Jenn E.
2008-04-01 13:10:04 UTC
Here is my long term report on the MSR Denali Evo Ascent Snowshoes.
Happy editing!
Jenn E.
The HTML can be found here:
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/LTR%20MSR%20Denali%20Evo%20Snowshoes%20Jenn%20E/
Long Term Report
April 1, 2008
Testing Locations
Finding an abundance of snow that is easily accessible for short trips and day hikes in Southern California has been trying. I was spoiled living in Utah with lots of snow in my backyard. During the past two months the Denali Evo Ascent snowshoes were worn on two overnight trips in the following locations:
San Jacinto State Park, California: The elevation at Round Valley was 9,100 ft (2,774 m). There was snow on the ground with clear skies and no precipitation. The temperatures were 33 F (1 C) for a high and low of 19 F (-7 C). This was a 6 mi (9.66 km) trip. The snow was hard packed, icy, and slushy in some areas. Base snow: over 3 ft (0.91 m).
San Jacinto State Park, California: I went back to this area for another night of backpacking. There was still snow on the ground. We camped at 9,100 ft (2,774 m) and the temperatures were a mild 50 F (10 C) for a high and 25 F (-4 C) for the low. This was a 6 mi (9.66 km) trip. The snow was hard packed, icy, and slushy in some areas. Base snow: 2 ft (0.61 m) and less.
Snowshoeing on some hard packed snow.
Performance in the Field
After using the Denali Evo Ascents for the past four months I must say that I absolutely love them. They are comfortable, do not give me leg and foot fatigue or pain, they have great traction, and I love the Televator that allows me to travel the steeps. All and all I had a wonderful experience testing these snowshoes.
During the past two months of testing the Evo Ascents saw less powder and more icy and hard packed snow conditions. Initially on one of the trips to Round Valley I wore my Yaktrax traction devices. The snow and ice was balling up and I was not getting any traction on the snow. So I put on the Evo Ascents. There was no issue of the snow and ice balling up under my feet or under the crampons.
On my two backpacking trips during this testing phase I wore my Gore-Tex backpacking boots since the temperatures were warmer. There was no need on either trip to use the flotation tails since powder was nowhere to be seen. The snowshoes transitioned nicely between the icy, hard packed, and slushy snow that I encountered. The crampons bit through the icy snow and I had no instances of sliding down the icy, hard packed snow.
In the final stages of testing I did have the opportunity to use the Televator more as I climbed steeper slopes. I must say that this is one of my favorite features. It gave me the opportunity to easily climb steeper slopes without much effort and no calf fatigue. It definitely allowed me to go places that I could not even dream of in my other snowshoes and with much ease. The only difficulty is that sometimes the Televator is challenging to release. Especially when I am standing on a steep slope and I have to release it for a decent. I found my self struggling to keep my balance while trying to release the Televator that would sometimes require extra force to release. But, it is still one of my favorite features.
My other favorite feature is the removable flotation tails. I enjoyed the fact that I can have one pair of snowshoes that can be shorter for hard packed snow and longer for powder conditions. I do not like walking around on hard packed snow with big snowshoes that I end up tripping over my feet with, plus I don't want to walk with the extra weight. Plus I do not need the extra length. I just like the versatility the flotation tails provide. They make the Evo Ascents a 2 in 1 snowshoe (one snowshoe with two options-extra flotation for powder or minimal flotation).
The bindings have held up well with no stretching that I could tell. At times when donning them I had difficulty recalling which snowshoe was the right and the left . The manufactuer suggests to wear them with the tabs on the inside of your feet when they are fully fastened. But, naturally I found myself donning them with the tabs on the outside of the foot when they were fastened. I had to really think about the correct way of putting them on my feet since they are not marked right and left. Anyway, I did have them placed on the wrong feet twice. But, I really did not tell a difference in my gait. I would like to see them marked right and left, it would just make donning them according to the manufacturer's directions easier.
I think these are a great pair of snowshoes that can go pretty much anywhere that snowshoes would allow a person to go. They are lightweight, versatile, adjustable, comfortable, and easy to don and doff. I will be using these for many more seasons.
Things That Rock:
Ease of binding use
Alignment while walking
Comfort
Versatile and adjustable with flotation tails
The function of the Televator
Things That Are So So:
The Televator was at times difficult to release
The flotation tails can be difficult to remove when new
The snowshoes are not marked left and right
Televator in action
Remarks
This concludes my long term report. Thank you Cascade Designs and backpackgeartest.org for providing me with the opportunity to test these snowshoes.
