Looking for quality best bank for the buck sno shoes and X-country skis.

Spending to many winters putting on weight and not getting out enough.

Grew up on down hill and xcrountry skis but an now out of the loop by about 10 years.

Thoughts and trips and pics and brands and stories gear set ups would be greatly appreciated.

Looking to burn calories and kill some yotes!

Thanks all

S

You might find Altai hoks to be fun. I can't ski downhill stuff great on the Altai unless it is pretty powdery. It all sort of depends on what you want to do and terrain.

For snowshoes the MSR Lightning Ascent's are hard to beet on the steeps.

For skis, check out the Rossignol 110 Positrack with a Volie' 3pin cable binding.
http://www.rossignol.com/US/US/bc-110-positrack--2014--RHCWF25--product--home-nordic.html

For boots there are lots of good 3 pin boots out there.
If real cold temps are a concern, check out the Baffin 3 pin expedition.
http://www.baffin.com/product-p/3pinm001.htm

If you are serious about it, the best snowshoes are the Pickerals. Bear paw and most of these snowshoes you are seeing today will work for parking lots and sidewalks. If you get into snow that you really need snowshoes, these are the ones to get.

The other snowshoes may help you shed more pounds if you take them into deep snow, so maybe you won't have to go as far...

I thought you were a fan of Northern Lights?

I have had several NL snowshoes, and they are great in moderate terrain. If you are doing much climbing the MSR's beat all.

The Pickeral or Alaskan Trail snowshoes are fine for mostly flat terrain, but the modern 'shoes really shine when going up.

Shrapnel,
I agree You can't cover much territory on Bear paws. Good for navigatin' in the thick but If this fellow is trying to work out on the snow he will put a lot more miles on with the long slender snowshoe.
Aren't the "pickeral" snowshoes also called "trailers" ?

If indeed they are, I have a pair which I don't use anymore that I was going to post in the classifieds this week after I got some pics taken.
Pretty sure they are made in Minnesota and are old school Ash & Rawhide w/ leathers bindings
Rich

For hunting and general woods use I really like my Easton Backcountries. For climbing for runs the MSR's are the best. I am 6'4" 260lb the MSR's work well for climbing, but the Easton's float me a lot better. For a lighter guy the MSR's are more then likely the cats azz as an all around.

Ed T

How stiff would you say those Rossi BC 110 are?

I grew up on ash-framed, leather (and neoprene) laced snowshoes... I'll take a modern aluminum shoe every day, nostalgia aside.

The old Sherpa shoes were terrific, and made some really long, big models that worked better (they're lighter) than any ash framed shoe. Long shoes aren't fashionable, but they absolutely have their place in moderate terrain, and deep snow.

I can't think of a more miserable shoe than a bearpaw style.

Ed's recommendation on MSR's is spot on... light, and man do they float and climb.

The Pickeral or Alaskan Trail worked fine for uphill as well as flat terrain. We used them in powder over 3 feet in depth all over the Horse Butte area around West Yellowstone in the winter when they still got deep snow.

The design of them is to scoot much the same as you would with skis, but they also didn't sink as bad as the cross country skis. Of course the wider the ski, the better the floatation, but the narrow skis are for trails and parking lots too...

Trail model has served me well for years. 10" x 56"

Used a pair of those for two winters in Fairbanks. They do float.

For skinny skis I've been liking the Madshus Glittertind and NNN BC's for the last two winters. They're a good all-arounder that can handle off track but glide OK as well. It's a great compromise for me, but a pretty specific set-up...a cheap pair of tele's and some three pins would suit many people better for true touring.

I like the plastic MSR evo's because I can trash them in bear season and not care. I really dislike travelling with them though and do so pretty rarely in the winter.

True, the only downside of these is: 1) maneuverability if you get in a brushy area, and 2) you can break them if you span brush or limbs under the snow. I'm not up on some of the modern snowshoes, but the G.I. Surplus magnesium models are pretty cheap and definitely tough.

With long shoes you learn to do a kick-turn like with skis. For a "bulletproof" pair of shoes, the surplus magnesium ones are tops. The GI binding sucks but I'm something else would work on those. The small cleats on those GI mag snowshoes work fairly well on wind packed snow and ice as long as it isn't too steep.

True, the only downside of these is: 1) maneuverability if you get in a brushy area, and 2) you can break them if you span brush or limbs under the snow.

I've got MILES on snowshoes as a forester. Alaskan 10X56 are fine in the brush. You want upcurved tips - 5-6" is enough. Any less and the toes catch on brush and you do a faceplant. I often have to walk around a small tree and have no problems with the longer shoes.

As for breakage, you can feel when the shoes are supported on both ends, and just don't put weight on them. Worst I've done is crack them. There are still a few folks who repair them, leather too.

Another major consideration is bindings. Get the rubber ones. LEather stretches when it gets wet and the buckles are a pain to put on in the cold. I several pairs
I have one shaped like these http://www.amazon.com/GV-Snowshoes-Rubber-Snowshoe-Bindings/dp/B00ETZQ4PC in a tan rubber. The rubber is a bit hard, and they are more difficult to put on when really cold.
My favorites are these http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/230951941586?lpid=82 Pricey, but the right mixture of toughness and flexibility. A google search will also turn up ways to make your own. I have a lightly used pair with bindings made from old inner tubes.

Pray for snow!

forpest is correct on his assessment. My Alaskans and Ojibways (2 piece upturned)
work great in all kinds of terrain. However I don't use them due to the value they possess. I wouldn't go wider than 10 inches. The new aluminums are very good. I put them to the riggers on a 10 day griz hunt in the Talkeetnas a few years ago.
We even "snowshoed" across a shallow 30 foot wide stream.