Crescent Moon Gold Series 10 Snowshoe - Outdoor Gear Review

The Cascades have been blessed (or cursed depending on your perspective) by an exceptionally heavy snowfall this winter. During a two week stretch this area received 15 feet of snow. And that was added onto an already huge snowpack.

Needless to say, the exceptional coverage has made for an ideal snowshoeing season. You can pretty much go anywhere with the right equipment. My weapon was the Crescent Moon Gold Series 10 Snowshoe.

First off, I should say that my test day came after a two week dry spell. So the conditions consisted of a layer of solid crust on top of a fairly light and dry snow pack. Picture peanut brittle on top of down feathers. Not exactly the best conditions for testing, but it was a beautiful day none-the-less.

My test track was one of the more popular snowshoe routes in the Lake Cle Elum Washington area, Hex Mountain. The snow here tends to be a lot drier than what you find at nearby Snoqualmie Pass. So float can be an issue if you have deep dry snow.

Today’s conditions were such that I stayed on top of the crust for much of the climb. The biggest issue was traction. And the Gold Series 10 didn’t let me down. The traversing claws had excellent grip, which becomes extremely important when you are half way up an exposed hillside, as I found myself on one particular section.

The downhill was a different experience. My 170 pounds would frequently break through the crust and so traction was no longer the issue, but float was. The Gold Series 10s handled the light snow under the crust fairly well, but there were times where more float would have been helpful. Had this been two weeks earlier, I am certain the conditions would have called for a bigger shoe, such as the Gold Series 17.

As for the stirrup and toe harness, they were extremely comfortable and easy to put on and take off.