The bindings are easy to use with one hand,(inside a huge glove, even). The heel elevators will make your calves love you on the steep. They feel like they weigh about half as much as conventional aluminums. They're adjustable w/ the extensions. And they look cool, man.

Make sure your partner also has a pair if you want him/her to keep up.

Customer Service

MSR, like everything else out of the Pacific Northwest, is just better.

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aluminum snowshoes.

I actually purchased the Denali Ascent
version of MSR snowshoes. The Ascent's
add a heavy spike in front of the metal side rails, and a rear lift bar "Telelifter" at the rear of the shoe. I highly recommend these shoes over any other shoes on the market. There traversing ability is unbeatable on steep terrain. The telelifter bars on the rear of the shoe lift up on steep climbs ( 30 degree or higher ) and reduce the calf strain. I've used these shoes on extremely steep terrain in the coastal mountains of the Pacific-Northwest and have had no problems with them. Compared to other shoes on the market that I've used- Tubbs, Atlas, and Redfeather the MSR's perform miles above the others for their light-weight, durable, agile performance. Well worth the $150 purchase price.

Customer Service

I've had no problems with mine, but a friend had a problem with his bindings and he returned the shoes to R.E.I. and got them exchanged no questions asked.

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Tubbs, Atlas, Redfeather, Sherpa.

FOr 160 + 30 dollars I recently received the MSR Denali Ascent snow shoes from REI. Previously I have tried Tubbs Eclipse, Peak and Mountain. None of them are any where near as good as the MSR Denali snow shoes. These are a hiker and backpackers snow shoes. Good price..and they go on quick I mean in seconds stay secure..and the steel teeth rails underneath grip the snow like crazy! This has to be the best value I have ever found in outdoor gear.
If you are looking for a pair of snow shoes that are inexpensive, functional..and durable..get these!

Customer Service

No experience with MSR customer service.
I will give high praise to Eastern Mountain Sports customer service..even though three times I got brands of snow shoes I was not satisfied with...they took them back no questions asked each time!

Similar Products Used:

Tubbs eclipse, peak, and mountain.

I owned the '99 Denali Ascents, the upgraded version of the Denali. I decided upon these after doing some research last year including renting a few other brands. The '99 Ascent had what MSR considered to be an "upgraded" binding because it was a harder plastic that "stood up", thereby facilitating easier entry. If I had my way, I would have bought the Ascent with the original Denali's simpler binding system. The problem I faced with the "stand up" binding was that it was difficult to lash to my pack for winter camping, as opposed to the Denali's binding which could lay flush. Well, as luck would have it, the "improved" Ascent binding actually cracked last week during an incredibly cold winter camping expedition. (MSR claimed they were good to -40 degrees so you can imagine how nasty the wind chill factor was.) I brought the damaged snowshoes back to REI for repairs or replacement and was pleased to see that, over the last year, MSR discovered what I've known all along...the plastic bindings suck. REI generously replaced my '99 Ascents with the '00 model...the same bullet-proof, kick-ass, feature-laden design, but now with the original Denali binding system I originally longed for. Thank you MSR and thank you REI.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you are in the market for fantastic snowshoes and consistently choose substance over appearance, get the MSR Denali Ascents. 1) They are solid and incredibly trustworthy. The molded plastic decking sheds the snow, cannot be punctured and is exceptionally lightweight. 2) Get the attachable tails (I have the 8" as I'm up to 245 lbs. with a pack on) and you own two pairs of snowshoes for the price of one. Put them on in deep snow or when carrying a lot of weight, stick them in your pack when cruising down a worn path. And if you winter camp, it's a nice touch to be able to bounce around your campsite, pitching the tent and carving out a kitchen, with the short shoes minus the tails. Your friends will have to choose between smacking their long shoes into everything around or going without, and sinking into the snow with every other step. 3) These have some great features, both for safety and convenience. The metal rails are unheard of in the modern world of snowshoe-making. Your lateral control, while traversing a steep hillside, will instill a great sense of confidence. A molded rear braking system will keep you from inadvertantly sliding down the mountain. The "saber teeth" I believe are more for show than function, but what the hell...they do look mean. And the "televator" bar is a godsend. It raised your heal up a few inches, significantly reducing calf strain on a steep approach. 4) THE BINDING SYSTEM!!!! The bindings look cheap. You have rubber straps flailing all over the place. There is not a cool metal hook or expensive looking ratchet system. But what you do have is a binding that will not let you go. They go on incredibly fast, you can hook up without having to take your gloves off, they form fit to your boots for a solid feel, and most importantly...they make the snowshoe stay on your foot. There is nothing worse, when snowshoeing with 50 pounds of gear on your back in a blinding snow storm, than having your snowshoe come off...and the MSR binding is the only binding I have never seen pop off at least once.

Alright, no kidding around. If you're a wealthy sorority girl from the University of Colorado, you won't want these. Try a sexy pair of upscale, orange and chrome Atlas shoes. But for the real outdoorsman/woman, where performance and safety mean more than anything else...the MSR Denali, and in particular, the top-of-the-line Ascent model with either the 4" or 8" tail, is the shoe to invest in.

Customer Service

I was recently told that REI owns MSR. Well, I sang their praises above for treating me well and I'll stick by that endorsement.

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Enough to know better.

THese snowshoes worked great. I did have a problem with a tail coming off, but it turned out that i had it in wrong, once I took off the shoe and reset the tail I had no more problems. These snowshoes worked great on inclines and kept me afloat in powder and the next morning when the snow was really wet (it got warm over night)

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None

These are ok shoes if you don't push them too much. I have pushed them and found them wanting. The first pair( yes, I've had two) popped a rivet on the traversing rail at the toe in very wet snow and made for a flopping return back to the tent. Also, the optional tails that I purchased, kept coming off on one shoe. At one point I had to retrace my steps about a half mile when I noticed gone. I returned them at REI with no hassle and got the improved version. Seems that they redesigned the traverse bar at the toe. Well, this pair cracked at the crampon plate. In two places on one shoe rendering them useless and was starting to crack on the other. I must admit that I demand a lot of my equipment so I decided on my return to REI that I would upgrade to the Tubb mountain series. These have suited my needs admirably( except I did bring them back to have the toe strap lengthened to fit my mountaineering boots- free of charge, because their advertising claimed it would fit).

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old wood bearpaws
tubbs mountain 30

I've tryed several different brands, but none of them come close to the traction an durablity that the MSR snowshoes provide. They are simply the best availible. They also have the best price too.

Customer Service

MSR customer service is awsome. I called them up and talked to a real knowledgable person within two rings of the dial tone (absolutly no hold time). I got the part and one extra for free the next day in the mail.

Similar Products Used:

Tubbs, Yuba, Atlas

A real nice snowshow for steep terrain. They are narrow enough to catwalk on traverses and the metal ridges on the bottom give good lateral crampon action. Also very easy to strap to the back of a pack. Durable too.

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None

I used these for a week in wyoming last winter and have no real complaints about their performance. they could be better, though. the slipped on the steep, deep snow, and they arent very big (to keep big people on top). you can make them bigger with the tail extenders, but they made me walk funny. luckily, since i'm small, I diddn't need the extenders after all.
Bottom line: good if you're small or are willing to walk a little funny.
best traits: simplicity and durability.

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None