Winter Gear Preview 2012

The newly redesigned MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes ($260.95) from SoDo’s Cascade Designs blaze new trails with Torsion 2 crampons that excel at maintaining traction even on hardpack or icy terrain. The lightest snowshoes in their class, they can be extended with “modular flotation tails” ($49.95) that clip on for deep-powder adventures.