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With the Atlas Run snowshoes, I’ve been able to extend trail running deeper into Winter’s grasp. It’s been fun adding snowshoe running to my myriad of Winter-time exercise options. While I prefer running on hardpacked trails with trail running shoes, the Atlas Run snowshoes allow you to run efficiently on softer trails. Admittedly, I’m no snowshoeing expert, so this is really a review from a newbie just getting the hang of snowshoe running.
The Run snowshoes are very light-feeling with an effective binding system. Without any fuss, I was able to slip my Montrail Mountain Masochist GTX trail runners into the bindings. The Z-shaped forefoot strap was easy to cinch with a single pull of the strap. Excess strap tucked neatly into the provided O-ring loop on the bottom strap. Pulling the rubber heel attachment snugly in place is also super-easy.
The result of the running-specific binding is a secure and natural-feeling stride for running. My feet always felt secure and comfortable throughout my runs.
I felt the Atlas Run snowshoes provided just the right size for running with a slightly shorter stride than usual. When I stretched out my stride to a more typical running stride, the back of the snowshoe would whack my ankles–quickly reminding me to shorten up. Once I found the ideal stride, I felt supported and comfortable on hardpacked and semi-packed trails.
When venturing into the untracked trails (10-12″ new snow), these shoes met their match as the surface area just isn’t enough to keep you on top. At a walking stride, trudging through untracked snow wasn’t so bad, but if that’s your intention for these shoes, I’d look elsewhere as these are made for running on mostly-packed trails.
Once you find the right type of snowpack, you can really get a killer running workout with these snowshoes. I ran on mostly-packed trails with a few inches of new snow and they performed just dandy. Should you be breaking trail, you won’t be doing much running in these.
The Good
- Extremely-light and efficient
- Binding system is optimized for running
- Bindings are comfortable and easy-to-cinch
- One of the few running-specific snowshoes on the market
The Bad
- Running-specific design makes them a less ideal for hiking
- Need to find the right trail conditions to actually run in these
- A lot of snow will fly around behind as you run, so zip all pockets, etc.
Bottom Line: Atlas Run Snowshoes
Running-specific snowshoes are a rare breed, but the Atlas Run snowshoes are fun and efficient if you can find the right type of trail conditions in your area.
Buy Now: Search for Atlas Snowshoes
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What about on hardpack — do they slide around alot? Not enough toothy tread, or were they okay?
I never used them on boilerplate hardpack, so I don’t know. However, they should be just fine, but I find in those conditions, you might as well just run in your trail running shoes sans snowshoes–maybe even use the YakTrax system or something.