In this issue of runningsnowshoes.net, we are going to be putting the Redfeather Vapor Snowshoes head to head with the Atlas Race Snowshoes.  The Redfeather Vapors and the Atlas Race Snowshoes are two of the most popular running snowshoes out there and are the top racing snowshoes from their respective companies.

COLORS
They are both pretty flashy looking with the bright yellow decking of the Atlas and the bright red and black diagonal stripes of the Redfeathers.  Although definitely not the most important aspect when selecting a snowshoe,  it can play into the equation for those who want to look sharp out on the snowy trails.

STABILITY
One similarity the two models have is that both the Atlas and the Redfeathers have titanium toe and heel crampons for stability out on the race course.

SIZE
They are both quite light for a running snowshoe as the Vapors are made from a 6000 series grade aluminum and the Atlas are made of the 7075 aluminum.  The Atlas Race comes in a little lighter on the scale, weighing in at 2.08lbs… close to a half a pound lighter than the 2.5 lb Vapors.  However, the Atlas Snowshoes do take up a bit more room on the trails, lengthwise.  The Atlas Snowshoes, measuring 22 inches in length, are one inch longer than the Vapor’s 21 inches.

SHAPE
The Atlas are shaped for running with their tapered tail.  The Vapors go a little further with the tapering, narrowing all of the way down to a V-Tail design on the back of the snowshoe.  Redfeather has specifically designed the V-Tail for the motion of running.  They have raised the tail from the base of the snowshoe, making for a more natural running stride than a flat snowshoe.

FUNCTIONALITY
Both snowshoes come with added features to help with the rapid cadence and quick moving feet of the snowshoe runner.  The Vapors have a live-action hinge for racing functionality and the Atlas snowshoes come with their signature spring-loaded suspension.

PAYLOAD
Both models can supports racers weighing 190 lbs or less.  Although, Atlas states that their Race Snowshoes can hold up to 220 lbs if the trails are well packed.

Bigfoot is a brand of snowshoes more geared towards recreational use than some of the other brands. Because they are more of a beginning snowshoe not suited as well for the extreme climbs, back country bush-waking, snowshoe running, or snowshoe racing, they are less expensive than most of the other specialized brands.

The Bigfoot Snowshoes are pretty easy to figure out as far as getting them on, getting out on your leisurely walk, and then getting them off again. With the quick release buckle on the heel strap, you’ll have them off in no time. The Dual Ratchet bindings make for easy adjustment if needed when you are out on your snowshoe hike. They are made of a lightweight aluminum, which Bigfoot calls their 6061 Aluminum. The rivets are also made of a rust-proof aluminum.

You have several options when selecting a size for the Bigfoot Snowshoes. They range in size from the 25 inch model all of the way to a 34 inch model for maximum floatation in the deepest powder.

There is a one year parts replacement warranty on the Bigfoot Snowshoes as well as for the poles. Poles are sometimes useful when out on a snowshoe stroll. They give you an added couple of points of stability when you are tromping through deep or uneven patches of snow.

The Bigfoots also have both toe and heel aluminum “Snow-Trac” crampons. The toe crampons have seven points and the rear crampons contain 6 aluminum points for added traction. Along with crampons, the Bigfoot Snowshoes also have 2 side points to help prevent lateral sliding.

The Bigfoot Snowshoes also come with a free tote bag for easy transport and storage of your snowshoes when not in use. When you are done with your walk out in the snow, just slip them off with the quick release button, slide them in your free tote bag, toss them in your car and you are ready to go.

The Tubbs Mountaineer Snowshoe is a great option for those back-country adventures… when you want to go off of the beaten path and make a trail of your own.  It is a wonderful feeling of freedom when you can go places that most hikers or cross country skiers can’t or won’t go.  The Tubbs Mountaineer Snowshoe helps you to get to that peace and solitude when you are seeking it most.

The Mountaineer Snowshoes come with the “8 point Anaconda” crampon, which helps you to keep your traction on otherwise treacherous footing.  The Andaconda’s 8 teeth are made of a durable carbon steel.  Not only do you have the 8 toothed snake traction in the front, the Mountaineers also come with an aggressive heel crampon underneath your boot, which they refer to as the “Python.”

Along with the steep uphill traction provided with the Anaconda crampons, the Tubbs Mountaineers come with a heel lift, which you can engage for those long, steep climbs.  The heel lift will help to keep your feet more level throughout the duration of the accents, therefore reducing calf fatigue.

The Mountaineers come in three different sizes: 8″ x 25″, 9″ x 30″, and 10″ x 36″.  The longer the snowshoe, the more floatation it will provide when the snow is deep and powdery.

The Mountaineers are fairly lightweight for a back-country snowshoe.  They are made out of Tubbs’ “Momentum Superlight 6000″ aluminum.  The 25″ shoe weighs in at 4.7 lbs/pair, the 30″ model is 5.3 lbs, and the 36″ weighs 5.8 lbs.

They also come in gender specific models.  Tubbs’ “Active Fit+” binding helps the shoe to fit without those pesky pressure points.  The women’s binding can fit size 5-11 boots and the men’s can accommodate up to a size 13.

The MTN Mountain Snowshoes are a very unique type of snowshoe. They are different from other brands in that they come with a trail crampon that can be used either separately or along with the Snowshoe. The aggressive nature of the 8-point crampons can be used for slick and icy terrain on the trails and can quickly be converted to a versatile mountain snowshoe when needed.

The adjustable width technology is a new feature on the MTN Snowshoes. This is different from most other brands of snowshoes. You are now able to adjust the snowshoe to either wide, regular, or narrow widths. This greatly opens your options for the types of footwear you can use with the MTN Snowshoes. They can be narrow enough to fit snugly around your racing flats for the big race, or if you just feel like going for a walk in the woods on a bitterly cold afternoon, they can be wide enough for a men’s insulated boot up to size 14.

