Sherpa Snowshoes - Out of Business

[Lena]

Sadly it looks as if Sherpa Snowshoes is definitely out of business. Their website is down and the only link I could find for them was on a sport shops website selling 1 model of Sherpa snowshoes with the disclaimer "Sherpa snowshoes is no longer in business, and there is no warranty service available from the company". Which means for those of us who still use Sherpas (myself included), we will most likely be out of luck if they do break. Although there are numerous companies and models of shoes in the market, and I have tried a few, I always liked my Sherpas the best - and their warranty department was exceptional. Just this past weekend, A friend of mine who fills in at a local ski shop that sells (sold) Sherpas, was recommending them to another friend as the snowshoe with the best warranty in the business. He recounted a story of a local hiker who after hiking for the day during a snow storm, couldn't get enough traction to get out of the parking lot, so he used his Sherpas as traction devices under the wheels of his vehicle to get out. (crampon side down I'm assuming) The man sent them back to Sherpa explaining the story, but asking to pay Sherpa, to get them fixed. Sherpa refused his offer and sent him a replacement pair for free.... Anyway, I'm sorry to see them go.

 

[Rick]

Lena, this was discussed in these previous forums, and recently came up on the 46er listserv. your timely comments are well-taken. I find E-bay is really the only place to find old Sherpas nowadays - However, I also find confusion the differences between the tucker w/alpine and the tucker w/alpine II claws.

Sherpa Bindings

Another Sherpa Question

 

[Peakbagr]

I have 2 pr of Sherpas, the small one and the medium sized one.
They made a great shoe, easy to repair in the field and had terrific service.
I lament their passing, but their bindings were always a hassle.

 

[snowshoe]

Why did they go out? My guess is they where toooooooooo expensive for most poeple, especially with all the other companys out there.

 

[Waumbek]

I lament their passing, but their bindings were always a hassle.

Ditto. I bought mine almost 25 years ago, when there was only one model, upgraded to the bearclaw bindings, then passed them on to the next generation when I went to MSRs and other models that didn't require taking off mittens to tighten and adjust bindings. But those old Sherpas are still out there 'shoeing around and will probably outlast all of us. They've never needed a repair. I can't say that for my Tubbs, which went back to the factory within a few years for repair.

 

[John H Swanson]

... then passed them on to the next generation when I went to MSRs and other models that didn't require taking off mittens to tighten and adjust bindings.

One of the reasons I like the sherpas is because I can lace and unlace them with my mittens on. When I used other shoes with fastex buckles I had more problems with the mittens

 

[CaptCaper]

I agree it's sad that a company that had a major influence on snow shoes could not endure.

Hiltons Tent City had Sherpa Trackers there. They sold me them without the bindings. I don't know if they still have anymore left. They might have different sizes also.

I had a pair of Mountain's in 30". And the Trackers which were 34". I am a big guy so the Mountains' deck struggled to stay tight. The lacing kept loosening and the deck stretched out towards the back. Also the Lotus Comfort bindings let my heel travel way off center all the time no matter how I adjusted the straps and would allow the toe to jump over the stop. The decking I found was very prone to chafing here in N.E. type conditions. But in all still a good shoe.

I had had Tubbs top of the line before so I sold the Sherpas and got some Pinnacles with T91 bindings and Viper Crampons. I find this shoe better all around. Actually I bought 3 pairs. I sold all Sherpa's.

The decking on the Pinnacle is very tough. And the Viper very good for N.E. trails. I have had no problems with the binding as of yet. It has kept my heel centered well on the deck. A little lighter also. But they listed out for $240.00 or so. I got them at the end of the season sale at EMS.

All these shoes have rivets to contend with the way I see it. One should bring wire ties as a emergency repair.

If Tubbs didn't move overseas and try different technology there fate might of been the same. They probably saw the writing on the wall.

Although I haven't been snowshoeing 25 years these are my experiences.

 

[Skyclimber]

I too am disappointed. I always ranted and raved about Sherpa.
After ten years of wearing my pair I baught, the lacing around the framing itself, unlaced. Sending them back for repair. Upon recieving my snowshoes back, I was shocked in the respect that not only did they put new lacing around the frame , but also put in new webbing for the feet, new straps and crampons, all new on the shoes as well. A whole new overall. The only indication they weren't a brand new pair was the framing still had scratches on them. But everything else was new. I was totally impressed and they charged me nothing.

 

[CaptCaper]

I too am disappointed. I always ranted and raved about Sherpa.
After ten years of wearing my pair I baught, the lacing around the framing itself, unlaced. Sending them back for repair. Upon recieving my snowshoes back, I was shocked in the respect that not only did they put new lacing around the frame , but also put in new webbing for the feet, new straps and crampons, all new on the shoes as well. A whole new overall. The only indication they weren't a brand new pair was the framing still had scratches on them. But everything else was new. I was totally impressed and they charged me nothing.

Yes they did the same for me. They even put stop buttons to keep the pivot and binding from slideing back again but the deck still got pretty stretched and lacing was loosing up again.

 

[Rick]

If anyone is interested, I have had a couple of conversations with this woman (Julie) on Ebay. She had 2 pairs of sherpas, Brand new, listed twice with no takers. She has recently relisted them as separate items.
I might go for one pair.

Brand New Sherpa Snowshoes with Tucker Binding

 

[Ned Kipperson]

QUOTE]

What was that snowshoe called, ARCTIC TREKKER??
I would like to see this snowshoe, called ARCTIC TREKKER!!
One more time, ARCTIC TREKKER!!

 

[spider solo]

Seems I've read of people repairing Sherpas with Tubbs parts. I think they are or were the same dimensions.

 

[Adk Keith]

Anyone else get spammed by this gladdy person? I did this morning and I hadn't even contributed to the thread!

grrrr

 

[chomp]

no spam but I did report the message

 

[Rick]

I was spammed.

 

[Adk Keith]

Darren's on it.

 

[darren]

Commercial posts are not allowed on this site.

Sending spam to other site users will not be tolerated at all. The offending user has been banned from the forums.

Please let me know if anyone has any future problems.

Thanks,

- darren

 

[Peakbagr]

I had deleted his post and was waiting for the "D" hammer to follow up.

 

[Skyclimber]

Add me to the list of being spammed !

 

[giatti]

Spam from gladdy

i was spammed also but had a look at the snowshoes. looks like a sherpa but hard to tell quality from a picture. are those prices high? I guess they are in Canadian funds. i prefer my Sherpa bigfoots by far over a pair of atlas i bought in a moment of weakness.