Crescent Moon Gold 9 Hiking/Recreation Snowshoe - 2006 BCS

I love this shoe and it's tough to figure out where to start.

I snowshoe strictly for recreation. Today, it's my winter sport of choice and I'll strap in every day possible. In fact, I live in Seattle and last week I hiked into the office with them 3 times!! (Top of Queen Anne to Pioneer Sq.) Style'wise, I enjoy getting a work-out when I snowshoe - the more incline the better and full speed downhill sprints can't be beat!

I started out about 10yrs ago with Tubbs and liked them well enough, but I eventually wore them out. I rented MSRs a several times before buying again. A lot of nice things there, but they drove me crazy on several levels. (I enjoy the solitude of the sport and the high decibel level with MSRs in icy conditions was a major irritant! Clack, clack, clack...)

Anyway, I was ready to buy again, and happened into “a local retailer” in 2007 when Jake (Crescent Moon owner) was in the store. That was a pure stroke of luck for me! The store’s staff weren't familiar with the brand and had me all set up to buy another pair of Tubbs when I started talking to Jake. He sold me on trying Crescent Moon and I have not regretted it for a second! Yes, you might call it love...

So, what's to love?
1. The company: Just an awesome story! They're as green and Earth-friendly as they can be (their shop is wind-powered!) and their passion for the sport and the outdoors shows through everywhere.
2. The binding: I'm half way up the hill before any of my friends have their first foot strapped in! Each important factor - entry, exit, and comfort - will independently blow away every alternative on the market. Seriously, enough cannot be said here. I'm also a fan of fixed rotation mounting. You might carry a bit more snow on the shoe than otherwise, but you're much more mobile than with the free rotation style. All together, it's a truly innovative design that works!
3. The shape of the shoe: Designed to keep your stride as natural as possible and, again, the design works. I actually saw other brands copying the design this year - some quite poorly. Accept no imitation!
4. Traction: Another great design. Did I mention I like incline? Wow, I can't imagine ever snowshoeing again without a toe-claw! It's even better on flat with packed or icy conditions.

Great company, great products - my thanks to Jake and to everyone at Crescent Moon. Keep up the great work!