Snowshoe comparisons and failure analysis

[Chip]

MEB's MSR Lightning Ascents failed in several places, primarily, I believe, the crampons cracked where they are attached to the frame with the pins, leaving them useless. NH_Mtn_Hiker has worn through rivets on his after only several miles. The thing I like about the way these look is the cleat in the frame. I think this would make them less likely to "ski". The binding/crampon and rivet failures would keep me from purchasing, however.

Here's a picture of my Crescent Moon Gold 9 snowshoe. I believe these are the highest "rated", least popular shoes that exist. My only complaint is that they are easy to "ski" if you lean back at all. They have not failed after 3 seasons of moderate to heavy use.
The Binding and Crampon attach to the (Point A) Pivot Point Strap with 2 rivets and to the (Point B) Back of the Deck Attachment Point flap with 2 rivets. So if both a Point A and Point B rivet were to fail, the unit would still function pretty well, especially if they were diagonal to each other.

These are the Atlas BC-24's. They have a very similar binding attachment system to the Crescent Moon's. The "Pivot Point Strap" better not break however, this looks like it would be a catastrophic failure. PS: I have no reason to believe it will fail. I like the aggressive 2 stage crampon and the heel lifts on these. If I were buying today, I think I'd buy these or the Atlas 1230's.

I think it would be useful to have an honest discussion about your experiences with failures and performance without getting into a "political" debate about whether MSR's rock or rot.

 

[sardog1]

Having owned successive pairs of wooden snowshoes, Sherpas (original version) and MSR Denali Ascents, and having once been responsible for deciding whether to accept snowshoes for "defect" claims, I will proffer this inflammatory opinion:

"Most" premature snowshoe failures are the result of abuse on rocks and in other nonforgiving circumstances, e.g., bridging a gap between two hard edges. This is different from long term wear.

Snowshoes are for traversing snow deep enough to support them. The Northeast has comparatively thin snow, hard rocks, and lots of downed trees and limbs, in comparison to other snowshoeing locales. If you insist on walking with them on bare ledges and partly buried rocks, or rock hopping to cross streams, you're exceeding their intended use.

YMMV -- in fact, it's a certainty, if you're not as solicitous as I am with mine.

 

[Tom Rankin]

If I get a chance, I will post pictures of what happened to my MSRs after some rough winters. They were not ruined, but the metal did snap. Also, the leather came close to ripping out but did not. Finally, the televator snapped once, but again, I am VERY hard on my snow shoes!

 

[Jay H]

Simply looking at my pair of snowshoes and Chip's picture, you can see where the major abuse for snowshoes appear sans stepping on a really sharp knife or something. The sides where the snowshoes meet on my pair of newer (but old) Sherpas are very beat up and for some reason Sherpa put a rivet on the rubber band that the binding pivots on on the sides of the aluminum frame. This guarantees that after moderate use, the rivet fails. This isn't catastrophic, but means the binding has a tendency to slide ever so slightly fore and aft. I've replaced mine with a screw and layers of duct tape!

Also, since there is a rubber band (like traditional wooden shoes) that mount the deck to the frame (unlike most modern day snowshoes), the band's metal clip will eventually fail and again, it wont be catastrophic, it'll make the deck a bit loose until you fix it.

So, in conclusion, the obvious weak point would be anything on the outside of the aluminum frame will eventually fail, some sooner than others depending on design. They get bashed like the dickens, especially in warmer climates such as the Catskills (as compared to the ADKs or the Whites) where there is more a propensity to hike in mixed terrain and perhaps more rocks than one would find with a higher snow base.

Jay

 

[hillman1]

I've owned 5 pair of snowshoes. Two from atlas, and three from msr. My Atlas830 and 1025 models have had normal wear, which I ended up buying a rivet gun for so that I could do it myself. I sent in the 830's for a redecking, and atlas did it for free. The msr's perform much better, but are much more prone to big failures. I currently use the evo ascents, which have been flawless so far. I torqued a pair of lightning ascents last season, and msr thought that I must have put them under my car and drove over them. They have never seen such a catastrophic failure, and that was after only about 5 uses. The customer service is pretty darn good, but I did feel they should have replaced them for free, but I settled for the evo's at cost. I think if I was buying new, I would go for the new atlas models, either the BC ones pictured above, or the new 1225's with the heel lifter. I wouldn't buy another pair without that option for any reason.

 

[sleeping bear]

I have a pair of Tubbs Discovery 27s that I bought nearly 8 years ago. They are the bottom of the line Tubbs and have the pivot strap as pictured above in the first post. I have beat the crap out of those snowshoes and they still work as well as the day I bought them. I go winter backpacking, pull sleds, spent a winter in the Northeast, and spend a lot of time bushwacking over and around rocks and trees. They work great.

The main drawback is that the crampons are not all that great and collect snow/ice in warmer weather. They also 'ski' going downhill in fluffy stuff.

