Snow Shoes

[corvus]

What do you use ? own .
C

[Son of a Beach]

I don't have any pictures of mine, and I don't know what they're called (got them as a gift, second hand). However, they are similar in style to these:


They work very well in Tasmanian snow so far (only used them a couple of times), mostly around Cradle Mtn area. Very natural to walk in.

They're easy to get on and off, which is important in Tasmania, where the snow can be patchy, or in long drifts with patchy sections in between.

[frank_in_oz]

Yowies. They seem to work ok. Plenty of surface area. Easy enough to get on and off (like putting on a pair of Tevas over your boots)

Only issue is they are quite wide so hard to get through narrow bits if the snow is patchy.

Plan on using then in late August on the OT, hopefully there will be enough snow!

[daznkez]

hi my partner and i both have the msr snowshoes(evo and denali accent) and have used them in victoria and mt wellington we find them very useable and they have an extension option(we recently purchased the add on portion and are wanting some good snow cover to try them out) the only drawback was that they were more costly than some of the other varieties and probably heavier (we were lucky enough to get ours in a sale). We then purchased some stuff from moontrail and used the bonus points to get the add ons for free. (Dont know if i would be cheaper to purchase from the states) hope that helps

[Tony]

What do you use ? own .
C

I have a pair of MSR Denali's with 4" tails but have not needed the tails yet. I got them cheap from closeout sale in the US.

Tony

[corvus]

Yowies. They seem to work ok. Plenty of surface area. Easy enough to get on and off (like putting on a pair of Tevas over your boots)

Only issue is they are quite wide so hard to get through narrow bits if the snow is patchy.

Plan on using then in late August on the OT, hopefully there will be enough snow!

I will be at Waterfall Valley late July and will be taking my Yowies if the snow persists ,just had a big rain dump but another cold snap due overnight so I expect some decent snow , fingers crossed.
c

[MJD]

In the process of getting some MSR Denalis from the US. Have used some similar to the picture posted by SoaB.

[corvus]

Honest question why purchase more expensive heavier gear from overseas when our locally made product can do the same job?
c

[Tony]

Honest question why purchase more expensive heavier gear from overseas when our locally made product can do the same job?
c

I have tried yowies and my personal experience is that the traditional style MSR Denali's are a much better snow shoe and as I got my MSR Denali's on special they where about half the price of what the local retailers want for yowies.

The Denali's also have the ability to have flotation tails attached to suit snow conditions.

Tony

[corvus]

I have tried yowies and my personal experience is that the traditional style MSR Denali's are a much better snow shoe and as I got my MSR Denali's on special they where about half the price of what the local retailers want for yowies.

The Denali's also have the ability to have flotation tails attached to suit snow conditions.

Tony

Fair enough and I do like a bargain ,if we get the Snow we expect on our next trip I will be able to do a comparison as a mate will be bringing Denali's .
c

[corvus]

I have tried yowies and my personal experience is that the traditional style MSR Denali's are a much better snow shoe and as I got my MSR Denali's on special they where about half the price of what the local retailers want for yowies.

The Denali's also have the ability to have flotation tails attached to suit snow conditions.

Tony

Fair enough and I do like a bargain ,if we get the Snow we expect on our next trip I will be able to do a comparison as a mate will be bringing Denali's .
c

Sorry Tony forgot to ask which Denali's did you purchase as I need to compare apples with same .
c

[Tony]

Hi Corvus,

I have tried yowies and my personal experience is that the traditional style MSR Denali's are a much better snow shoe and as I got my MSR Denali's on special they where about half the price of what the local retailers want for yowies.

The Denali's also have the ability to have flotation tails attached to suit snow conditions.

Tony

Fair enough and I do like a bargain ,if we get the Snow we expect on our next trip I will be able to do a comparison as a mate will be bringing Denali's .
c

Sorry Tony forgot to ask which Denali's did you purchase as I need to compare apples with same .
c

I have the Denali classics with 4" tails.

http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/ ... cfm/MSR700

Tony

[corvus]

Thank you Tony.
c

[Steven]

The shoes in the photo look like Ocean Earth snow shoes. I have used these before (hired) when I walked part of the OT in winter last year and did a trip from 8 Mile to Mt Buller a few years ago. I have not used other snow shoes but I found the cleats on the Ocean Earth shoes do not provide a lot of grip and the strap buckle system is designed for thick, bulky boots (I cut up a closed cell foam mat to provide the necessary 'bulk' to fit my Scarpa boots into the straps). They are also fairly heavy and the rubber sole looks prone to puncture. When I was on the OT last year, we came across a group that were carrying MSR's and they were not as bulky and looked a lot lighter.

[robl]

I am looking for cold dry days for an OL track walk.
Wed 29/07 looks promising.
My gear is



little bear snow shoes ($20 used) in case of soft snow
kovea 8 pointers for boardwalks
kovea 6 pointers for moderate stuff
cheap poles and the old scarpa treks.

Just experimenting.