MSR Plastic Snowshoes - any good?

[skiguy]

I have a tough time believing anyone could stay ahead of you.

See what he is not telling you is that Hypolon type snow shoes actually have a rebound effect or let's just say a certain spring effect that add to the swiftness and decreased fatigue while hiking.

 

[Barbarossa]

I also own & recommend Denali Ascents. I tried the televator once and found I didn't like it.

The shoes are noticeably loud and I can think of one additional drawback. Yesterday I left a tail behind in a spruce trap. I couldn't find it, but I was able to get down on one short shoe. I'll be shopping for new tails, not new shoes.

MichaelJ said he thought these really fit in with new England snow conditions and I agree. I would describe the Denalis as a snowshoe / crampon hybrid. You'll lose a bit of performance in some areas, but in some ways they can't be beat.

 

[PShaw]

I have owned a pair of MSR Denali Ascents for about five years and have been quite happy with them.

The good: It's like carrying 2 pairs of snowshoes in 1 with addition of the detachable floatation tails transforming the 22" shoes into 30" if you need more float. The crampon under foot and along the sides gives good bite and stability; I often wear the 22"ers on packed snow just for the improved footing. They have been very durable although I don't use mine as often as many people in the VFTT community.

The bad: They do seem noisier against hard snow/ice than tube type snowshoes. In deep fluffy snow, they don't provide as much float as a wider shoe with more surface area (not much of a mystery there).

 

[Tom Rankin]

The shoes are noticeably loud and I can think of one additional drawback. Yesterday I left a tail behind in a spruce trap. I couldn't find it, but I was able to get down on one short shoe. I'll be shopping for new tails, not new shoes.

I'm a proud owner of 1 tail myself! Let's chat offline!

 

[sardog1]

I have Denali Ascents, I have between 70-100 miles on them and yesterday I had my first problem with them.

I managed to crack the frame near the front coming down Jackson. I have no idea how long I was hiking with a cracked frame, could have been miles for all I know. I didn't notice until I reached 302.

There was a discoloration at this point on both sides (and on my other pair) indicating stress on the plastic. I encourage anyone who owns a pair to look (there will be a line lighter in color). I cauterized the crack with an old wood burner and epoxied the crap out of the area. Hopefully it will not crack again.

My only other gripe (which you will probably hear from other denali users) is they perform poorly when breaking trail in deeper snow. They just don't have the great floatation as the larger surface area tubulars.

Every other way they've performed like a champ. The side crampon "mega ice crunching teeth" kick ass. The televator is a calf saver on ascents -- it makes the steep bits seem like stair steps.

It took a while, but the synapses finally jolted me into remembering a thread from a while back. It was three years ago, but it bears looking at if you're thinking of buying them. For your own good, read all of it to get the whole picture. An exhaustive discussion of MSRs by those who either adore or abjure them:
Thinking of buying MSR snowshoes? Think again.

 

[michaelb]

I'm thinking of buying a pair and would appreciate comments from owners. My snowshoeing will be largely on flat and/or rolling terrain.

MSR snowshoes are excellent for what many people on this forum do, including me, that is climbing steep mountains on often packed trails. But I think they are a terrible choice for what you want to do: snowshoeing on rolling and flat terrain. They are too small to break trail for almost any adult, and overkill in terms of weight and design. They are covered in spikes and crampons for example, but you don't need any spikes or crampons for your use. They clack and creak down the trail, announcing your presence for miles to any animals in the woods. The only reason to use the MSRs is to climb steep nasty stuff at least some of the time (and to carry them the other times as backup).

I now have 7 pairs of snowshoes. For flat and rolling terrain (I am usually breaking trail in these conditions), I prefer wood framed snowshoes with the traditional neoprene deck. They are very quiet, are very good for breaking trail, and don't accumulate snow on the deck or spray it up the back of your legs by having a tight binding system.

 

[jrichard]

I have a love/hate relationship with the MSR plastic snowshoes.

They stick to snow like duct tape to ripstop nylon. They're easy to take on and off. They are cheap. And they are fantastically light.

But they aren't durable, at least not with a 180+lb guy + gear in 0F temps. I've had the following failures:

1) pivot pin broke
2) frame cracked
3) toe area cracked
4) strap rubber broke
5) strap got loose and was lost

I asked MSR about this. They thought that maybe they had a bad batch.

Personally, I can't imagine that plastic could be expected to hold up under stress in the cold. This might be why MSR came out with the Lighting models.

 

[Paradox]

Field Repair

I had a thought reading the reports here on the problems with lost split rings in the hinge pins leading to failure in the hinge. So I wandered into the local hardware store with my one of my MSRs and bought a pair of large cotter pins of same diameter of the hinge pins and some washers to fit.

I haven't tried it yet but I bet I can use one of the cotters to field replace one of the pins with only a knife to bend back the wings of the cotters without taking my gloves off.


Anyone had any experience with this?