Atlas  Helium Trail Snowshoes

Great when they're working, mediocre bindings

The Atlas SSs are great when you have them strapped to your boot. They're miserable to take on and off if you don't get the placement just right. It took 10 minutes to get each on. Not good when you're freezing your butt off and have impatient kids with you. The forward strap constantly binds against the the claw and prevents you from flipping the cradle over so it's flat. Very annoying. The tongue on the buckle also grinds against the inside of the claw. The only hack was to put a zip tie around the strap. This makes the forward strap position semi-permanent. Keep the heal and aft strap free to be able to make adjustments. If you cinch the aft strap down with a zip tie it's going to be difficult to remove your boot. If Atlas went to a BOA system this would be 5 stars. Then they'd want to double the price. I'm 230 pounds and using the 30. So far they work great in the fluffy stuff.

23 inch is a WOMEN'S SIZE!

I am posting to alert potential buyers that the sizing and fit information contained in the product listing is incomplete and inaccurate. [Please note, I never tried the shoes in the snow, so the 3-star rating does not indicate anything about their performance!] The listing shows these as unisex, and they come up under a search for MEN'S snowshoes. The listing indicates that sizing is based solely on weight, and does not include the manufacturer's sizing chart. [I found these things out because I ordered the 23 inch size, which was stated to be for users up to 160# loaded weight. I weigh 140# and carry a light pack (less than 20#). BUT these snowshoes were too small and did not fit.] Bottom line is after receiving them, I found the Manufacturer's Sizing Chart in the bag with the shoes; it says the 23" size is for WOMEN's shoe sizes up to 11. In fact, when I tried them on, I found that the bindings were not big enough for my Men's size 10.5 boots. Also, importantly, the spacing between the binding and the Heel Lift was too short for my boot; with the ball of my foot centered over the binding, as directed, the heel lift hit my foot in front of my heel, not under my heel. So in fact these do appear to be designed for WOMEN'S size shoes, as stated in the maker's sizing chart. I returned these without using them, so to reiterate, the 3-star rating is based only on the lack of proper sizing info, as described above; I do not know how these actually perform on the snow. Finally, I want to add to a couple things mentioned by previous reviewers. One reported that when he tightened the binding, the snowshoes would be twisted with the front nose ends pointed inwards. I experienced the same thing, HOWEVER, my boots were, as stated above, too big for these 23" shoes / bindings. I wonder if: 1. having the small size with a too big boot was the reason they twisted for both him and me; and 2. whether a larger size of this snowshoe would stay straight when tightened. Another reviewer stated that the forward two straps have no clips to hold the loose strap ends (as there is on the heel strap). In practice, this is not a problem, as the remaining free ends lay on top of the boot and should not get in the way. The overall build quality looks good and the bindings were pretty easy to use. As stated in the Q&A by REI Service, once the straps are set, getting in and out of the bindings requires only necessary releasing the heel buckle, which is a quick-release lever. I think these shoes are worth trying, and after returning the 23", I ordered the next larger 26 inch size, but then a day later received a notice that there was a stocking error on the website and the 26" size is no longer in stock. Bummer! REI is usually so good about this stuff.

Solid snowshoe

Bindings are very easy to use. Front two are webbed and do spread the pressure good. The webbing is not meant to center over the shoe , it’s meant to grip the inside of the forefoot over the hinge. There is a sliding clip to capture the heel strap. Well thought out and I was in them first use before the strappy colicky bindings in the group were done, by a good margin. I wear unstructured Steger Mukluks and these snowshoes are quite comfortable with them. The front claw isn’t aggressive, which allows for less lift on each stride. We cut a few switchbacks and tried out the heel lifter while climbing the fall line. A strong positive click in both positions up and down. Probably did 300 vertical feet this way. The side stabilizers worked well too, especially in comparison to the older style snowshoes in the party. I weigh 190 with gear and got the 30”. Easy striding and plenty of float for PNW wet snow. Very comfortable step, the flex in the plastic tail is smooth to use. Super light and that is noticeable right off and pays off once you’re in 5 miles and still need to snowshoe out. We saw ice, crusty ice, breakthrough crust to soft, semi soft, and wet soft snow, not powder that doesn’t exist here, but powderish snow. Plenty of float in all. If the kids take to the sport we’ll add a couple more pairs.

Great snowshoes for moderate hikes

I just got into snowshoeing this year. After renting a pair of an older Atlas snowshoes for my first hike, I decided to buy the Atlas Helium Trail. After testing them out for a hike, I'd say they are a great pair for moderate hiking in the slushy Southern California snow. No problem for the float and good traction for up, down, and traverse. The pair I rented did not have much side traction devices and I was on edge every time I needed to traverse a side hill. The Helium Trail, with its side traction edges, worked very well for traverse.

So bad in every way

The plastic strap system, which is a new design is so unbelievably bad and untested it is laughable. When you pull the toe box over the boot, it isn't centered at all which is very confusing, and the bigger the boot, the more the toe box sits on the side of the boot instead of over the toe. The straps are so long and no place to put the slack so they flop everywhere waiting to snag on something. The toe straps close by resting them on a tiny hook and the rear has a mech you push close but it gives no click or feel you have it locked / engaged. Neither confidence inspiring at all. No matter how much I adjusted, they were never on straight. They would end up at variable angles so the my toe would have to point out 20 degrees for the snowshoe to be straight, so if my feet were straight, the snowshoes we're pointed in 20 degrees and they would constantly be stepping on each other. You had to point out and unnaturally twist your knees to avoid it which quickly led to discomfort. Downhill traction was poor and ankles seem to roll over easy. Overall, worst snowshoe ever? My wife's $60 snowshoe with aluminum outer perimeter and simple ratcheting snowboard straps destroy these hands down in every aspect of design.

I agree with one of the earlier reviews, the plastic strap is just not worker friendly and it being offcentered is....I don't...laughable...but it is definitely a design flaw. Too bad everything else seems workable.

Poor design and construction

I've used these a total of 5 times in 14 months. They bend horribly with no support. The bindings are off center and sketch. Don't waste money on these

Poor design and construction

I have used these a total of 5 times in the last 14 months. They bent horribly where the rear rivets failed making them unusable

Does the job if you don't go crazy

Works very well, but better to stay in groomed trails

Poor Binding Design

The bindings are poorly designed for anyone with larger, wider feet as they catch on the frame of the snowshoe body causing damage to it with every step. This results in an annoying loud clanking sound as it cuts notches into the frames. Returned them for a refund after using once.