SIA Snow Show ’13 Preview: Snowshoes

Leading up to the SIA Snow Show, SNEWS is previewing new trends and products you’ll see at the trade show in Denver, Jan. 31-Feb. 3. Today, we take a take a look at the latest in snowshoes. All these stories also can be found in the print or digital flipbook edition of our Snow Show Preview.

Expect 2013-14 to have the broadest offering of snowshoes yet, suited for everyone from off-the-couch, crack-of-noon winter dog walkers to uber-athletes.

Atlas keeps pace with winter fitness aficionados with the aptly named Fitness snowshoe, built around the new Speed V-Frame, with a Wrapp Cruise binding and Free-Rotating suspension. The updated 12 series is designed for technical, firm snow conditions and features a beefy steel-toe crampon, weight-activated rear traction device, and stiffer, max-strength aluminum frame. And now lighter by 0.5 pounds per pair and with enhanced traction, the Aspect remains a great choice for general use.





Crescent Moon’s upcoming Rocket provides as near a weightless experience as one could hope for in the terrestrial snowshoe sphere. Framed in NASA-derived nano-carbon fiber materials, this snow runner’s delight is light and durable. Available, too, is the Lift-Off, an accessory heel elevator.

Komperdell, known more Stateside for high-end ski and trekking poles, offers revised iterations of its two-snowshoe lineup: the entry-level, one-size-fits-all “U”-tailed Alpinist and the pin-tailed Mountaineer, for the more serious winter explorer and climber.

Boise-based Lucky Bums, a purveyor of kids’-specific adventure tools, offers three new “technical” snowshoes for young explorers. Available in three sizes (14, 19, and 22 inches), all feature the company’s foolproof, kid-friendly binding. Each size run comes in blue, green, and pink.

Redfeather has four new snowshoes. Full of adult features yet sized for kids is the Elf. Hunters and wildlife photographers will appreciate the stealthy light-gray and white Ghost. The Traverse is an easy-on/easy-off one-pull model. And for kids who want to stand out, the LED-spangled Flashtrax will be a must-have.

Tubbs Snowshoes updates the Glacier, a junior shoe for “tweeners.” The popular Flex Trk, geared toward day hikers, now sports Tubb’s simple QuickPull binding. The Xpedition gets an overhaul with a new frame and heel crampon, making it even more suitable for the most demanding all-terrain travel.

These are just a few of the new products to debut at the show. Be sure to check out many more new products and trends in the Snow Show Daily, published live at the show, and available digital format each following day of print on SNEWS.

–Brian Litz