This is a great snowshoe for mountaineering! After my Tubbs shoes had come apart, I needed another mountaineering snowshoe and the good folks at Crescent Moon recommended their Gold Series 10. This snowshoe is fantastic. It is listed as their “backcountry” shoe, but I found it versatile enough to use on trails, in powder and on ice. I was training for Denali so I routinely carried about a 70-pound pack. I figured I would need a larger shoe, but the “10” provided perfect flotation and allowed for a perfectly natural stride. The new binding is ideal for big plastic boots! It’s the only snowshoe I’ve used that I could get in and out of while wearing mittens. It allows you to make a one time adjustment, and from that point forward getting in and out is easy. The top tab on the binding is rigid, which allows you to stick your boot in with no fumbling around. This is an enormous relief when it’s cold, the wind is howling and all you want to do is get moving. Most importantly, my foot stayed in place, even when on ice, at sharp angles and when hiking for hours on end. A word on traction; When my teammates needed to dig in a bit with each step, I easily walked up the steepest of inclines. The extra traversing claws give one a feeling of wearing a crampon. This, combined with the fact that I did not need to hike with a bowed stride, ultimately kept me from becoming fatigued. After shopping specifically for a mountaineering snowshoe and trying out the MSR Denali and others, I find that the Crescent Moon 10 is the perfect snowshoe.

Similar Products Used:

MSR Denali, Tubbs

I love my Permagrin 10 snowshowes...I've used them up here in Northern Maine for about a month now under all kinds of differing snow conditions & have found them to be excellent!!! Highly recommended!!!

Similar Products Used:

Tubbs peak 30's

I have tried out many snowshoes and was quite happy to be able to put these through their paces. Unfortunately I came away very disappointed.

First of all these snowshoes use a ratchet style binding that tends to come undone when you stress them. No amount of fiddling or adjusting would keep them on during strenuous conditions. During normal use however, the ratchet system does just fine, so if you are just using them to walk on packed trails, they will suffice.

Their flotation is rather poor for their size, considering I weight only 165 lbs. and my pack is usually 25lbs. Deep powder is their nemesis. They tend to sink rather quickly and deeply. Be extra careful extracting you feet from deep powder, this is one of the times the bindings ratcheted off me. In addition, because you tend to sink deep with these snowshoes the amount of snow thrown on you back is appreciable. I found myself donning a rain jacket to stay dry, a first for any snowshoe.

As far as traction goes, their cleat does fine to about 35 degrees after that be very careful in ice. It would be prudent to carry crampons or find another way. I must say that slopes that I walk up in my MSR’s turned into slippery ice slides in these. To ascend the slope with the crescent moons on I had to kick in very hard to make sure the cleat got proper purchase, using far more energy than required.

Now the good side to them, they are light, the do walk very nicely due to their shape. However, I would only take these on well traveled trails or trails that are relatively level and not much powder. Their decking material is unique, but I would be suspect of it surviving –25+ temperatures. These are not mountaineering snowshoes by any means, maybe I used them for the wrong application. Analyze what you are going to use your snowshoe for and then buy the appropriate one.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Atlas, Tubbs, Red Feather, Sherpas, MSR

Crescent Moon snowshoes are just plain Terrific. Shape increases manueverability over other shoes. Binding fits snug as a bug. Excellent warranty. Try them before you buy anythng else.

Similar Products Used:

sherpa tubbs atlas

The Permagrin 10's are well-made, comfortable and durable. The tapered tails prevent a lot of snow being thrown up your back and help keep you from walking on the other shoe in tight terrain. The bindings are simple, secure, and stay tight. The traction cleats work very well. Best of all, these shoes are very light and priced under other makers' similar shoes.

Customer Service

The folks at Crescent Moon are very responsive, helpful and friendly. They offered to upgrade the footbeds in my shoes to a newer design for no charge. Mine fit and work so well, I never sent them in....

Similar Products Used:

Traditional wood frame, and Sherpa.

This is a fantastic larger shoe. The ratchet binding system and encased toe make the binding simple to use, but don't let that decieve you. My foot stayed firmly in place through the most strenuous conditions (i.e. traversing steep, icy slopes) and NEVER needed to be adjusted, even on the longest, toughest treks.

The 3 claw traction system gives me superb grip in all situations, and the toe claw (not found on many other shoes) acts almost like a crampon. allowing me to climb icy slopes I would never dare otherwise.

The teardrop shape of the shoe lets me use a completely natural stride, even on this larger shoe. This means less stress when I am nearing the end of 10 mile trip. The materials used make this shoe extremely light for its size, also reducing fatigue on long trips.

Flotation is as good as any other shoe I have used, even with the teardrop shape, and even in deep powder. The manufacturer warranties its shoes for life, so if one ever breaks (mine sure haven't) they will fix it for free.

I lead snowshoe hikes throughout the winter in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. Each season I put about 250 miles on two pairs of shoes. My Permagrin 10's and Permagrin 9's. I simply can't imagine a better shoe to do that kind of walking on.

I have been using the Permagrin 10 all winter here in minnesota and I think it is the best snowshoe on the market today. The best thing about the shoe is the binding (It's so easy to use with gloves on). Even with the smaller size of the shoe It works great in our Minnesota snow.
the toe claw is the best on the market and gives great traction when going uphill. I have tried all other brands and I say "Crescent Moon is the best". My crescent Moons will be getting a good workout when I Thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail this year www.pct2000trek.org. I'll let you know how they did when I return in Oct. I know they will be great.
THANX FOR A GREAT PRODUCT CRESCENT MOON!!

Customer Service

CHECK OUT THEIR NEW LINE OF CRAMPONS.
There is no better binding!!

Similar Products Used:

Atlas, Tubbs, MSR,