Rambling Review – Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes

Rambling Review – Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes

Why:

I live in Arizona. It’s hot. Believe it or not though, we get some serious snow in the high country that shuts down some of my favorite streams. For the past several years, I have resigned myself to fishing some of the local carp ponds and scooting up to fish the mountains when the snow melts. This year, all that changed with a pair of Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes. Arizona had a couple of pretty decent snowstorms, and I took the opportunity to test out the Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes and take advantage of the solitude.

First impressions:

The weight – At 4.08 lbs, the Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes are some of the lightest snowshoes on the market.

The bindings – Like any new piece of gear, I instantly want to try it on and see how it works. Some of the “high-tech” gear on the market can take an advanced degree to figure out. I plopped the Atlas 12s on the snow stepped into them and cinched the bindings tight. It was game on from there.

Field Use:

My primary use for these snowshoes was accessing hard to reach water in the mountains. This means rocks, downed trees, and steep canyons. The Atlas 12 Series snowshoes have an extremely aggressive crampon setup on the bottom. Any icy/slick conditions get eaten up by the ice-tips on the heel and the Holey-1 toe crampon. Growing up, I had an old pair of wooden snowshoes that had been handed down to me. I remember having such a problem going uphill. That was not the case with the Atlas 12s. There is a heel lift bar that flips up to relieve the increased stress put on calf muscles, and when combined with the crampons underneath, getting out of the canyon is significantly easier

The Atlas 12 Series really shined in the heavy snow in the bottom of the canyon. At their widest point, the 12 Series measure almost 9 inches. This extra width helps to keep you up on top of the deep powder. The Atlas spring-loaded suspension provides the perfect amount of flex in uneven conditions and allows the foot to gain the right amount of traction.

It is obvious that a ton of technology is wrapped up in the 12 series, but that technology translates into ease of use. The WRAPP Pro bindings can be manipulated with gloves on and make the on/off task very simple.

The end result of all of the great features is an excellent set of snowshoes. Gearing up for the creek, I have multiple layers on, waders, wading boots, and a lumbar pack. Even with all the bulkiness, the Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes took me in and out of a couple of steep canyons and put me on beautiful water in winter solitude.

Pros:

Lightweight

Rocksolid Aluminum Frame

Easy on/off bindings

Abrasion Resistant Nylon Decking

Agressive Crampon Setup

Spring-Loaded Suspension

Cons:

At the higher price point, the 12 series are a worthwhile investment.

Prognosis:  Hands down, the Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes are a worthwhile investment for anyone looking to get into the solitude of the backcountry.

* Disclaimer:

The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review.  The Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes were provided by Atlas for the purpose of this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.