Easton Mountain Products showcased their 2013/14 snowshoes and trekking poles at a media event this past weekend, and I was lucky enough to be there. The day started with a meet-up in the parking area near Grizzly Gulch at Alta, where the EMS reps greeted us with fresh bagels slathered in cream cheese; a pretty good way to fuel up before a steep snowshoe trek. As we hungrily consumed the bagels, the guys went over some of the brand’s history with snowshoeing. Easton has been making their own shoes for five years, and their formula is hard to argue: simple is better. Also better: showing rather than just telling. We geared up and hit the trail to see what these snowshoes are all about.
Joe Johnson and Andy Church (two of the EMS reps at the event) got us fitted with shoes and trekking poles. I ended up demoing the bad boys of the Easton men’s lineup: The Backcountry Snowshoe. My absolute favorite feature on these shoes is the ease of adjustment: set your heel size one time, then simply slide your foot in and pull the main strap tight. Done! These trail-stompers are built on 7075 aerospace aluminum frames, and feature lightweight forged aluminum crampons for serious uphill traction. I really like the design of the crampons: the toe points are curved, and two pairs of points operate independently of each other. This means a much better grip on uneven terrain. It wasn’t long until I appreciated this feature, as the morning hardpack was not ideal for our ascent. The Easton Backcountry Snowshoes dug in to the bulletproof surface and saved me from overheating while we made our way up Grizzly Gulch. When the terrain got seriously steep, I paused for a moment and used my trekking poles to flip the Climb-Assist heel lifts up. Just like that I was cruising uphill again, beating up all the snow in my path. The sun was shining and despite it being Saturday, the area was nearly empty. Our crew chatted and snaked our way towards Michigan City Flats.
About halfway up, most of the crew turned back due to time constraints. Andy was ready to press on, and I was feeling good as well. He blazed a trail uphill, doling out some info about the area and pointing out some of the major features. It was fun for me (a total newbie to this area) to not only demo the EMS snowshoes, but also gain a little bit more knowledge about the Gulch. Soon we turned around, and I found that the Backcountry Snowshoes performed just as well on the way down as the way up. The crampons gripped and stopped my weight from pitching too far forward, and thanks to the Easton trekking poles, my knees weren’t screaming bloody murder. I came away from our tour impressed with both the quality of the Backcountry snowshoes, and the folks that represent them.
Both Andy and Joe were friendly, full of product info, and generally stoked on the outdoors. The whole concept of a local company (yes, Easton products are made and distributed from Utah) setting up an outdoor event to showcase their newest gear is awesome in my book. It doesn’t hurt to have some kick-ass products to show off, either!