I was crossing Marcy dam last Saturday on my way up Colden when my left snowshoe started making a funny "clicking" sound. I stopped at the far side of the dam and took a look at my shoe. One of the rivets holding the binding to the crampons had ripped out and the metal binding plate had broken in 3 places. Since the trail was very well packed and I would have been okay in boots with microspikes I decided to push on and try to make the summit. I was able to finish my hike by securing the binding and crampon to the snowshoe deck, but this made for an uncomfortable trip. When I got back to the Loj at the end of the day I took a look at my other snowshoe-which performed well all day- and found the binding plate broken in 2 different places.

I bought these snowshoes last winter and have put apporximately 150 miles on them, mostly in the high peaks. They have performed incredible in steep, challenging terrain up until now-I haven't used my crampons since I bought these. I spoke with MSR today and they are going to repair or replace them for free so I have no complaints with the company, but I'm not real confident in the shoes ability to stand up to long hard trips in the adirondacks. If these had failed in a remote location where the trail wasn't well packed(say the herdpath between Couchie and Times Square or on the summit of Allen) I could have been in trouble. Hopefully they come up with a fix for this problem.

You are by no means the first person with this problem, see: http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10441 for more MSR lightning ascent failure stories.

I also have first hand experience with an MSR lightning ascent breaking in this manner. My girlfriends snowshoe broke about halfway up Sawteeth earlier this winter, after only 1.5 seasons of use. MSR was quick to replace (or repair) the snowshoe in this case as well so the company still gets a thumbs up from me.

However IMHO the lightning ascent has an obvious design flaw, where the crampon bar that supports the ball of the foot creates a concentrated pressure point on the binding when you step. As you take repeated steps the point of contact between these two wears out and the binding snaps. Once the binding snaps the rivet takes all the pressure of your step and not being designed to do so, rips out shortly after the binding breaks. A quick and simple fix for your newer pair would be to fix something to the crampon that lessens the pressure it exerts on the binding. Also be very meticulous about ensuring that rust doesn't build up where the binding meets the crampon, and they should last for a while.

Ted, I have a theory in regards to your observed design flaw. It's not much of a stretch to assume that these snowshoes were designed for use with footwear that is, like these snowshoes, designed for backcountry travel. And by that I mean these snowshoes were probably designed for use with mountaineering boots, which are made of either hard plastic or very stiff leather with a full shank in the sole (i.e. material that flexes very little or not at all at the balls of your feet). On account of there being no real flexing, or increased pressure at this point on the snowshoe, it can move in the motion it was designed for.

Now, replace those stiff mountaineering boots with more flexible leather hiking boots that have maybe a 1/2 or 3/4 shank. Now you have flexibility at the balls of your feet, and with the binding holding your foot in place, the snowshoe now, instead of moving like a see-saw, has that added pressure you described, in the absolute worst spot.

Snow consistency can also play a role here as well. Use on really hard-packed snow or ice with flexible boots is a surefire way to kill MSR snowshoes. That old pair that belonged to the club is a good example (hard to believe it's been a year since that trip).

However, as I understand it the breakdown of steph's lightnings occured in fresh powder snow. This lends more credibility to my flexible boot theory if in fact she was wearing flexible boots.

Also, keep in mind that, since MSR bills the Lightning Ascents as the lightest snowshoe in its class, that means somewhere along the lines durability is most likely dimished in some way. Food for thought.



"If you are a mountain climber, you need only the mountains and your freedom." --- The Alaskan Alpine Club

i can't complain because MSR was pleasant to deal with and they replaced my snowshoes within two weeks of sending them back. it only costed me the shipping price to mail them to MSR. however, i'm hesitant to take them on trips considering both snowshoes had that metal break around the same time, after about 9 trips to the high peaks. now i only bring them for high peaks, and use my backup pair for less steep hikes.

steve, if your theory were true, why wouldn't they advertise that model be used with mountaineering boots rather than just any hiking boot? it would save them from having to fix or replace so many pairs because i'm finding more and more people who have had the same or a similar problem with the lightning ascents. they're the experts, so shouldn't they know why the snowshoes are breaking, whether it be improper boots or a design flaw, and fix it? or warn people about it before they spend that kind of money? i know they replaced mine without a problem but still, it was inconvenient having to go two weeks without snowshoes in the middle of winter when i had multiple adk outings planned. i'd rather not have to go through the whole renting snowshoes and then making sure i'm out of the woods in time to replace them before they close and i have to pay another day kinda thing.

not to mention, i absolutely loved the lightnings.. because their grip is awesome and i never had to worry about sliding around in the snow and whatnot.. they made the hiking easier and i felt safer than with snowshoes that don't grip as well.. but given the issues i've had with these snowshoes, if MSR doesn't address it better than simply fixing or replacing the snowshoes.. i'm looking elsewhere for snowshoes in the future. i'd rather have snowshoes that aren't going to break while i'm halfway up a mountain.. or at least a snowshoe that i can be more confident in.. because right now, as much as i love my lightnings, i spend my entire trips with them worrying they might break and i'm in the middle of the santanoni range..

Not true. As a retailer of MSR in the past, Msr says that the Lightning can be worn with any "substantial boot",which leaves a wide open door for different styles and types. They seem to be having some quality control issues in the last few years(probably a result of moving off-shore),you should not have had an issue with this binding. It's unfortunate.