MSR's New Snowshoe

Here's a description of a new style of snowshoe from MSR.

"The MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoe features a new approach to frame design. The patent-pending design provides unbeatable 360-degree traction and shaves a half pound or more of weight off the average competitor. With the help of a gait specialist, MSR biomechanically tuned the snowshoes for men and women to make walking and climbing easier."

I am not quite sure what they mean by 360 degree traction, I suppose it's a feature important to the legions of backward walking outdoor enthusiasts. I know sometimes when I am climbing a mountain I wish I could do it backward just so I would have more opportunity to appreciate the view. The picture I saw makes it look like an aluminum I-beam frame with the decking laced to it tennis racket style. I imagine a frame with that cross section would improve traction. Here is a picture if I got it right.

I'm in the market......

For a new pair of snowshoes!!
Where can I purchase a pair?
They mentioned a women's model.
My hope is that besides just shorter straps, they have incorporated a smaller q - value to compensate for women's anatomy.

So where can I buy a pair?

Thanks for sharing this info.

I haven't found them on MSR's web page yet so they may not have reached the market yet. perhaps it is too late for this years season and they are aiming for next season. Gives me something to save my money for over the summer.

The frame, a flat piece of metal, has climbing teeth all around

"The frame, a flat piece of metal, has climbing teeth all around"

Is it really such a good idea? Six of us climbed Seward, Emmons and probably Donaldson as well on March 1st. For the first time in three winters of doing my share of damage to vegetation, I noticed that every single branch or twig, laying across the well beaten track, was chewed to the bone the width of the path. I am sure that the lack of snow and the teeth of the front of our snowshoes bear some of the responsability. Still, walking about the Sewards beautiful ridge, I kept thinking that the popularity of the MSR is probably to blame in a big way as wearing those "Jaws" it is much harder to avoid stepping on the branches only making contact with the non abrasive section of the shoe.

... What do you think?

Christine

Good question Its hard to find the right point on the continuum of impact which ranges from heading into the wilderness in a loin cloth and mocassins to driving a Segway down a hardened clay and gravel path.
I know that hiking poles used to tick me off royally because of all the little pock marks they left behind in the rock. Eventually a bowed to the twinges from my knees and started using them. I still however feel guilt about using them and have tried rubber walking tips. I didn't feel secure with them on though.
Not a good answer I know but at it is reassuring to know that other people are mindful enough to be aware the question exists and ask it.

Re: I'm in the market......

iceNsnow said:

They mentioned a women's model.
My hope is that besides just shorter straps, they have incorporated a smaller q - value to compensate for women's anatomy.

Click to expand...

Doesn't sound like it.

The “Lightning Ascent“ is also available as a special model for women, with shorter straps and crampons set more close-ly together, which keep the foot securely in the binding.

Not sure what q value is, but my wife has a pair of Crescent Moons which she loves. THey are supposed to be designed "woman specific" but in truth they are designed for people, male of female, with shorter legs. The shape of the shoe allows for a narrower angle between the legs so that my wife's hips and inner thigh muscles don't get stained by walking with her feet so far apart.

The engineering principle is that for an equal distance that feet are apart, those with shorter legs will have a wider angle between the legs, sop that by reducing the distance separating the feet, the angle is reduced and wal;king comfort increased.

Tom

q-factor

The q-factor is just as you described. It is the distance that the feet are apart. It is easier to picture on a bike where the factor remains constant since the pedals are always a fixed distance apart.
It actually sounds that they are taking this factor into consideration.
The q-factor does not have as much to do with the LENGTH of the legs, as it does with the WIDTH of the hips. Of course the two are connected in a manner. But there are very tall folks that have very narrow hips producing a q-factor equivalent to say a person who is shorter with wider hips.

The affect of walking with one's feet unnecessarily far apart causes undue stress on the joints in the knees and possibly the ankles, as well as the hips.
It is much more efficient and comfortable to walk with properly gaited snowshoes - especially when they get weighted down with ice balls, or one is attempting to move quickly over long distances.

Evidently Crescent Moon no longer makes the snowshoes my wife has, but this is close to her design (scroll down to GOLD 13):

http://www.crescentmoonsnowshoes.com/gold.html

Crescent Moon

Tom,
Does your wife focus on running or mountaineering?
It looks like they have quite a variety of models, but the crampon does not look very aggressive. Am I wrong?
How does she like the model she has?
Thanks,

Re: Crescent Moon

iceNsnow said:

Tom,
Does your wife focus on running or mountaineering?
It looks like they have quite a variety of models, but the crampon does not look very aggressive. Am I wrong?
How does she like the model she has?
Thanks,

Click to expand...

I'll talk to her tonight. She has used them on White Mtn trails. They are very narrow (inmy opinion) and work best on trails, though I must admit the few times we had to cut cross-country she did well, better than my 30-inch Red Feathers. Perhaps I sank in more becasuse I outweigh her by about 120 pounds

At any rate, the shoes have a fairly aggressive crampon, including a two-toothed crampon on the toe (besides the ball crampon). This gave her excellent traction on steep pitches.

