Plan it Like a Pro: Strengthening Your Mind for the Winter Backcountry
An educated mind is the most important tool in your backcountry kit.
How to Snowshoe Safely: 8 Tips from an Expert in the Field
Go into this season with confidence with these tips from the Northwest Avalanche Center.
Winter Escapes: Eric Larsen’s Top 5 Places for Snowshoe Adventures
Venture out this winter and explore these zones in a whole new way.
Choosing the Right Snowshoes for Every Adventure
Here’s what to consider when selecting the perfect pair for you.
Field Testing MSR Snowshoes in Switzerland
Designing gear can’t happen in a cubicle. Sure, there’s a lot of computer work that goes into creating CAD drawings and engineering specs, but the real solutions—the big ideas—come from the field. Chris Barchet, category director for MSR Water & Winter products, is a perpetual field tester. He recently headed to the Andermatt region of Switzerland on a snowshoe R&D trip to reacquaint himself with the terrain and chat with mountain guides and users to find out what works best for them. Here’s a quick look at one of the many professional recon missions Chris takes in the world’s most incredible places.
Behind the Shot: Light, Shadows and Snowshoeing
My assignment was to shoot the new MSR Revo Explore snowshoes in their element: long distance treks without a defined trail, without getting into the realm of technical terrain. I pulled together a group of outdoor athletes with some serious snowshoe experience, and booked a yurt in the Oregon backcountry to make the most of a late spring snowpack.
Backcountry Pole FAQs: Your Questions Answered
As many winter hikers, snowshoers, skiers and splitboarders will attest, backcountry poles help you maintain stability and safety as you cross snowfields, navigate icy switchbacks, and traverse frozen hillsides. Plus, they help you reduce joint impact and minimize fatigue, so you can save strength and better endure the elements. Adjustable winter poles are especially useful for navigating steep inclines and descents, letting you shorten or lengthen poles to match the terrain for improved efficiency. Adjustable poles also pack up and stow away easily while in technical terrain, or when splitboarders are ready to ride down. Here are five frequently asked questions (FAQs) of our customer service department along with information to help you select and use MSR® backcountry poles that are right for you, for your environment, and for the…
MSR Winter Backcountry Poles: Behind the Gear
MSR Senior Design Engineer Blake Andersen answers a few questions about the design and performance of MSR Backcountry Poles. Who were MSR Backcountry Poles engineered for? MSR Backcountry Poles are designed for winter backcountry travelers who want a high performance adjustable pole that won’t slip, and makes no compromises in weight, stability or ease of adjustment. That could be mountaineers, skiers, snowshoers, or splitboarders who rely on their poles for efficiency and safety through many types of terrain. The inspiration came from our president who walks an impressive distance every day with poles. He recognized the need for lightweight, positive-locking poles that were easy to adjust. After finding the current offerings lacking, he asked me to come up with a better solution. What were your design goals with the Backcountry…
Remembering Bill Forrest
This week, the climbing community and MSR lost a dear friend. Bill Forrest, the Colorado climbing legend and prolific inventor, died of natural causes snowshoeing on Monarch Pass, near his home in Salida, Colorado. Our thoughts and hearts are with Rosa, his beloved wife, who was snowshoeing with him at his side when he passed.