In short, my first pair broke at the pivot pins, holding the bindings to the decking, and my second set broke at the rivets on the bindings.

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4667&highlight=snowshoe+failure

However, this particualr thread is about the pro's and con's of the Evo Ascents.

Thanks for the explanation of what broke on your snowshoes. I have an older pair of Lightening Ascents (along with several other brands), so I appreciate hearing other peoples experiences and were I might expect to see problems.

Also, I should point out that I indeed noticed that your original question was about the Evo, but if you look back at what you wrote, you spent a significant amount of "ink" alluding to the problems you had with MSR and slamming the Lightening Ascents with statements like the following: "products subject to the same profit over engineering/safety ratio..." It seems pretty reasonable to ask for further explanation of your problems with that particular model.

Finally, I would just suggest that you take a closer look at the link that you posted to demonstrate the recent failures with Lightening Ascents. This is the picture that the OP in the link you posted included with their story. These appear to be the EVO model. Here's the picture from that post:

Anyway, good luck with your hunt for a sturdy snowshoe!

 

[Tom Rankin]

I like their traction above treeline and very steep sections but often find them overkill for alot of NH4ks, they are a bit heavy and clunky, pricey and the crampon/binding combination gives me pressure point pain in the balls of my feet.

I do not notice this problem. Have you experimented with where you place your foot? For me, about an inch from the front of the shoe works well. Of course, YMMV.

 

[una_dogger]

Vinovampire, I do not think that picture is of the Evo Ascents but of the model below; the Ascents (no Evo) that is/was made of a lighter plastic than the Evo's -- I recall a lot of discussion on www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums about five years ago related to breaking at those points with that model. The Evo Ascents have a more tapered shape, not as squared off as the ones in your photo.

Tom -- thanks for that advice and yes, I have. With stiffer boots they may cause less pressure on my feet, but I don't own heavy duty hiking boots any more. I've heard of others having similar foot pain -- so maybe it does vary with individual. I've not experienced this with my Tubbs, which have a nice step in binding system and a smaller crampon.

 

[MadRiver]

Finally, I would just suggest that you take a closer look at the link that you posted to demonstrate the recent failures with Lightening Ascents. This is the picture that the OP in the link you posted included with their story. These appear to be the EVO model. Here's the picture from that post:

Anyway, good luck with your hunt for a sturdy snowshoe!

My bad, I just posted the first thread I could find. There have been so many threads it is difficult to find just the right one.

Anyway, I will keep my options open.

 

[MadRiver]

I just off the phone with Cascade Designs to ask if I could purchase the Evo bindings separately, and then replace the LA bindings with the Evo’s, which I think is a stronger binding. Since my shoes hadn’t arrived yet, he said he would place a note in my file having them do the replacement for me. He said he would contact me if there is a problem. If so, I will then just buy them separately and do the switch myself. I much prefer the decking on the LA then the Evo’s, so this might give me a long life on the shoes.

 

[AOC-1]

I just off the phone with Cascade Designs to ask if I could purchase the Evo bindings separately, and then replace the LA bindings with the Evo’s, which I think is a stronger binding. Since my shoes hadn’t arrived yet, he said he would place a note in my file having them do the replacement for me. He said he would contact me if there is a problem. If so, I will then just buy them separately and do the switch myself. I much prefer the decking on the LA then the Evo’s, so this might give me a long life on the shoes.

I did the same thing (Evo bindings on LA decking) 2 years ago after repeated failures of the LA binding. No further problem. Works like a charm. Good luck.