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Reviews > Snow Gear > Snowshoes > Atlas 11 Snowshoes > Test Report by Bob SandersAtlas 11 Series SnowshoesTest
Series
by
Bob
Sanders
Initial Report: January 19, 2010 Field Report: April 6, 2010 Long Term Report: June 1, 2010
INITIAL REPORTJanuary 19, 2010
INITIAL IMPRESSIONSThe Series 11 snowshoes arrived in their stored configuration. Two "S" shaped clips connect to the frames on each side near the top to form a pretty solid unit for storing or transporting. This is a very handy feature and it keeps the pair securely attached to each other. The bindings do not collapse very much and stick up at least 5.5 in (14 cm) from the platform. When transporting them on the outside of a backpack they will be very bulky.There was no directions included on how to use the bindings or how to deploy the heal lift bar or how to release it. I did go to the website to see if there were some directions there. No written directions could be found but there was a small short video. I watched it several times before I attempted to try them on and adjust the bindings for the first time.  Atlas 11 Snowshoes in their stored configuration (Utilizing S shaped clips)  Bottom of snowshoe showing crampons and binding strap   My first attempt at trying them on was in the back yard. We had snow a couple of weeks ago but it was all melted at this point. I wore the boots that I would most likely wear while snowshoeing. I wear a size 11 men's shoe so these boots are quite large. I loosened all the straps to their maximum opening and slid my foot in the main opening and placed the ball of my foot on the foot pad. There was plenty of room in the forward binding. I pulled on the strap loop with one hand and tightened the forward binding around the boot until it snugged up. Not too tight, just snug. I reached around the back and pulled the back strap out from under the boot because I was standing on it. I got it looped around the heal of the boot and pulled the end of the strap until it was snug. The back heal strap has a thicker end molded into it so that it will not slide completely through the yellow release buckle. This means the back strap is always in a loop and always ends up under my boot.  I walked
around the yard and the bindings just did not seem tight. I sat down on
the porch and had a look at the bindings. There were pretty big gaps on
either side between the boot and binding. I tied to tighten the
bindings further by pulling on the loop but it really did not tighten
much further. My next instinct was I'm not doing this correct and I
need to take them off and retry.The second time I took my boot completely off and attempted to seat the boot and tighten the binding without my foot in it. That way I could look at the boot in the binding from all angles to see if it was actually fitting correctly. It was not. The plastic binding that wraps around the boot is very stiff, especially on the inside edge. After more fiddling I realized it is extremely important to make sure the ball of your foot is is centered and straight over the foot pad. When it is not centered or straight the binding will wrap around the boot with gaps. A bit frustrating because at times it took both hands to adjust the binding. I did not even attempt it with gloves on. The buckles do release easily and can be both pulled down with one hand. However it did take both hands and a lot of pulling to get my boot out of the binding. My third attempt was again with my foot in the boot. This time I did a better job of getting the boot centered and snugged up. I walked around the yard and this time it felt better but was still a bit sloppy and loose. My hope is that with each attempt I will get better at adjusting the binding and it will become second nature. It will take a bit of practice and patience. The taper from wide in the front to thinner in the back made for an easier stride while walking. Snowshoes always take a while to get used to because of the wider stance and penguin like stride. The two snowshoes appear identical in shape and the only way to tell the difference between the right and the left is by the location of the yellow buckles which should always be to the outside. Heal Lifter: The heal lifter was easy to deploy by simply lifting up on it and it locked into position. Getting it to go down took both hands and a serious amount of down and backward pressure to get it to release. The angle of lift is at least 30° and will be a great relief to my calf muscles when climbing uphill. Crampons: The stainless steel crampons are approx. 1 in (2.54 cm) long on the front set and about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long for the back and side set. They appear to be pretty robust and should afford plenty of traction. LIKES: • These are well built and very robust DISLIKES: • No instructions supplied • Bindings are frustrating to tighten and release. _______________________________________________________________
FIELD REPORTApril 6, 2010Over the past 2 months I have gotten out
every weekend on three excellent hikes and one quick overnighter. We
have
had plenty of snow, but only in the high country. Down on the lower
foothills up to about 8000 ft (2438 m) the snow is only patchy and not
very deep. However the higher you go the deeper the snow gets.
