The crampons are steel to give maximum durability some snowshoes feature aluminium crampons which may be lighter, but I wouldn’t recommend using these in Scotland where there are often rocks projecting from the snow.

There’s also a long serrated edge down both sides of each shoe for additional grip. The MSR Revo Ascents feature a fairly aggressive front crampon that digs into the slope as your foot is angled. The base of the snowshoe sits parallel to the snow and its large surface area obviously distributes your weight to prevent you sinking so far into the snow, but the foot is articulated so that the heel lifts as you walk. These feature a relatively narrow but long design, made of hard plastic and steel. Designs have advanced greatly over the years. If you thought snowshoes looked like tennis rackets, think again. I live in the Cairngorms National Park and have become a big fan over the last 5 or 6 winters – so I was very keen to try out the MSR Revo Ascent, which promise a very durable design including a steel crampon. Have you seen any strange tracks when out in winter in the Scottish hills? Highly popular in the Alps, more and more people are trying out snowshoes as a way of exploring Scotland’s mountains under a snowy blanket.

Msr revo ascent 22 snowshoes