The MTN Mountain Snowshoes are available in the 24 inch length as well as the 28 inch length for the deeper snow. The unique “step-in-technology” of the MTN Mountain Snowshoes demonstrated in this video:

adidas Supernova Cushion

It felt good to get out to the snowshoe trails today.  I laced up my adidas Supernova Cushion training shoes to go with the Tubbs Wilderness Snowshoes.  I didn’t see any fellow snowshoers on the trails, but there were plenty of people out enjoying the day.  I saw a few people skiing, a couple of boys sledding down the huge hill, a lot of people out walking, and a few dogs.

It was 25 degrees out there today with a decent wind.  So, it was a bit chilly.  It was better once I got into the woods, but when I hit the first open field, that wind was bitter.  Less than 1k into the snowshoeing, my toes felt like they were freezing.  It started getting a little painful, almost feeling like I had a bunch of snow packed inside the toes of my shoes.  It turned out there was no need to worry… once I got up that first gigantic hill, I warmed up quite a bit and didn’t notice my toes after that.  Maybe they were just numb.

The adidas Supernova Cushion shoes weren’t too bad.  At first it felt like they were slipping a bit in the heal each time the snowshoe straps tugged at the back of them.  I almost thought that I hadn’t tied the shoes tight enough.  They were feeling a bit clunkier than the racing flats, but I didn’t notice it anymore after the first kilometer.

Overall, it was an enjoyable afternoon.  I weaved through the skiers, walkers, and dogs… one who decided to leave his owner and follow along with me each time I passed.  The kids on their sleds looked to be having a fun day and I thought about how much I used to enjoy sledding down that hill.  Each time I passed, I would hear a cheerful “hi!”…”hi again!”… “hello!”… “hi again for the fourth time!”… “that guy again???”

Well, it feels like my cheeks are finally starting to thaw… so, I’m going to sign out for now and go enjoy a hot mug of chocolate!

The frames on the MSR lightning snowshoe are extremely aggressive as they are made out of an aluminum blade with multitudes of pointy teeth.  The blade design, along with the aggressive front and heal crampons give an added grip when it comes to stiff terrain.

The MSR Lightnings also come with the option of purchasing a modular flotation tail adaption (sold separately).  This floatation tail helps you to better stay on top of the snow when you are out bushwhacking through deep powder.

The MSR Lightning Axis Snowshoes are available in 3 different men’s sizes as well as a women’s specific model.

I recently received some new running snowshoes to test out on the trails.  Look for a review of my new racing snowshoes coming up soon.  Until then, check out this video on the MSR Lightning Axis Snowshoe.

A lot of the snowshoers with whom I spoke talked quite a bit about asics running shoes as well as brooks running shoes.  The majority of them seemed to prefer the brooks, so that is what I will focus on today.  Hopefully we’ll get to a review of the asics running shoes sometime soon.

One of the snowshoers with whom I spoke was sporting the Tubbs frontier snowshoes.  She mentioned that she preferred to wear the womens brooks glycerin during her snowshoe training.  When asked which version of the brooks glycerin womens she was wearing, she mentioned that it was the glycerin 9.

womens brooks glycerin 9

I asked her what she liked the most about the womens brooks glycerin 9 and she simply stated, “They just make my feet feel happy!”  Sounds like a great reason to be wearing them.  After all, when hitting those trails hard, you don’t want your feet to be sad.  Brooks has enhanced the flexibility of the glycerin by adding what they call the “Omega flex grooves.”  They claim that this helps to improve the efficiency of your gait.

Brooks has also added the “Brooks DNA” along the full length of the midsole of the shoe.  The “Brooks DNA” is the new cushioning material that they have developed for their shoes.  They have also changed their “MoGo midsole” in order to make it more environmentally friendly.  Apparently, a natural additive that is contained within the new “BiMoGo” midsole is extremely attractive to anaerobic microbes, as they are now said to devour the shoe at 50 times their prior pace once the shoes are tossed in the dump.

The brooks glycerin womens shoe is for neutral runners who aren’t in need of that extra stability.  When placed on the scale, the glycerin comes in at 9.8 oz.  Brooks also guarantees the shoe with their 30-day satisfaction guarantee.  When you buy running shoes online, you can replace or exchange your womens brooks glycerin within the first 30 days with no questions asked.

While I was out on the trail, I ran in to Tom who was sporting the MSR evo snowshoes.  I asked him which type of shoe he prefers to slide into his evo snowshoes and just yelled as he flew by me… “asics running shoes buy online!”  OK… well, that wasn’t quite the amount of detail for which I was looking, but he was in the middle of his workout, so I understood.

It was ok though, because I was hoping to find someone sporting some brooks, as that seemed to be the most popular choice of the day on both the womens and the mens side.  Well, shortly thereafter, Aaron was just finishing up his workout on the tubbs wilderness snowshoes.  “What shoes are you wearing today Aaron?”  He responded by telling me that he usually likes to wear off road running shoes, but he decided to go out on a limb last time and try out the brooks addiction mens shoes.

brooks addiction mens

“Are you happy with your decision Aaron?” I asked.  “Well, at first I wasn’t sure, but these things are great!  They have so much support!”  The brooks addiction mens shoe also has the new patented “Brooks DNA” for a bit more cushion than previous models.  The addiction is a control shoe for those of you who need lots of support when you are out there working hard on the snowy trails.  They come in at about 12.4 oz on the scale and also come with the no questions asked 30 day guarantee.