MSR Lightning Ascent - Women's Review

While the Lightning Ascent is designed for the epic adventurer, we discovered that it is actually more versatile than that! If you enjoy ascending steep, rough terrain, the heel lifts will help you reserve some energy and adventure further. If you like descending icy hills, the aggressive DTX Crampons and caged bindings will help keep you on your feet and off your behind. If a long leisurely stroll down a well-packed trail is more your style, then strap these on, because the Lightning will still feel great.

Performance Comparison

Flotation

If you want traction and nothing else, you can just wear crampons, right? You wear snowshoes to avoid sinking down to your chest when walking on fresh snow. The closer to the surface you can stay, the better! The Lightning Ascent excels in this department.

The Lightning has a narrow frame to help facilitate the normal stride and average gait for females and smaller-framed folks. While less surface area does affect float, the light weight of the shoe helps keep it above the surface. The bindings also rotate almost 90° from the deck, allowing snow on the shoe to fall off the back, reducing excess weight and, in turn, increasing float. If you plan on carrying more weight or being in particularly fresh, deep snow, it is worth looking into the add-on flotation tails. Flotation is excellent with the shoe alone, but adding the tails likely improves it quite a bit, though we did not test them for this model.

Traction

MSR did a wonderful job creating a shoe with versatile traction. Between the massive toe pick (which somehow does not get in the way while walking), traction rails, and sharp teeth lining the perimeter of the deck, there isn't a mountain the Lightning Ascent can't climb.

Not much has changed in the way of traction from last year's model, and for good reason! The DTX crampon is made with a continuous piece of martensite steel to increase strength and bite. Whether you are hiking up, down, or across this shoe will make things easier for you. Even with a burly crampon and spiked crossbars, the Lightning is decently lightweight, solidifying our decision to award it the Editors' Choice.

Stride Ergonomics

As mentioned earlier, the Lightning is one of the narrowest shoes we tested. Most of those who tried them on did not feel the need to widen their gait; due to the lightweight nature of the shoe, the narrow decking does not negatively affect float. This allows most women and smaller-framed individuals to walk with a normal stride.

The Lightning feels good to walk in, whether on packed or fresh snow. The combination of almost 90° rotation and aggressive traction means that walking on packed snow does not feel any more awkward or stiff than trekking through untouched landscapes. Even though this shoe is designed for technical terrain, it magically still feels natural to walk on flat groomed areas as well! That being said, if you purchase this shoe, it truly shines brightest in harsher conditions, so try taking it out in the backcountry to really get a taste of what it can do.

Ease of Use

This metric is based mostly on bindings. We paid special attention to how difficult it was to strap in and remove each shoe, as well as whether or not they needed to be adjusted while in use. The Lightning has a cage-like toe strap and a stretchy, easy to use heel strap. We were worried about losing stretch in the cold, but it remained malleable even in very cold conditions.

Strapping into the Lightning Ascent is straightforward and intuitive. Small loops are strategically placed at the end of each strap, which is nice with bare hands but slightly too small if you are wearing thick gloves. However, if you usually hike in the same boots, you will not need to readjust the front straps as they stretch nicely and stay put once fastened. The back strap is also very easy to use, so once you've gotten through the initial fitting, they are a breeze to put on and take off.

Unlike last year's model, we were able to get uniform evenness between both feet. The new binding solves the issue of creating pinch points by over-torquing. Overall we are very pleased with the changes in this latest version.

Bindings

The Paragon binding is robust yet minimalistic. Two straps wrap over the toe creating a small pocket for the front of the foot. This helps significantly with keeping the foot in place when walking downhill.

The binding is complete with an easy to use heel strap. While the front toe straps are difficult to handle with thick gloves on, they do not need to be adjusted every time. If you wear the same or similar boots each time you snowshoe, you will find that you only need to remove the heel strap to take off or put on the Lightning.

The binding material on the Ascent offers some pretty serious stretch. It is for this reason that they feel very secure and can simultaneously accommodate a wide range of foot sizes. We even tried putting a snowboarding boot in one and found that it fit without a struggle. Overall the Lighting Ascent has made some pretty great improvements since their last release. The Paragon Binding is secure, comfortable, and accommodating. Backcountry, here we come!

Should You Buy the MSR Lightning Ascent?

These are the most expensive snowshoes in our review. If you choose to purchase the 5" add-on flotation tails, that will set you back even more. Needless to say, this model is an investment. However, if accessing the backcountry regularly and safely is a priority for you, then this is a small price to pay for years of versatile, lightweight, and technical features. You could spend less on a more introductory shoe, but if you later outgrow its capabilities, you'll be stuck looking for a new pair and will have spent just as much if not more overall. The Lightning Ascent is one purchase that will float you through all of it, from packed trails to advanced mountaineering, for years to come.

What Other Snowshoes Should You Consider?