MSR  Lightning Ascent Snowshoes - Women's

These snowshoes are worth every penny! The bindings are so quick and secure that I have my snowshoes on and am checking out the trail while everyone else is still wrestling with their various straps. (After a few trips out in blowing wind, you really start looking at binding setups much more closely.) I also love that I can use these snowshoes for any hike I decide to take on from flat, snow covered trail to Panorama Point climb at Mt Rainier, the can do it all. If you have tried snowshoeing and love it, seriously consider upgrading to a pair of MSRs like these ASAP. You will have a much more enjoyable Trek.

I bought these MSR Lightning Ascents for my wife in 2015 she has about 7 miles on them.They are well made and are faraly quite compared to my Tubbs VR Flex witch I have about 28miles of use. MSR Lightning Ascend hold Thier ground well. We both have no issues with parts loosening or poor materials. Our old pair of snowshoes were both Yukon Charlie's from Costco witch I hated the design and performance.

I've only used these snow shoes a couple of times, but they have been great, as far as I'm concerned. I'm still getting into snowshoeing and wanted some that would last a good long while, and these were the ticket. I'm a woman with a narrow gait, and these have a narrow "foot" compared to other options. I've noticed a difference and don't have an issue stepping on my snowshoes. I like number of straps - I never feel like my foot will fall out of their hold. The heel bar (what is that called?) is also easy to maneuver while snowshoeing.

I'm new to the sport and went out last week for my second time. I did a 4 mile RT 1,000 ft elevation gain and I LOVED these showshoes. They were super light, easy to figure out how to use and the ergo televator worked great on the steep slopes! I'm 5'1/120 and appreciated how narrow these are. With that said, I still banged them into each other but that's probably because I'm just figuring out how to showshoe efficiently. The cons - they were pretty scratched up after using once (maybe normal?) and the straps kept coming out of the little black thing that holds them into place. This didn't really make a difference and maybe I need to adjust where these are located (they slide). During the steep part of the slope I flipped that back bar up and it was amazing the difference it made! I didn't slide or fall once and there was no pressure points on the bottom of my feet. I wore my keen hiking boots - perfect combo.

I had read all the reviews and one pulled up a red flag. I should have listened to it. I got them to do away with 2 extra pounds on my backpack that my giant wide tubbs would have added. When I hit deep snow going up the grand canyons north rim last week I found myself sinking deeper and deeper. Now it was fresh snow, but in all my years backpacking with my tubbs I always kept about a foot from the surface. I had to turn around at the supai tunnel as I began sinking up to my chest. It was very frustrating as I got the 25 length and was well within the 210 limit with the pack. Maybe the extension would have helped ( again at my weight with pack I was 25 under) if the company was more accurate with their weight ratings? I have my doubts about how the lightenings could do the job even with extensions. So I am returning these snowshoes. They are NOT good for backpacking through deep snow. 1.7 miles from the top I had to turn around... Just as if I were post holing. That is not cool and an absolutely HUGE disappointment. So if you have a light day pack in light snow you will love these, but for the hard core stuff... I will stick to my old incredibly wide and heavy tubbs. I probably would have made it to the north rim yurt with them.... Didn't have a chance with these.

These snowshoes are spectacular, I have only used them once so far but was very impressed. Our terrain varied from knee-high snow to scrambling over downed trees and rocks, they were perfect for everything. Highly recommended.

Fun! These snowshoes are lightweight, easy to fasten, and grip on inclines. The only thing I would recommend is to get another set of clips for the straps. That way you don't have ends flopping around.

The bindings on these snowshoes are very easy to manage and stay in place the entire trip. Snowshoeing is a true enjoyment with these snowshoes. You can manage any terrain with ease. I would highly recommend them, my husband also has the exact same pair and he loves them also.

These are my second pair of snowshoes and likely my last. Living in Utah, the hill assist bar and the outstanding traction is really appreciated (traction REALLY matters in the mountains). They're very easy to strap in, but the excess strap does have a tendency to flap around a bit. Do yourself a favor and buy the "MSR Standard Strap Keeper Clips." It will keep those straps in place and they're extremely easy to use. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase--worth every penny.

These are great snowshoes. The bindings are easy to use, and they keep the snowshoes straight on my foot. No wiggle or shift.