Reviews > Snow Gear > Snowshoes > Tubbs Pinnacle Series Snowshoes > Andrew Claus > Initial Report

Initial Report  - Tubbs Pinnacle Snowshoes

Tester Information:

Tester: Andrew Claus
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft – 9 in (175 cm)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Shoe size: 10 (US), medium width
Email: (andrewclaus “at” yahoo “dot” com)
Home region: Evergreen, Colorado (Front Range foothills of the Rockies)
Date: January 17, 2004

Backpacking Background:

I live and play in the Colorado Rockies.  I have section-hiked the entire Colorado Trail.  I hiked Mt. Washington to Mt. Katahdin on the Appalachian Trail in ’02.  I have been backpacking, backcountry skiing, and bike touring for the past twenty years.  I have climbed all 54 of Colorado’s “14ers” (14,000 ft/4,260 m peaks).  I get out on day trips into the high country at least once a week, year ‘round, and on backpacking trips several times a year, including at least one in the winter.  I also do a lot of outdoor travel as a wildland firefighter.

I am a recent convert to a lighter weight style of packing.  I’m not a fanatic ultra light packer yet.  My pack base weight is about 16 lb (7 kg) and dropping.  I use a tarp, a bivy, or no shelter at all.

Product Description: 

Manufacturer:  Tubbs
Product:  Pinnacle snowshoes
Year of manufacture:  2003
URL: www.tubbssnowshoes.com

The snowshoes arrived on January 16, 2004.  They arrived via FedEx, in perfect condition.  They were exactly what I expected.  They came in a large cardboard box with no additional packaging.  A large rubber band held the snowshoes together.  There are no tags or instructions.  There is a “Rental ID Number” printed on the webbing which begins with “2001”, which may mean these were actually manufactured in that year.

The Pinnacle is listed by the manufacturer as a day hiking, all terrain snowshoe.

The model I’m testing is the Pinnacle 25.  Listed dimensions are 8 in x 25 in (20 cm x 63.5 cm).  Listed weight is 4.0 lb (1.8 kg).  I measured those dimensions exactly, but I was dismayed to find that somehow the shoes I’m testing gained a half-pound (230 grams).  Mine weigh in at 4.5 lb (2 kg).

Frame:  These snowshoes are a “round tail” or “oval” design.  The frame is symmetrical, with an up-turned tip and flat tail.  The material is aluminum tubing.  No weld is visible, but there is plenty of webbing covering up parts of the tubing.  The aluminum is not anodized.

Webbing:  This is a non-reinforced solid plastic material.  It is attached to the frame with metal rivets (12 total).  The flared ends of the rivets are on the bottom.  The flared ends show some irregularities, as if they were installed manually.  There is an embossed pattern on the bottom of the webbing, which looks like a traction pattern.  The pattern is a series of chevrons, which is the Tubbs logo.  Colors are red and gray.

Bindings:  The binding is the most unusual I’ve seen.  No more laces.  The binding has a “clam shell” appearance, with two foam-padded halves embracing the sides of the foot and buckling on top of the foot.  There is one strap on top, which has a lever action like a Nordic ski boot, though much smaller and lighter duty (and it has a lock).  There is another strap around the back of the heel, similar in size, but it doesn’t have a lever—you just push the strap in, and push on the buckle to release.  The strap has an instruction on it to cut to length.  The binding pivots on a metal axle with a nylon bearing.  The metal axle has flattened eyes on each end, which are attached to the frame with plastic straps and rivets, similar to the webbing attachment.  The bindings are asymmetrical—there is a left and a right side.  Color is black.

Traction:  There are some very aggressive, somewhat scary-looking claws on these snowshoes.  There are six claws about 1.5 in (4 cm) long (!) on the bottom of the rotating foot binding, and four claws about 1 in (2.5 cm) long on the bottom of the heel.  These are large enough to require caution during use.  I would not want one of these to come down on my favorite boots.

Initial Report:

I was very intrigued by the odd-looking binding.  I put these on over my running shoes while standing in my stone-floored entryway.  They seemed to fit fine.  Unfortunately, there’s currently no fresh snow on the ground, just a few inches of old crusty stuff.  I walked around a bit anyway, and the shoes feel fine.

I noticed that the shoes swing very freely on the binding.  A minor disadvantage of this is backing up; you really need to flex the hip and knee to lift the tail out of the snow.

The claws around the bottom of the binding form a sort of circular pattern.  I wonder if this will cause excessive “clumping” of wet spring snow.  That’s really annoying when it happens.  I’ll be paying attention to that later in the season.

I did some quick research on the differences in snowshoe geometry (round vs. “V” tail, etc.)  I found an interesting website from a guy who’s been around snowshoeing for a long time (author Carl Heilman).  I read that the round tail is better for flotation, and is apparently most weight-efficient.  The tail is only helpful for extremely long snowshoes. 

Initial pluses are: a) nice-looking bindings, b) serious traction, c) stiff, apparently strong webbing.

Initial minuses are: a) disappointing extra weight, b) some concern about safety around the claws on the bottom, and c) some concern wet spring snow “clumping” in the claws, and d) backing up is a little cumbersome.

Testing Strategy:

I propose to test the Pinnacle snowshoes on at least eight day hikes and one two-day hike in Colorado’s Front Range and Central Rockies, in the following conditions; a) in elevations ranging from 7,500 ft (2,270 m) to 13,000 ft (4,000 m), b) in fresh snow depths ranging from 12 to 24 in (30 to 60 cm), and c) on wind-packed snow above tree line.  Travel will be a mix of trail and off-trail.  Total weight will vary from 150 lb (68 kg) to 175 lb (80 kg).  

I will evaluate the Pinnacle’s binding for ease of donning, strength, and ability to stay tight.

I often need to traverse wind-packed snow slopes above tree line, when safe to do so (typical angle 20 to 25 degrees).  Traversing, for me, seems to put the most stress on shoes and bindings.  My typical hike will reasonably stress the tested equipment.

When tree line is reached, there are often some areas of wind-blown tundra.  I often lack the initiative to remove the snowshoes for short walks in snowless areas, so I tend to punish the webbing area with rocks and sticks.  I’ve never damaged snowshoes doing this, but I do shop for extra durability.  I will evaluate the Pinnacle shoes for durability in these conditions.

I will usually use a light leather trail hiking boot for showshoeing.  If the outing entails extended time above tree line with a summit attempt, I’ll use a heavy leather mountaineering boot.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to test this product.

Reviews > Snow Gear > Snowshoes > Tubbs Pinnacle Series Snowshoes > Andrew Claus > Initial Report