I'll ask her tonight aboukt them.

Tom

One thing I've noticed about lots of these new shoes coming out is how loud they all are while walking. You seem to be able to hear people wearing them from miles away. Any one have any idea why this is? The shift to plastic decks intead of neoprene?

I think the hard plastic has a lot to do how loud it is. I know Shawn has MSRs and I have a pair of Sherpas and I can hear him coming like a freight train. Especially on hard crusty snow. When we did Slide mountain a few weeks ago, the snow was like that and he was making quite a racket!

Jay

My guess is the plastic decks are cheaper to make as well as easier to make. They also cost a lot less than most snowshoes. They are more affordale. All you need is a mold and then pop the binding in. If you look at Tubbs there is a lot more involved, thus making it more expensive than the MSR. They are more disposable like evrything else today, including cars. I love my MSR's and after 6 years of use they finally gave in. ALthough it was the crampon that cracked on me, not the decking. Instead of getting a new crampon I got new MSR shoes rather than another brand, that way if the decking ever breaks on my new ones I have two spare deckings now. This should increase the life span of the shoes now.

Noise or no noise, the MSR's are the best shoe I have ever owned. Amazing traction, incredibly light etc...

"Is it really such a good idea? Six of us climbed Seward, Emmons and probably Donaldson as well on March 1st. For the first time in three winters of doing my share of damage to vegetation, I noticed that every single branch or twig, laying across the well beaten track, was chewed to the bone the width of the path."

This stuff grows back, right?

MSRs Rule

Yes I agree the MSRs are a great shoe for conditions often found in the Daks

Like most MSR owners I have broken 3 pair in 3 years!, but still continue to be a fan. Each pair has had about 40 or so winter 46-ers on them so I expect them to break. This is just the cost of doing business. All of the failures, Two popped rivits, and one broken foot plate, are all easily repaired in the field by carriing, a spare foot plate, two clivis pins, and two saber teeth for repair of popped rivits. I will certainly try the new shoes!

PS

Trees do grow back and even a bear leaves tracks!

Michael

!!!

"Trees do grow back and even a bear leaves tracks"

...........!!!!!!!!!!!.......?????........ please allow me to disagree, growth is significantly slower the higher you go.


Christine

Re: !!!

Christine said:

"Trees do grow back and even a bear leaves tracks"

...........!!!!!!!!!!!.......?????........ please allow me to disagree, growth is significantly slower the higher you go.


Christine

Click to expand...

While I try to be mindful of preserving wilderness, I must also acknowledge that not that long ago (geologically speaking), a mile-thick sheet of ice scoured every inch of soil from this area, right down to bedrock and even grinding off the top layers of bedrock. That trees do grow back is evidenced by the northern forests we walk through.

This gives me the perspective to poke my hiking pole into the ground, and let snowshoes/boots crunch the occasional branch lying across the trail, allowing me to fit myself somewhere inbetween strip miners and those who would put the wildnerness behind plate glass, for viewing purposes only (and presumably put moose into zoos because they eat the branches off the trees and their antlers rub away precious bark).

Moderation is a good thing, in both directions.

Tom

Perhaps Christine is right. That may explain why the Presidential range is such a moonscape. All those darn snowshoers over the years... Perhaps we should ban crampons also...

Oh pine opine not!

Christine

I am a conservationist and an ecologist and my successful lobbing of business to adopt sound practices has made a significant difference to our environment.

I hardly think my 46 hikes into the woods in winter will significantly change the biosphere of the Daks. Personally I am more concerned about the effects of acid rain, and global warming.

I am also a realist about the nature of nature, and nothing leaves no trace, we have seen the effects of Hurricane Floyd and forest fires on this "fragile ecosystem and the forest still perseveres.

I think it more our human aesthetic that is offended by seeing traces of other in a setting seeming so wild and all to ourselves.
I have enjoyed many sports that had no followers and that was a special time, but I can't hang on to the old days when so few hiked, climbed, jumped, dived, etc. There is more traffic that in some way adds and in some way detracts from our experience and I graciously accept both. I cannot ask others to not follow my footsteps in sports I love. We all have the right to experience the backcountry and yet I am thankful that only a small handful of people are willing to make the trip.

I do sleep easy that the few hundred hikers in the winter, when the mountain is in its protective blanket of snow, will never alter the fundamentals of this delicately balanced ecosystem

Much respect to my GA

Michael

Why does the environmental issues always get brought up and ruin a good thread. I am not even going to get involved because there are much bigger issues than vegation on a trail getting chewed and poke marks on rocks. Lets just enjoy being outdoors. After all isnt a trail a hudge scare as well?????????????????

I still love my MSR's.