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New Westminster
Canada
242 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2004 : 10:27 PM
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I would like to see some feedback about the quality of the snowshoes that are presently available at Costco.
The brand name is called "snow mountain" made in Taiwan, have a 3 year warranty, come with a pair of treking poles and the price is 132.99
Please, any comments anyone ?
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 double-double seeking, snow-chasing, short-cutting, vertical feet collector
4523 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2004 : 10:41 PM
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my comment - try them out! what do you have to lose? snowshoes AND hiking poles for $132.99 looks like a good deal!
then again, I'm offering you an opinion without looking at the snowshoes, evaluating their construction or looking at the manufacturer (a 3-year warranty means nothing if it's a fly-by-night outfit)
I would look at:
how sturdy is the construction of the snowshoe? are there rivets that may wear out? are the crampons aggressive? where are the crampons located? how well articulated is the item?
are the snowshoes built for hiking on groomed trails, or can some of us use them for a weekend of cornice climbing? 
how much weight can it support? a standard for snowshoes is 275lbs for an adult snowshoe. Can it support that much? or does it support less?
what dimensions does the snowshoe have? a standard pair of MSRs or a racing pair of Atlas measure 8" by 22". how does this compare?
what material was used in the construction of the snowshoe? injected plastic? neoprene? metal? are all parts assembled well?
and then, the trekking poles. are they collapsible? can they be adjusted? if so - how? is it a lock-down mechanism, or do you screw each part of the pole into the next part? what are the handles made of - rubber? cork? something else?
what is the quality of construction? do the parts appear standard? if you lose a basket or one of the parts of the (collapsible) poles, can they be easily replaced?
sure it looks like a bargain, but what if something is wrong? then it may be not a bargain at all.
cheers ! C Wall |
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double-double seeking, snow-chasing, short-cutting, vertical feet collector
4523 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2004 : 10:47 PM
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do they look anything like this?
http://www.valid.com.tw/p1n.htm
(click on Snow Board and Shoe on the left hand navigation bar)
If you scroll down, you will find the hiking poles too.
cheers - C Wall
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Studies show that most people do not watch what they tape on a VCR, when they tape a TV show. They never watch it again. And I think it suggests that we are buying a machine to watch another machine, and we're never going to watch what it was watching. We just kind of like the idea that we own a machine that is watching another machine.
- Neil Postman |
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398 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2004 : 11:30 PM
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| I think Costco had Tubbs snowshoes a few years ago. No trekking poles were included. |
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double-double seeking, snow-chasing, short-cutting, vertical feet collector
4523 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2004 : 11:37 PM
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the pictures from the OEM manufacturer in Taiwan look very Tubbs-like.
beware of the rivets attaching the matting material to the metal frame. the rivets became undone in many of the snowshoes that were rented out on Seymour Mountain some years ago - causing the ski hill operators to replace their entire snowshoe inventory.
cheers - C Wall |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
385 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2004 : 07:50 AM
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I have been using a pair of Snow Mountain snowshoes from Costco for the last two years. Then they came without poles. Their crampons are aluminium and not very aggressive, so on really steep slopes you may slide down. But in my experience I've never been an impediment to a group outfitted with more 'professional' and expensive s/shoes. On the contrary, in fresh snow due to their large size they worked much better than compact designs (like MSR without extensions).
Build quality is OK, I haven't had any problem so far.
Bindings sometimes require readjustment.
Regards,
Eugene |
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 Super botonist, hippie chick who cuddles thistles with glee
Langley, BC
Canada
1541 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2004 : 08:21 AM
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We have a pair of Snow Mountain snowshoes in our collection, my son uses them, and they're my spare pair to lend out. We haven't had a problem with them.
For their weight capacity, they are a bit longer than mine (Tubbs), but I quite like the bindings. They're easy to use.
Obviously Costco hasn't had a problem with them if they're carrying them again this year. |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
241 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2004 : 09:17 AM
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I agree with SWR - rivets are the curse of snowshoes. I have had Tubbs and 2 pair of Atlas top end shoes and the rivets busted. The warranty covered replacement so its not price.
Im not sure how one tells if the rivets are going to last. But like another poster mentioned for that price with poles it might be worth a try.
Tmac |
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Grouse Grinding, GPS carrying, lawn chair packing, bike riding North Shore tech addict who stares at Crown Mountain from his office window all day
North Vancouver
Canada
1905 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2004 : 09:43 AM
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I noticed some new lower priced snowshoes (<$200) in the new MEC catalog. They aren't listed on the website yet though.
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opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2004 : 10:03 AM
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I had a pair of snowshoes from Costco about 4 years ago. They really sucked. The strap bindings would come loose all the time and the crampons did very little for traction.
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"My favorite recreational drug is Ibuprofen" |
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New Westminster
Canada
242 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2004 : 3:05 PM
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Thanks all for valid points.
They look different from those posted in www.valid.com Cwall.
I will post a picture of them later today when I get my camera back. |
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New Westminster
Canada
242 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2004 : 12:01 PM
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This is what they look like:
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opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2004 : 12:55 PM
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The crampons don't look very aggressive but the ratchet bindings look nice. They should probably work ok.
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"My favorite recreational drug is Ibuprofen" |
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post creek, bc
169 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2004 : 5:05 PM
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| i purchased a pair of these 3 yrs ago and have used them lots,they are great in deep powder and the flex rubber pivot has no moving parts to get froze up or broken.the crampons are just fine cause anything requiring anything more agressive you dont want tobogans on your feet anyways,then its time to kick step or strap real crampons onto your boots anyways.definitly a good deal i think.... |
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New Westminster
Canada
242 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2004 : 6:51 PM
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Thanks, all. I feel much better now as I bought a pair and now I think of buying another pair for my girlfriend. They will make a great Christmas present.
That's what is called advance planning. |
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Topic |
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Costco sells snowshoes
