If ever there was an over priced over valued pair of snow shoes these are it.
280 dollars from EMS.

I found the ratchet buckle binding unnecessarily difficult to use especially out side in cold. Also their inflexible nature made the snow shoes harder to strap on the pack. On steep snow slops the snow shoes will still slip a bit. The crampon teeth underneeth are pretty macho..they do dig in. My advise..by pass these..go with the Tubbs peak or better yet..spring for the MSR Denali..cheaper and actually better!

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After holding high hopes for these shoes, I was sorely disappointed after just one day in the Sierras. One of the buckles on the binding (mid strap) broke - perhaps it was a fluke, but I don't feel comfortable having shoes that could break if I were in a more serious situation. Atlas summit series snowshoes has a similar binding system, but has a back-up for the buckle should something go awry. For this kind of money, I was hoping for more sturdy equipment.

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Tubbs MTN 36. Light, durable, lots of float. I'm 268 pounds (without gear) and these puppies keep me from sinking too much in the Colorado powder. The bindings fit around my size 12 boots very well and are adjustable even with mittens or gloves. The crampons are wearing down a little after two years of use, but otherwise bombproof. The decking can be a bit squeaky, but tolerable. Great shoes for big guys.

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I have owned the MTN 30 for two seasons now. I love them. Behave excellently in all conditions. Great for mountaineering. The binding is a great. Easy to put on and adjust with gloves on which is a bonus on cold mornings. Had a rivit in the deacking break last year but it was repaired by tubbs in a resonable amount of time.

Customer Service

Had a rivit in the decking fail and Tubbs repaired the shoe and got them back to be in a few weeks.

I can't say enough about the new RCS (Rigid Control System) binding. It's easy to use and very secure. The only problem with it is that the heel strap doesn't hold it's adjustment, so I have to check it each time I put the shoe on. The fact that the binding swivels on an axel, instead of on straps, means that the shoes are much easier to use in all situations. On extremely steep terrain, the shoes swing out of the way when stepping over obstacles. When crawling under blow-downs, the shoes trail behind as if they're not there. The fact that there is no obstruction at the toe means that the shoes are more useful in mixed terrain, where one would rather make direct contact between boot and rock.
The shoes have withstood much abuse on mixed terrain, where I would expect the decking to tear and the frame to dent or break.
My one complain is with the toe crampon. I wish the angle were a bit steeper, to better grip on steep terrain. It does fine on most terrain, but it doesn't grip well enough if I'm up on my toes.

These are good snowshoes, very lightweight, very sturdy. A bit on the expensive side, but they all are. The bindings tend to break after a while.

I have used the MTN 25s for 2 seasons. Excellent snowshoes in deep 18""-24"" snow and steep terrain. Only problem I had was climbing a steep section once which had 4-6"" of snow on ice. The crampons were simply unable to grip. The binding system is easy to adjust and holds the foot very positively. Very strong materials and excellent construction.

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The Mtn 30s are far better than the Atlas 1033's I previously owned. Less snowload on the decking, the crampons are superior mostly due to the angle being 90 vs 60 for the Atlas.

Customer Service

I've had a rivet blow out of the deck and had fantastic serive with warranty.

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I got these shoes 3 years ago and have put them to the test since. The bindings are the best I have seen yet. A bit heavy but they give way more control over the shoes than the strap/webbing type. The ratchet plate is big enough for any type of boots (this is on the MTN 36, if you have a smaller snowshoe or larger foot, me=10.5, you might have trouble with a pac type boot). Aggressive crampons and heel cleats give great tracion in all snow conditions. I have used these on flat terrain in deep powder (upper MI), and in the mountains both powder (Rockies) and crud (Sierra Nevada). I do biological research in CA and have worn these everyday for work the past few springs. My main complaint is that the plastic decking is loud (squeaky), the rubbery stuff on Atlas shows is quiter, but I hate their bindings and the frames weight a ton. However,I wish I had gotten a size smaller. I'm 5'11, 175 and I rarely need all the floation these shoes give even with a heavy pack, pulling a sled. The smaller shoes would be nimbler.

Customer Service

Haven't been able to break 'em yet!

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Atlas 10(44?), old rawhide and wood ones (useless in the mountains!)

I own the Tubbs MTN 36 and they are the best snowshoes I have ever tried. They are lightweight and strong. I am 200 pounds and I've jumped off clifs without any problems. They easily support me plus a full pack in the deepest powder. My favourite feature is the bindings because they fit right and never come loose. I've tried other brands and other Tubbs with other types of bindings and these are far superior.

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MSR, other Tubbs, Redfeather