____________________________________________________________________________________
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.
http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text5.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Happy editing!
Jenn E.
The HTML can be found here:
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/LTR%20MSR%20Denali%20Evo%20Snowshoes%20Jenn%20E/
Long Term Report
April 1, 2008
Testing Locations
Finding an abundance of snow that is easily accessible for short trips and day hikes in Southern California has been trying. I was spoiled living in Utah with lots of snow in my backyard. During the past two months the Denali Evo Ascent snowshoes were worn on two overnight trips in the following locations:
San Jacinto State Park, California: The elevation at Round Valley was 9,100 ft (2,774 m). There was snow on the ground with clear skies and no precipitation. The temperatures were 33 F (1 C) for a high and low of 19 F (-7 C). This was a 6 mi (9.66 km) trip. The snow was hard packed, icy, and slushy in some areas. Base snow: over 3 ft (0.91 m).
San Jacinto State Park, California: I went back to this area for another night of backpacking. There was still snow on the ground. We camped at 9,100 ft (2,774 m) and the temperatures were a mild 50 F (10 C) for a high and 25 F (-4 C) for the low. This was a 6 mi (9.66 km) trip. The snow was hard packed, icy, and slushy in some areas. Base snow: 2 ft (0.61 m) and less.
Snowshoeing on some hard packed snow.
Performance in the Field
After using the Denali Evo Ascents for the past four months I must say that I absolutely love them. They are comfortable, do not give me leg and foot fatigue or pain, they have great traction, and I love the Televator that allows me to travel the steeps. All and all I had a wonderful experience testing these snowshoes.
During the past two months of testing the Evo Ascents saw less powder and more icy and hard packed snow conditions. Initially on one of the trips to Round Valley I wore my Yaktrax traction devices. The snow and ice was balling up and I was not getting any traction on the snow. So I put on the Evo Ascents. There was no issue of the snow and ice balling up under my feet or under the crampons.
On my two backpacking trips during this testing phase I wore my Gore-Tex backpacking boots since the temperatures were warmer. There was no need on either trip to use the flotation tails since powder was nowhere to be seen. The snowshoes transitioned nicely between the icy, hard packed, and slushy snow that I encountered. The crampons bit through the icy snow and I had no instances of sliding down the icy, hard packed snow.
In the final stages of testing I did have the opportunity to use the Televator more as I climbed steeper slopes. I must say that this is one of my favorite features. It gave me the opportunity to easily climb steeper slopes without much effort and no calf fatigue. It definitely allowed me to go places that I could not even dream of in my other snowshoes and with much ease. The only difficulty is that sometimes the Televator is challenging to release. Especially when I am standing on a steep slope and I have to release it for a decent. I found my self struggling to keep my balance while trying to release the Televator that would sometimes require extra force to release. But, it is still one of my favorite features.
My other favorite feature is the removable flotation tails. I enjoyed the fact that I can have one pair of snowshoes that can be shorter for hard packed snow and longer for powder conditions. I do not like walking around on hard packed snow with big snowshoes that I end up tripping over my feet with, plus I don't want to walk with the extra weight. Plus I do not need the extra length. I just like the versatility the flotation tails provide. They make the Evo Ascents a 2 in 1 snowshoe (one snowshoe with two options-extra flotation for powder or minimal flotation).
The bindings have held up well with no stretching that I could tell. At times when donning them I had difficulty recalling which snowshoe was the right and the left . The manufactuer suggests to wear them with the tabs on the inside of your feet when they are fully fastened. But, naturally I found myself donning them with the tabs on the outside of the foot when they were fastened. I had to really think about the correct way of putting them on my feet since they are not marked right and left. Anyway, I did have them placed on the wrong feet twice. But, I really did not tell a difference in my gait. I would like to see them marked right and left, it would just make donning them according to the manufacturer's directions easier.
I think these are a great pair of snowshoes that can go pretty much anywhere that snowshoes would allow a person to go. They are lightweight, versatile, adjustable, comfortable, and easy to don and doff. I will be using these for many more seasons.
Things That Rock:
Ease of binding use
Alignment while walking
Comfort
Versatile and adjustable with flotation tails
The function of the Televator
Things That Are So So:
The Televator was at times difficult to release
The flotation tails can be difficult to remove when new
The snowshoes are not marked left and right
Televator in action
Remarks
This concludes my long term report. Thank you Cascade Designs and backpackgeartest.org for providing me with the opportunity to test these snowshoes.
____________________________________________________________________________________
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.
http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text5.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------