"Training for Denali" - Review of MSR Denali Ascent Snowshoe

I took my new Denali Ascents to the golf course for a test run last night in preparation for my Denali trip this Spring. Conditions were near blizzard and I was dressed for the occasion. I was wearing my heavy parka so by the time I was done strapping the snowshoes to my boots I was sweating like a stuffed pig and had sacrificed my last twenty minutes of daylight. Remember I was in blizzard like conditions, so I had my gloves on (exactly like you would have to do on Denali or risk flash freezing your hands at times). As I walked along pulling my sled my boot would occasionally slide forward just enough to catch my toes on the edge of the toe hole. The resulting effect was like a crow bar delivering a tremendous amount of force to the binding pins and plastic toe of the snowshoe as my weight plus the weight of the pack on my back came down. Tonight I took my wife out for a test run and gave up after thirty minutes and one hundred yards of progress. The Denali’s kept falling off her feet. The metal prong that goes through the strap seems too short. I haven’t made up my mind yet on which shoe I’ll take to Alaska. The Denali’s have great grip but when it comes to severe conditions where time, keeping your fingers safe from frost bite and ease of use is a factor I think a quick and easy binding system may be the way I go.
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