For the $70 I paid for them (on sale) I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I anticipate many more years of life out of these snowshoes, but if they break tomorrow I will still have nothing but good things to say about them.

 

[carole]

I have two sizes of the Atlas 12 series (1225 & 1223) that I use extensively (often several times a week) and probably rather abusively. This is how they look top and bottom after 4 winters of use. You can see the metal frame has it's share of scrapping, the 'cleats' have some wear and the pivot strap shows wear also but it doesn't look like it will fail any time soon.

 

[Chip]

The msr's perform much better...

In what way ?

 

[hillman1]

Because they have the heel lift. The 1025's and 830's from atlas that I have do not have that feature. I think it might be the greatest innovation since the advent of rubber (or plastic) bindings that don't freeze. I realize though that most gear has a useful lifespan, so I figure one hard winter season per set of decks is a good season.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Sounds like the rivets in stress areas are the weak points for some otherwise high-end snowshoes.

If they were mine, I'd drill them out and replace them with short stainless steel stove bolts (they have rounded heads) and aircraft lock nuts with a washer on each side. That's the method that Tubbs used for years to attach their crampons, and they have never failed me.

 

[John H Swanson]

Sounds like the rivets in stress areas are the weak points for some otherwise high-end snowshoes.

If they were mine, I'd drill them out and replace them with short stainless steel stove bolts (they have rounded heads) and aircraft lock nuts with a washer on each side. That's the method that Tubbs used for years to attach their crampons, and they have never failed me.

Pan head #10 screw, 32 threads per inch, with washers to increase the bearing surface and reduce the risk of material failure. A sweet solution.

 

[Rick]

I just ordered a pair of Atlas 1235's with the televator from EMS (On Sale from $269 to $215 plus free shipping). These will replace my 20 year old, but still very good shape Sherpa Tuckers.
I was leaning toward the MRS lightening 30's, but after reading this and hearing issues others have had with side hills and durability, decided to try the Atlas's.

 

[skidoc22]

Heel lifters

Hey has anyone figured out a way to "retrofit" a pair of snowshoes with a heel lifter apparatus? I recently got a couple of pairs of Tubbs elevation and hadn't realized they did not have the lifters built in. Wondering if any creative or crafty folks have figured out a solution?

 

[DougPaul]

Hey has anyone figured out a way to "retrofit" a pair of snowshoes with a heel lifter apparatus? I recently got a couple of pairs of Tubbs elevation and hadn't realized they did not have the lifters built in. Wondering if any creative or crafty folks have figured out a solution?

Take a look at Telemark ski binding heel pieces. Many will mount heel lifters. Many heel pieces are also lifters--you want a flat heel piece.

After you find the heel piece, then you will have to figure out how to attach it to the snowshow...

BTW, IMO, heel lifters are only useful for sustained steep hills. They are very awkward on the level and switching them up and down often takes a bit of time and effort.


Exchanging the snowshoes for another model may be easier...

Doug

 

[skidoc22]

Take a look at Telemark ski binding heel pieces. Many will mount heel lifters. Many heel pieces are also lifters--you want a flat heel piece.

After you find the heel piece, then you will have to figure out how to attach it to the snowshow...

BTW, IMO, heel lifters are only useful for sustained steep hills. They are very awkward on the level and switching them up and down often takes a bit of time and effort.


Exchanging the snowshoes for another model may be easier...

Doug

Good thought on the tele binding heel pieces. I'll look at those first. I really like everything else about the snowshoes so I will try to fit them with the lifters if it looks feasible. Many times my calves were saved by the lifters on a steep slope. Otherwise on the rolling stuff it's like walking in high heels.

 

[sleeping bear]

Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book reccomends making a heel lift with a piece of 1.5 or 2 inch PVC pipe. Cut two pieces that are about as long as you boot is wide. Run a strap or bungee cord through it and put it around your foot so the pipe rests just under the heel of your boot (it should be kept in place by the heel). The key is figuring out a way to secure and remove it without taking your feet out of the bindings.

 

[DougPaul]

Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book reccomends making a heel lift with a piece of 1.5 or 2 inch PVC pipe. Cut two pieces that are about as long as you boot is wide. Run a strap or bungee cord through it and put it around your foot so the pipe rests just under the heel of your boot (it should be kept in place by the heel). The key is figuring out a way to secure and remove it without taking your feet out of the bindings.

Ah yes, I forgot about that one. They also used to be commercially available. I tried some and found them to be awkward to engage and disengage. I probably tried them on skis (it was a long time ago), they might be easier to handle on snowshoes.

You want the tube axis to be vertical--if it is horizontal, you will crush them.

Doug

 

[Chip]

Good Gear Fix ideas.

Looking at EMS, REI and Campmor it's MSR, Atlas, Crescent Moon (!), Tubbs, Redfeather and TSL. Anybody know anything about these others ?