My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one day hikes to two-week trips. My experience hiking began with my father, when I was about six years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. During cold weather, I backpack, hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, go ice fishing and winter camp with friends and family. Although I am not a lightweight backpacker, I am trying to 'lighten up' and even have converted to using a hammock while camping. I find that I spend almost as much time outside during the long Maine winters as I do during the summers.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Tubbs Snowshoe Company
Product: Pinnacle snowshoes
URL:http://www.tubbssnowshoes.com/
Model: Pinnacle 25

Field Information:

One of the good things about living in Maine is the varied weather conditions during every season. Winter can start out snowy, turn bitterly cold and icy, warm up and rain and then go right back to massive amounts of snow. Although these changes make planning outings a bit of a challenge, it sure provided a range of testing conditions for the Tubbs snowshoes. I was able to snowshoe in loose and packed powder, and on icy and granular snow. Temperatures ranged from -18 F (-28 C) to 42 F (5.6 C).

On one of the school snow days, I took off behind my house and followed one of the trails. The terrain is fairly flat and straight. I snowshoed about four miles (6 km). I found that the snow packed into one of the 'claws' on the bottom of the left snowshoe. I stopped about 6 times to clear the snow. After visually examining it, I could see no difference between the right and left claws. On the advice of a friend, I sprayed cooking oil on the claw. After that I've not had the same problem. It was also suggested that the reason was because I tend to favor my left leg, due to an old knee injury. This makes sense, as I also show different amounts wear on soles of my regular shoes. I did have my husband wear them for a short time, with me walking behind him, I did not notice anything unusual about the snowshoes while he used them. He did not experience any clumping.

My usual snowshoeing style is to go slow, and on fairly flat ground. One afternoon, my two younger children wanted to climb Bond Mountain. Bond Mountain is a small mountain, about 1700 ft. (518 m) that is two miles (3 km) from our house. We decided to take our snowshoes. There was approximately 24 inches (61 cm) of lightly packed snow with some patches of ice. I was sure I had lost my mind agreeing to snowshoe uphill with two kids. The Pinnacles were great! I was able to climb without much difficulty. The first third of the climb is a fairly decent grade. We made it up one-third of the way and stopped for a drink and a snack. After we rested, we climbed the rest of the way. The grade isn't so steep although it is winding. I found that the snowshoes provided plenty of traction and were easy to manuever. Coming down the mountain, I felt I had enough traction, even on the slippery spots. I slept really well that night, but did not wake up sore or stiff the next morning.

I took the snowshoes with me to Vermont and on a couple of weekend camping trips. During these trips, I used them for about 1-3 hours at a stretch. Each time they were easy to put on, adjust and take off. The bindings tighten with just one hand, even when wearing gloves or with cold hands. The only aspect that really took some getting used to- and I can't say I've mastered- is backing up. In most instances, it is easier to turn around. Backing up requires lifting my leg up so that my knee is held up level with my hip and tilting my toes down. The back of the snowshoe moves downward, sometimes getting caught in the snow. This is due to the pivoting toe cord, which helps manueverability in other cases.

I really am impressed with how quick it is to put on the snowshoes, adjust them and take off. I was equally impressed that the bindings remained workable even in very cold conditions. I had expected that they would become stiff, but that didnÕt happen. The Pinnacles have been put away until next winter. I have enjoyed testing them and look forward to using them for a long time to come.

Positives:
Easy to put on and adjust
Great traction
Lightweight and easy on the legs
Extremely cold temperatures do not affect bindings

Negatives:
Backing up while wearing takes some getting used to

Read more reviews of Tubbs gear
Read more gear reviews by Leesa Joiner

Field Report

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