Winter is no time to hibernate. Therefore, it’s time to get out and enjoy the snow! For example, an easy way to walk on the snow is to use Northern Lites Elite snowshoes. For me, I love powsurfing. What’s powsurfing, you ask? It’s a throw-back to the days before snowboards had bindings. Similar to a surfboard or skateboard, but for snow.
4 Reasons to Love Northern Lites Elite Snowshoes
- The lightest snowshoes on the market – only 2.5 pounds per pair!
- Easy to use bindings attach to your boots quickly
- Robust aluminum claws on the bottom for superior grip
- Made in the USA
Available At:
– Amazon
– Northern Lites
Who are the Northern Lites Elite Snowshoes for?
- Anyone who likes to hike/walk on the snow
- Someone who is looking for a light-weight, durable snowshoe
- People who prefer to support products made in the USA
To powsurf, you need deep bottomless powder so you can surf down the hills. But, to experience consistent deep powder, you need to venture into the backcountry and hike up the mountain to earn your turns. That’s where snowshoes come into play. They are a critical tool so that you stay on top of the snow as you hike up the mountain and not waste your energy post-holing in deep powder.
“Nature has no mercy at all. Nature say, ‘I’m going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that’s tough. I am going to snow anyway.'”
– Maya Angelou
I recently came across Northern Lites Snowshoes, and they claim to have the lightest snowshoes on the market, so I had to check them out. Anytime you’re hiking, the weight on your feet is critical. For example, it’s like using light-weight carbon fiber rims on your bike. The lighter your wheels, the easier it is to pedal. Similarly, the same physics applies to weight on your feet. So, if I have less weight on my feet, I can hike longer without my legs quickly tiring out.
Northern Lites Elite Snowshoes Review
At 2.5 pounds per pair, the Northern Lites Elite snowshoes are light – almost a full pound lighter than their competition. Often, to attain an ultra-light product, durability can be sacrificed. Is that the case with Northern Lites Elite snowshoes? In my experience, no!
I opted for their Speed Bindings, which are lighter and quicker to put on and take off. The speed bindings wrap snugly around the ball of your foot with a cord lock, and the 1” webbing wraps around your heel to keep your foot from sliding out.
An un-rippable patented nylon hinge attaches the Speed Binding to the snowshoe platform. The nylon hinge is helpful because as you step, the deck springs back to the heel of your foot. Therefore, you are not dragging it across the snow.
On the binding on the Northern Lite Elite snowshoes, there is a robust aluminum claw under the ball of your foot to grip the snow. Underneath your heal, there is another aggressive aluminum claw. Furthermore, the combination of binding claw and heal claw allows you to walk across side-hills on firm/icy snow with confidence.
On the top of the deck, a heel gripper keeps your foot centered on the snowshoe. There’s nothing worse than having your heel slide around from side to side when snowshoeing.
Fit and Sizing
I chose the Northern Lites Elite 25″ model snowshoes. For my height and weight, they are a tad small. I’m 6’2” and 195 pounds without my pack, powsurfer, etc. But, I like the 25” size because they fit on my backpack nicely when I am powsurfing down the mountain.
Dislikes
The one thing I’ve noticed, the 1″ webbing can sometimes slide down my heel. From my perspective, that’s more of a design flaw of the boots than the snowshoes. If you look 2 photos above, you can see that my boots are smooth from the heel to the calf. I also wish the heel gripper on the top deck of the snowshoes were more aggressive. Sometimes on sidehills my heel will slide to the side. Other than that, these snowshoes are great.
Common Questions:
Question: Do you need special boots for snowshoeing?
Answer: Any winter boots will work and lots of people simply use their hiking boots!
Question: How do I know what length snowshoes to buy?
Answer: 19″ for youth up to 80 lbs, 25″ snowshoes typically support up to 190 Lbs. 30″ snowshoes support up to 250 lbs. 32″ snowshoes support 250+ pounds. It also depends on the type of snow you will be walking. If it’s deep fresh snow right after a snowstorm a 25″ snowshoe will sink further into the snow than a 32″ shoe. Furthermore, if the snow is packed, a shorter snowshoe will work just fine.
Question: Can snowshoes be too big?
Answer: In general, 25″ snowshoes are a good all-around size. Large snowshoes are nice because they have more surface area for float, but they can also be awkward to walk with and don’t fit as nicely on your backpack.
Specs:
- Weight: 2.5 pounds
- Length: 25 inches
- Width: 8 inches
- Surface Area: 162 square inches
- Recommended User Weight: 175 – 190 pounds
- Uses: on/off-trail usage, racing
- MSRP: $219.99
Bottom Line
As shown above, I’m stoked I discovered Northern Lites Elite snowshoes. Therefore, if you are in the market for a new pair of snowshoes, check out Northern Lites. Additionally, they are made in the good ol’ USA, and are a killer product!
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