Atlas 12 Series Snowshoe - 2009 BCS

Most snowshoe bindings will accomodate a snowboard boot, but not all. In general, you'll have better luck with a binding that is open at the toe and wraps ro straps around the foot (eg. the Atlas bindings or MSR bindings). I'd be careful with bindings with an enclosed toe that you step into - I've seen some snowboard boots that are too high in the toe to fit.

Since you're asking on this page, I'm going to assume you're considering the Atlas 12. The specs on this shoe specifically indicate that they're snowboard boot compatible.

Differences:

The aluminum alloy used for the frame. The 11 series is 6061 (major alloying elements are silicon, magnesium, and copper) and the 12 series is 7075 (major alloying elements zinc, magnesium, and copper). Both are common aircraft alloys; 7075 is a very lightweight alloy, and the specific properties of either depends on a lot more than just the type of aluminum (sorry, I spent too many years in school learning about this stuff...).

The 12 series is slightly lighter.

The ReactiV frame on the 12 series has an elliptical shape (the 11 series has a circular cross-section), which apparently makes it stiffer.

The decking material is different. The 11 series uses Nytex decking, which is flexible and quiet in the cold. The 12 series uses Duratek decking, which is supposed to be more abrasion resistant.

The binding is different. The 11 series uses the Wrapp Plus, while the 12 series uses the Wrapp Pro. The Wrapp Pro has silicone straps.

The toe crampons are different. The 11 series uses the All-Trac toe crampon, and the 12 series uses the Holey-1 toe crampon. The Holey-1 has shovel-shaped prongs, which are supposed to give better bite on ice.

As for which is better...that's up to you. My opinion is that unless you want a very high performance mountain snowshoe and have a specific need for it, the 11 series will be sufficient. The 11 series shoe still has the key features that you'd want to see, like a heel lift, for mountain travel, and it's in the details that the shoes differ.

Hope that helped!
Happy snowshoeing!

The deck will be good for extreme temps and the crampons have set the industry standard w/ steel that will handle icy conditions well.

I have personally used these in temps down to -30ºf and never a single problem with them.

They're not affected by temperature, though if it's above freezing, you probably won't need them.