MSR Lightning Path Snowshoe Assessment

The MSR Lightning Path Snowshoe is an ultralight snowshoe designed for snowshoeing over rolling hills and degree terrain, that includes a serrated 360-degree body, horizontal struts, and toe crampon. MSR modified the binding on the Lightning Trails this yr, changing the previous (fussy) DuoFit binding which used ski straps with the brand new Paraglide binding which holds the entrance of your winter boots with stretch mesh and comes with a locking heal strap that may be simply adjusted whereas sporting gloves. The additional advantage of the Lightning Path Snowshoe is that it’s fairly light-weight, solely weighing 3 lbs 3 oz within the 22″ inch dimension and three lbs 5 oz per pair within the 25″ snowshoe size. That’s fairly mild so far as snowshoes go.

Specs at a look

• Dimension examined: 25″ (additionally accessible in a dimension 22″ males’s and girls’s fashions)
• Weight: 3 lbs 5 oz (per pair)
• Footwear dimension vary: 3 M – 13 M / 5 W – 15 W
• Televator: No

Lightning Path Body

MSR revolutionized snowshoe design about 10 years in the past once they launched the serrated snowshoe body discovered on their Lightning collection snowshoes together with the Lightning Path. The toothed body is designed to reinforce the normal toe crampon discovered underneath the ball of the foot and to stop slippage when side-hilling throughout slopes in rolling terrain.  The body additionally incorporates horizontal struts, additionally serrated, that present traction, particularly when braking on downhills.

The body and the struts additionally forestall “snowballing” which happens when snow and ice clump underfoot so it looks like you might be strolling on high of bowling balls. This occurs on any sort of toothed traction system, together with microspikes, and the step-in or strap-on crampons that you simply connect to winter climbing and mountaineering boots. Because the horizontal rear crampons aren’t boxed crampons, however serrated horizontal struts constructed into the body, snowballing can’t happen. It’s nonetheless very modern.

The result’s a really steady, low-profile snowshoe that gives good flotation and traction on packed trails and in average powder. The body has a average diploma of torsional flex for climbing over obstructions like fallen timber or rock however lacks the traction of the heavier MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoe which appears fairly just like the Lightning Path however is way heavier and has extra aggressive traction. However when you don’t want the televator bar on the Lightning Ascent, designed for climbing steeply inclined terrain, the Lightning Path is a good possibility as a result of it’s so light-weight however nonetheless durably made.

New Paraglide Binding

The brand new Paraglide binding has two components: a stretch mesh that positions your boot correctly within the binding and a locking heel strap. Each are usable whereas sporting gloves. The stretch mesh distributes stress evenly throughout the highest of your boot and eliminates the binding sizzling spots that occurred with the previous DuoLock ski strap binding discovered on this snowshoe. The brand new locking heal strap additionally replaces a ski strap which had the undesirable behavior of incessantly popping open.

The straps securing the entrance mesh and the heel strap have a easy locking mechanism that inserts a plastic plug into a versatile strap with holes punched into it. Pulling on the ends of the straps repositions the plug alongside the strap, securing it in place so it gained’t come undone. The locking mechanism has glove pulls connected to it and pulling on them releases the plastic plug, permitting the straps to maneuver freely within the binding so you possibly can take away your ft. Whereas there’s some further strap size, it’s positioned on the skin facet of the foot or within the rear, the place it’s out of the best way.

Right here’s a video, revealed by MSR that exhibits the Paraglide binding in motion. Quick ahead to 1:04 for a demo of the brand new Paraglide binding.

I used to be little involved after I received these snowshoes as a result of I haven’t had the most effective of luck with the locking mechanism on the heel straps of snowshoes from different producers as a result of it tends to pop open. The most important concern is the place of the slack portion of the heel strap previous the purpose the place the pin locks into the holes within the heel strap. If it’s allowed to flap loosely, it’ll pull the locking pin out and the heel strap will come undone.

My Lightning Path snowshoes got here with a plastic clip, which retains the slack portion of the strap adjoining to the portion of the strap on the within of the locking pin so it doesn’t flap loosely. The issue is that these plastic clips break very simply. One hack is to make use of a jawed binder clip to carry the 2 sections of the strap collectively or to style a “tube” of duct tape with the sticky sides dealing with one another to switch the plastic clip with one thing that can last more. You’d determine that MSR may provide a extra everlasting part for this goal, however it’s simple sufficient to hack round when you expertise it. Nonetheless, you must marvel…

Suggestion

The MSR Lightning Path Snowshoe is a light-weight snowshoe designed for rolling terrain that’s simple to hold with a backpack as a result of it has a fold-flat binding. The newest mannequin has a brand new binding which is a lot better and extra dependable than the earlier one which used elastic ski straps. Should you don’t have to climb steep hills or mountains and desire a snowshoe that’s good for climbing alongside packed trails, the Lightning Path is a wonderful alternative. It’s very light-weight and its fold-flat binding makes it simple to connect to the skin of a backpack, making it good for these days while you may require snowshoes, however don’t have sufficient details about path situations to know in the event that they’ll be required.

I simply want MSR would put the brand new Paraglide binding used on the Lightning Path on their costlier and technical snowshoes, the MSR Lightning Ascent and the MSR Evo Ascent. It will be a particular enchancment over the present fashions which nonetheless use elastic ski straps (which I’ve already communicated to them.)

Disclosure: MSR donated snowshoes for this assessment.

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