I recently got a set of the Lightning Ascents. Got the small ones, 22".
I have a great pair of Tubbs 24" mountaineering shoes and a couple of sets of Sherpa shoes but wanted to try the televators and the really small size for when I'm not doing a lot of breaking or carrying on the do-I or don't-I need snowshoe days.
I don't have any specific knowledge, but Cascade Designs has a very good reputation for supporting some of their other gear (eg Thermarest pads).I wonder if the failures some have had with MSR snowshoes might have to do with MSR being purchased by Cascade Designs?
I wasn't suggesting that their histories and product lines had to be identical, just that both have quality-oriented company cultures.I like Cascade Designs and have their stuff. Not a knock on them at all but they are not a hardware company in the sense that MSR's founding and history have demonstrated.
Interestingly for anyone counting ounces and FWIW, Crescent Moon has a 9 x 27 teardrop design this year that is about 12 ozs lighter then the 8 x 25 Lightning Ascents and about 10 ozs lighter than the 8 x 22's. The "load" recommendation on the 9 x 27 Crescent Moons is to 195lbs and is to 175lbs on the MSR 8 x 25's. Prices on both seem to be about $225.Unfortunately, for marketing purposes, they wanted to claim
"Ultralight: The lightest snowshoe in its class. "
Because of this, they have used both thinner gauge steel and less of it for the crampons, compared with the Denali evo or Denali. The objective was to be able to say they were the "lightest", not to be the most durable or reliable. .
Don't forget to include your pack weight in your load estimates.The "load" recommendation on the 9 x 27 Crescent Moons is to 195lbs and is to 175lbs on the MSR 8 x 25's.
Marketing.I guess MSR owners know this, but the company does categorize it's non-"Ascent" snowshoes as for Flat and Rolling terrain.
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