Backcountry Snowshoes

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Recent Backcountry Snowshoe Reviews

MSR Women's Lightning Ascent

I love these snowshoes! Lightweight with great traction! Will go through anything! These snowshoes were a great buy! Got them on Amazon before Christmas when there were awesome sales going on. Paid $199; I think they retail for $279? I'm very happy with them. Very durable with great fit and traction, will go through any winter terrain, and great for climbing in the snow. Full review

Louis Garneau Men's Blizzard II

The Louis Garneau Blizzard II snowshoe has excellent flotation and traction. Its BOA binding system is easy to use with gloves and cushions the whole front of your foot, with none of the pressure points common to straps. Even though we have next to no snow on the ground right now, I decided I was going to buy another pair of snowshoes (actually two pairs, I got a deal on the second pair that I couldn't pass up) and put my faith in the fact that it HAS to snow more this winter. I received them last… Full review

Redfeather Alpine 180

These shoes hold up to heavy use with max weight on them, but do have their problems. I have used these hard for two seasons [not this one, the last two]. I've used them on crust, crossing streams, deep snow, on hills, in the woods, in heavy brush and in rocky terrain in the Adirondacks. I like them. They are easily put on and adjusted, but the widest boot may just not fit in the front straps. I wear a 13w and do have boots that won't fit. They float well and that's saying a lot since I weigh 240… Full review

Louis Garneau Men's Blizzard

I wish I could truly review mine, but in the middle of the most snowless winter I probably have lived through I cannot. We have no snow and haven't had more than two inches of same this season. I can say I have a brand new pair of 10x36's bought late last spring and they look great and they appear to be tough as bullhide, but I do not know. They do measure almost an inch over 36. I did pay $94 for mine on a Sierra Trading Post closeout. And I look forward to trying the BOA system. They did come… Full review

MSR Men's Lightning Ascent

I've owned these snowshoes for five years and the binding (made of very hard but brittle material) has now cracked in multiple places on both bindings making my $280 pair of snowshoes worthless. Bindings will break at the rivet points after ~100 - 150 miles. You'll need to get new snowshoes since MSR does not respond to communications. I'd suggest Faber Mountain Masters, a much superior design and binding system. Full review

MSR Men's Lightning Ascent

This is not for deep snow backpacking. I could not get up the Canyon's North Rim as I sank up to my chest. Not a great way to discover an inadequacy. I was 25 pounds below the max weight listed for them. As I said briefly, I am a winter backpacker. My hugely wide old Tubbs weigh 6 pounds and I wanted to lighten up. Boy was that 2 pound savings a huge mistake. I sank deeper and deeper the higher up the canyon I went. Past the Supai Tunnel I went to my chest and had to turn around.   My old Tubbs… Full review

Tubbs Men's Mountaineer Series

We are a Forestry Consultant in the middle of BC. We wear these misery slippers from Dec-April, 5 days a week, 6-8 hours daily. Tubbs shit the bed in the last couple years with the production of the new Mountaineers. For you weekend warriors, this will probably be the last snowshoe you will ever buy. It's tough, good traction, flotation, only have to do the bindings up once. Overall, has held up the toughest by far. For the pro, the first thing to go will be where they fused the frame together. Full review

Dion Snowshoes 220 Back Country Frame

Excellent performance and clever modular design. I snowshoe almost every day in the winter and have used many different brands including Red Feather, Tubbs, Atlas, Crescent Moon, MSR, and an ancient pair of modified bear paws. Although I weigh 174 lbs., I almost always use snowshoes that are actually large enough to allow travel in deep snow conditions. In the relatively short time I've owned these modular Dion 220 shoes, I've been overwhelmingly impressed with their superb quality and performance,… Full review

Tubbs Men's Flex ALP

I will review my shoes, the 24 inch model, but my husband has the 28 inch version, and his review is the same as mine...we love these snowshoes! We have found them a nice step-up from our older Tubbs models (Adventure 25 and Eclipse 30), and have been excellent in our uses this year, on varying terrain and snow conditions. We snowshoe on sometimes steep and icy trails, and sometimes trails with unpacked or mushy snow. I have found the design and materials on these snowshoes to be excellent, and… Full review