These snowshoes are really designed for the climber. The shape of the shoe makes them packable on most packs with compression straps for the preliminary approach. The crampons provide great traction for nearly all snow or compact snow conditions. The heel lifts make winter ascents much easier. I've used these shoes on Mt Rainier in the winter and early spring and they perform wonderfully. The two improvements over my previous shoes are the heel lifts and packability. I have not needed the additional flotation tails yet but those were also a factor in my decision to get these shoes.

I love these for simple effective performance I can rely on. The heel lift is great but you need to be flexible to pop it up or down in action. They grab well and keep me out of the deep snow of Washington. I'm 200 lbs and have not used the tails yet but usually use my split board in the deep soft powder. The size and weight of these make the decision to bring them along on hikes easier so you use them more. Warning, lots of sharp points on these due to the effective metal tread and chisel front on them.

Excellent. Spent 8 days at Mt Rainier with packs and sleds. These are stable and excellent in varied conditions. I am 5'4" and around 125 pounds and these worked very well. When we were training in Idaho, my husband had our old snowshoes and was falling and sliding everywhere. I had no problems. He bought a pair that day after trying out mine. The heel bar extension is awesome on steeps.

I love the no-frills design, the bomber bindings, and the easy swivel. Bindings don't loosen on their own, and are easy to man-handle with mitts on. Snow just slides right off the back, as opposed to springing up and showering. Aggressive grip. The heel lift is awesome. Personally, I think the extensions are redundant. Why not just make the snowshoes longer? Here's why: the extra 6 inches (5 after install) makes the shoe not that much more unwiedly than without. Also, I'd rather have them on my feet than carrying them on my pack. If the snow is deep enough for snowshoes, then automatically I'm going to use them. So, in the end, I have no reason to NOT use them. Why not save the weight of the extension fasteners by making them longer and not making them modular. With that said, these are my favorite snowshoes to date. I did not give an "excellent" rating because 1) I think they are surprisingly heavy and 2) I think they are tricky doing traverses in due to the way the binding pivots.

These are great snowshoes for my purpose. The front range in Colorado can have great snow or mixed snow, ice and stretches of wind blown areas (snow/rock mix). There are also packed trails and huge powder. I rented multiple brands and styles prior to this purchase and saw the damage that can occur under the latter conditions. I range between 160 and 170lbs with typically a 20lb pack (190lbs tops). The ability to add the tail for powder gives me a lot of flexibility. In 40" of powder at Steamboat I would post hole to my waist (as a test), no tail just above the knees and with the tails just above mid calf. However on a packed trail I save the weight and remove the tails. The full pivot drops the snow off the back (a big deal when breaking trail) although you will pick up a load on the toe. You DO have to get used to backing up though, I picked up the EVO Ascents due to the narrower nose and tail. I tend to cross (feet point slightly out) which can cause some hang ups and the narrower nose and tails minimize this. The Ascent crampons are more aggressive (hold like mad on everything so far)and have the heel bar for steep ascents - both have impressed me. The repair kit makes these shoes field repairable. Nothing like being 5 miles in and having to post hole out. The new bindings that stand up make getting in and out of them easier and I've found zero heel slip. The Downside - they are heavier than other shoes, if you weigh more than my combined weight you really should get the Denali's, the strap retainer clips break (they prevent the strap from flapping around) and there are four straps per shoe although they are easy to operate on a 6deg day with high wind and with gloves on. I highly recommend theses shoes and Whittaker had a great price and service. After about 50 miles of hiking in all conditions they seem indestructible. However with anything of this nature, rent and test first to be sure.

Excellent ! The crampons chomp into ice as well as snow. The rubber strap binding system is simple to use. One small setback I found however is that they're a bit noisy/creaky.

Easy to put on. Elastic straps are fast & secure. Great maneuverability and gripping power. The best snowshoes I have owned yet in almost 50 years!

On a recent backcountry Adirondack Montain climb, climbers descending from the top told us how icy the summit was, and highly recommended changing from snowshoes to crampons. However, we didn't have crampons with us. We continued above tree line so we could decide whether to continue to the icy summit. Our MSR Denali Evo Ascent snowshoes were gripping the ice almost as well as others with crampons, so we continued on to the summit. I was very impressed with the traction, and absolutely love the the heel bar extenstion (heel lifter) when on steep terrain. On previous trips, I encounter mostly hardpack snow, and knew they provide great traction on hardpack. I had no idea they provided such great traction on ice. I have not had the opportunity to try these MSR in deep powder, but expect they will perform well, especially with the optional tails. The only drawback I noticed is the steel traction bar started to rust slightly after a few weeks of non-use, most likely because I put them away without drying off the steel traction bar.