MSR's Evo Snowshoes Review: Mountain Safety Research meets Tiffany Mountain

I was privileged to field test a pair of MSR Evo snowshoes last week on an overnight hike to Tiffany Mountain, elevation 8200 in a sub-range at the eastern edge of the North Cascades about 25 linear miles northwest of Omak.

I got a ride from Omak and began my walk up the North Fork of Salmon Creek from the mountain hamlet of Conconully. Low clouds and fog which overhung the Okanogan, seemingly for weeks, gave way to sunshine at Conconully, elevation 2300.

I changed into a new pair of Merrell snowboots that were on clearance at North 40, and donned the Evo snowshoes at the Tiffany Lake Trail #373 trailhead, elevation 4800, a mile or so beyond Salmon Meadows, at about 2PM.

The snow was paltry, maybe two feet, and was very rotten, making for some deep postholing and slow progress.

I have snowshoed for about 25 years, usually several times per year. I am not an expert but not a novice. I have traveled in some fairly rough country, as much as my so-far lack of formal avalanche training has safely allowed. Most of this has been done on a pair of Atlas snowshoes of aluminum tubing and neoprene deck. I have been pretty happy with them.

The plastic deck of the Evo has been around for quite a while now. I recall wondering about their durability when they first came out, but they have stood the test of time. I was not gentle with them on this hike, which was somewhat challenging in terms of climbing over fallen trees, etc.

The Evo is a modular system, with shorter shoes meant to be used by themselves for increased maneuverability in optimum conditions, or with separately purchased "tails" for added flotation.

Anyone over 150 pounds or carrying a load would probably always need the tails. At 180 and with a pack weighing about 30 pounds I did fine with these snowshoes, excepting the horrid condition of the snow.

At any rate, I found maneuverability to be decent on this hike which included plenty of windfalls and a little bit of brush, except that I did find them a little more cumbersome to back up in compared with my Atlas shoes, which are a little shorter and wider. On the other hand, walking in them is much more intuitive because of their narrow profile, which also makes them easier to attach to a backpack.

The plastic bindings on the Evos are very easy and comfortable to use, much more so than my old webbing straps.

The Tiffany Lake Trail climbs onto a long ridge, gradually opening up to nice views as one passes into meadows of stunted sagebrush. The trail traverses the side of the ridge for several miles before assuming and following the more forested top.

The forest here is a patchwork from the 2006 Tripod Fire and natural clearings. I stopped for the evening near the upper limit of the forest, at about 7000 feet, and enjoyed the sunset. From this vantage I could see down the North Fork over Conconully and out to the Okanogan and the Columbia Basin.

The sea of clouds persisted at about 2000 feet for the entire trip, which made for very interesting views.

It was unseasonably warm, as it has been for quite a while (thus the rotten snow) but windy with gusts. It is shaping up to be another lousy snowpack this year. There was about three feet on average at this elevation, not so rotten at this point.

No place amongst the scattered copses was well sheltered from the wind, so I dug a trench over which to pitch my tarp, and slept in comfort.

In the morning I enjoyed the faint mauve sunrise, the sky being somewhat overcast this day. Morning chores always seem to take too long; I was boyishly excited to get underway on the new snowshoes and head for the top of beckoning Tiffany.

I have visited its summit a dozen times, but never in the middle of winter.

From here up the surface of the snow was hard-frozen. Rather than sidehill the route of the trail, which drops a little and traverses up to Whistler Pass, I went directly up the ridge. This got pretty steep so I had a chance to test the crampons on the Evo snowshoes. I felt secure doing so.

I was very pleased to get to the summit. Tiffany is simple walk-up on its rounded south side, an easy ticket to a vast view with some prominence, made even more amazing by the snow. The summit snow is scoured into cornices lipping the precipitous north face.

I stayed for an hour savoring the views over to the North Cascades proper and across the Okanogan to the Kettles, and much country in between.

A ridge-walk the mile south to neighboring Clark Peak, elevation 7740, which is slightly more rugged than Tiffany, involved steep frozen side-hilling, testing the limits of the crampons. There was no problem. After Clark, I followed the general route of Clark Ridge Trail, which loops back to where I began my snowshoe adventure.

The burned snags on this ridge are very beautiful juxtaposed against the snow. Once below 7000 feet again, the snow was completely rotten and pocketed by young lodge poles; the constant sinking was a pain, but I soon found the trail. Even though snowbound, this makes for much easier hiking because there are no voids.

Where the trail descends off the ridge and climbs back up to meet the Tiffany Lake Trail, I followed the tracks of a moose which had also taken advantage of the easier passage. I didn't see any human tracks during my time off the road.

The Evo snowshoes, made in MSR's ("Mountain Safety Research") Seattle factory, sell for $130, and the tails for $30, at North 40. They weigh 28.4 ounces each on my scales, plus 6.3 ounces each for the tails. They are primarily designed for use on trails.

I plodded through sloppy snow and walked atop frozen crust, with an occasional patch of good powder, so I pretty much covered the spectrum, and the snowshoes did fine. I did a little bit of mixed terrain through a few bare patches.

The plastic is kind of noisy on hard snow but not annoyingly so. These are an excellent option, with proven quality, that's not too expensive, for medium use snowshoeing. I look forward to more long term testing.

If you are not familiar, snowshoeing is a very rewarding activity which is gaining in popularity. It can be strenuous. (This is but part of the pleasure). Often the extra work of snowshoeing is a wash, as a decent snowpack allows one to sail over the top of obstacles such as brush, downfalls, and rocks, sometimes considerably faster than in the summer.

There is a fun "getting away with something" feeling in exploring with impunity where walking "should be" utterly impossible. Winter hiking is so beautiful, and a whole different experience! If you enjoy hiking, I encourage you to try snowshoeing. It will open up your repertoire.

You will need appropriate footwear, gaiters, and trekking poles with snow baskets, along with basic wintertime hiking equipment and knowledge. There are numerous books on the subject; including sometimes at the book display in North 40.

It is necessary to gain some experience and skill before heading into the backcountry, especially if you take the risk of going alone. But even if you just want to enjoy short hikes in the snow, it is certainly worth the investment.

If you still have questions about the MSR products, reach out to us using the comment form below and we will work to get back to you within 24-hours.