LOCATIONS AND FIELD CONDITIONSDay Hikes: All of my hikes have been in the surrounding mountains near my home. Elevations average between 7500 to 10,000 ft (2286 to 3048 m) Temperatures have run between 20 and 45° F (-7 and 7° C). Most hikes I start off in the mornings when temperatures are cooler and I usually finish in the early afternoon and temperatures have warmed up. I have hiked around Brainerd lake, Lefthand Reservoir and in Rocky Mountain National Park around Bear Lake. All day hikes have been between 5 to 6 miles (8 to 9.6 km) and I followed existing trails that in many cases were well used by both snowshoers and cross country skiers. The snow was at least 3 to 4 ft (.9 to 1.2 m) deep and I have encountered snow ranging from deep fluffy powder to icy, solid, packed snow. These snowshoes handled all conditions extremely well. Fresh powder about 18 in (46 cm) deep. I am sinking in approx. 8 in (20 cm) Overnight Backpack: My quick overnighter was also to Lefthand Reservoir and I camped in a secluded area in the trees near the reservoir. I hiked in about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) which was a bit further than I anticipated because the road was closed further back because of fresh snow. Temperatures were about 40° F (4.4° C) during the day and got down to 20° F (-7° C) during the night. It had snowed the night before so there was at least 18 in (46 cm) of fresh powder on the ground before I started. The trail in was unused so I had the entire trail to myself all day. With my pack on and all my cold weather gear on (including the snowshoes) I was probably pushing the upper limits of the maximum load range of 250 lbs (113 kg). Even with that, I only sunk into the fresh powder about 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm). It was slow going but I wasn't in a big hurry and arrived at camp well before sunset.  PERFORMANCE:Bindings: Since my Initial Report I have finally gotten the hang of using the bindings and now I find them quite easy to put on. I have found that the key, for me, is to open up the bindings to their maximum size to start with. That way my boot slides right in with no catching or binding. I also find that if I tighten the back strap first, it forces my boot forward and seems to line it up better side to side. I finally tighten the strap across the top of my boot with a quick firm pull. The bindings have stayed tight throughout each hike.There is a small keeper clip that is suppose to secure the top strap and keep it from flopping around after tightening. It does not work well at all. It just does not have enough grip on the strap and after about 20 steps it has come loose. The strap flopping around does not bother me and I usually just ignore it. The bindings are a real challenge to get loose at the end of the day so you can take the snowshoes off. I was hoping it could be done with one hand. I always started out using a single, gloved hand trying to pry the binding open and always ended up using two ungloved hands to get the bindings to release. I need to use one hand to hold the release buckles down and use the other hand to grab the top of the binding and pull it up and away from the buckle. A couple of times I had to sit down in the snow to get it accomplished. The bindings are easy to get on and a pain to get off. Flotation and Traction: Even in deep powder the flotation has been adequate and on most hikes I traveled on top of the snow only sinking in 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm). The traction has been excellent and I have not slipped when traveling uphill or downhill. I have only had the opportunity to use the Heel Lift Bar once. It snapped into place when I pulled it up and stayed in place the entire climb. Getting it to release and fold down took a lot more effort and time. I had to get on my knees in order to have enough leverage as I pulled back on the Heel Bar. Maybe it will loosen up a bit over time. Durability: The decks appear as good as new and the snow does not seem to stick or build up much on top. The frames have a few scratches along the front top edges. I'm almost positive that these are caused by me stepping on top of the frame with the other snowshoe. I only fell once, okay twice, from tripping myself by not paying attention to where I was stepping. It was always at the beginning of a hike because the longer I hike the more I get used to how far apart I need to place my feet. Pros and Cons: Overall I am very pleased with these snowshoes. Everything seems to work and function exactly as it is suppose to. My only beef is how difficult they are to take off. I am hoping that with time the binding will continue to loosen up a bit and they will release and slide open with less effort. _______________________________________________________________
LONG TERM REPORTJune 1, 2010I am sorry to report but the snow is
gone. The only snow left in the Rockies is at very high altitude.
Probably at an elevation of around 12,000 ft (3657 m) and above. I did
manage to get in three day hikes over the past 2 months. I took the
Atlas snowshoes with me on all three hikes strapped to the back of my
daypack. In late April the snow was still about 12-18 in (31 -46 cm)
deep and I used the snowshoes for the hike on the way in. On the way
out I took them off and navigated the trail successfully without them,
only sinking into the snow 1-3 in (3-8 cm) at the most.
On my second day hike in early May I only used them once and only for about 20 minutes to cross a large snow field. All of the snow patches I did encounter were typically on the north side of a slope and by this time of the year they were well packed and could easily support my weight without snowshoes. On my final day hike in late May they remained strapped to my pack for the entire hike. There were only small patches of snow remaining in the shady areas. I did get a few strange looks from fellow hikers passing me in the other direction.. LOCATIONS AND FIELD CONDITIONSDay Hikes: All of my hikes have been in the surrounding mountains near my home. Elevations average between 7500 to 10,000 ft (2286 to 3048 m). Temperatures have run between 40 and 65° F (5 and 18° C). Most hikes I start off in the mornings when temperatures are cooler and I usually finish in the early afternoon and temperatures have warmed up. I hiked around Brainerd lake, Lefthand Reservoir and in Rocky Mountain National Park around Finch Lake. All day hikes have been between 5 to 6 miles (8 to 9.6 km) and I followed existing trails that in many cases were well used by both hikers and snowshoers. The snow ranged from nonexistent to slushy, hardpacked and icy in some spotsPERFORMANCE:Bindings: I feel as though the bindings just took me a while to get used to. I can now take them on and off without much effort or resistance. Understanding their little quirks has helped me understand that there are steps to follow in order to make the whole process so much easier.The bindings hold firm and there has been very little if any retightning or adjusting once they are on and tightened. Flotation and Traction: During this leg of the test the snow has not been deep and most of the snow is well compacted and in most cases would support my weight without snowshoes. Durability: These snowshoes have held up very well. Other than the occasional scratch and chipped paint on the frames (mostly my fault) the deck and the bindings look almost brand new. Conclusion: These snowshoes have served me well. The bindings did take a while to get used to but seem to work quite well now that I have the routine dialed in. They seem very robust and are very durable with excellent flotation even on fluffy powder snow. I guess my only gripe is that they did not come with any instructions and the video on the website was all of 30 seconds showing how to put them on and take them off. The first time I watched it I thought "that looks really simple". Believe me it only got that simple after I had done it 20 times. That concludes my report and I would like to thank BackpackGearTest.org and Atlas Snowshoe for the opportunity to test these snowshoes. Read more reviews of a gear Read more gear reviews by Bob Sanders Reviews > Snow Gear > Snowshoes > Atlas 11 Snowshoes > Test Report by Bob Sanders | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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