I had Purchased the snowshow early in the season. I am extreamly hard on my equipment. I snow shoe at least 4 times a week. I used the longest extention and it seems like it caused a forward felling in the floatation. The crampons were bend after one week of use. However they still gave great traction. Later in the year;however, after a 4 foot drop the front part on both snoe shoes snapped. I returned the snowshoes at no fee overall to me. Reinforcement is needed.

Customer Service

Super

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redfeather tubbs Wooden Sherpa Permagrin Altlas

The classic Denali is excellent for the kind of terrain and snow we''ll encounter in Switzerland. They are great on hard, frozen snow: When friends with Tubbs or TSL have to remove their snowshoes, I can still climb as if I were using crampons. I have hardly ever used the attachments, as our snow is less powdery and less plentiful than in most parts of the US: The Denali''s size seems to be perfect for me. Problem: The attachment of the binding is not very solid and breaks easily, so it is wise to carry some screws/nuts or some wire for an emergency repair.

Customer Service

I''ve also had a broken binding once, which was readily replaced by MSR''s customer service.

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Atlas 1033

I work for a large snowshoe retailer and have had opportunity to try almost every major brand on the market. My MSR Denali''s are simply the best snowshoes on the market. Their lateral stabilty is second to none. The free pivot binding system makes them great climbers and you don''t get the annoying smack on the bottom of your heal after each step. The binding straps are very easy to use, for both putting them on and removing them after your expedition. All of the parts are durable, but are easily replaced if the do break. The easily removeable tails can be used for different user weights and snow conditions. Don''t let the plastic look fool you, they are the most fuctionally, performing snowshoes on the market.

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Atlas, Redfeather, Sherpa, Tubbs, Yakima, Salomon

Great snowshoe for the price. I have been using the Danali for the last 4 seasons without a single problem. I weight 150lbs. They performed flawless in all conditions. I have used them to climb the rugged Catskills, the plateu of the Poconos, the ridges of the Kittatinny, Shawangunk and blue mts. They fit all types of boots and are easy to put on. Who needs to spend $250 on snowshoes when you have the Danali. By the way I got my on winter clearance, 50% off price.

Customer Service

Never had to use them

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Tubbs, Atlas, Cabalas

I can''t recommend these shoes enough. Everything other reviewers say about their light weight, amazing traction, and easy bindings is true. I''ve got the Denali Classic, which is identical to the Ascent -- minus the heel "elevator" and the two sabre teeth. The Ascent is designed for long steep climbs in the Rockies; the Classic is probably more than enough to tackle the easier terrain in the East.

I've tried all different kind of snowshoes. Tubbs and atlas were nice but just couldn't hold the snow on steep terrain. Teh tracks and ribs on the bottom of the Denali Ascents were the difference. I could walk on any slope and be confident with these snowshoes. The steel tracks and crampons made a huge difference. The heel elevator was an awesome addition. The cheaper price of this snowshoe compared to Tubbs was a nice advantage too.

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None

I've tried all different kind of snowshoes. Tubbs and atlas were nice but just couldn't hold the snow on steep terrain. Teh tracks and ribs on the bottom of the Denali Ascents were the difference. I could walk on any slope and be confident with these snowshoes. The steel tracks and crampons made a huge difference. The heel elevator was an awesome addition. The cheaper price of this snowshoe compared to Tubbs was a nice advantage too.

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None

I bought a pair of Denalis in 1999 and used them twice since then. 2000 in Norway and 2001 in Switserland/Austria. They are very good. The best thing about them is their size. They are not very big and still do the job. And in case of powder snow you can always use the extra tails, but that makes them longer. The crampons under the foot plate are very helpful. I climbed several steep slopes and felt very save. The only disadvantage is that the foot plate tends to brake off, when or how I do not know. It just happens and then you are in a lot of trouble. It happened to me on my last day in Austria in 2001. Some wire helped me out.

Customer Service

Their service is VERY good. I complained about the broken foot plate at the Dutch importer. They replaced both foot plates for free. That is two years after I bought them!

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This review's about the top of the line Ascent version. These are fantastic snowshoes. It seems these shoes got the competition beat on every single important aspect. They grip like hell (even on hardpack, where the saber teeth come to work), they transverse great for a snowshoe, the televators make life so much easier when climbing and the bindings are easy and never let go (though the orignal binding had a bad choice of plastic, see below). Now you think these are the best so they must be the most expensive. Wrong :-) these are actually cheaper than most of the competition, way to go MSR!!!
I can really recommend these snowshoes to about everybody that wants to snowshoe, except maybe for those that need special speedy shoes for races or so. Even if generally the regular Denali's would do for you, I'd really think about investing the extra dollars to get the Ascent, the televators and the saber teeth are just so great to have when climbing or using on hardpack.

Customer Service

There is only one but to these shoes, at least the original '99 version, which are the bindings. They started to brake on me when I was on a week long backpacking trip in the Pyrenees. Luckily they kept together long enough not to get me in trouble. Now you think, hey why does this guy give the product 5 stars flat. This is because of the MSR customer service, you simply can't beat it. I e-mailed them about the problem and they immediately offered to send me replacements (they seem to have corrected the problem for the newer models), and you have to know that I bought them in Seattle and I've since moved back home to Amsterdam.

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great shoes, has good traction on all snow conditions, very light, with two different tail sections this is like having three shoes in one, great price cheaper than any other comparable shoes or any shoe for that matter, built very strong not much that can break compare to conventional shoes

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None