FAQ
What Are Snowshoes?
They're pieces of equipment which attach to the bottom of your hiking shoes and allow you to walk across snow covered fields and forests without sinking in, or post-holing. Like skis, snowshoes are attached to your feet with a binding system and have traction elements on the bottom so you can climb up or down snowy and icy terrain. Snowshoeing is considered to be one of the most enjoyable winter activities and it requires absolutely no special skill. That being said, the better your equipment the more you will enjoy the experience of being on snowshoes so look for some basic features and benefits to make your outing the best it can be.
What Makes A Good Snowshoe?
Like any good piece of outdoor equipment the overall design and user features and the components used in the construction of the gear all contribute to your experience. The binding is important because that's how you're attached to the platform and the traction underneath. Simple to use, simple to put on and take off, but secure and comfortable when it's on your foot and in use. It should be intuitive too, and an obvious and clear functionality. For example the Crescent Moon Eva Foam shoe uses hook and loop, "velcro"-like straps to hold your foot on the decking - it doesn't get any simpler than that.
How Do I Know What Size Snowshoe I Need?
Generally, the rule of thumb is the larger the person the larger the snowshoe required, and vice versa. Most snowshoe makers will also provide a guide line for you to follow and recommendations on the basis of your weight, foot size, and what kind of terrain in which you plan to snowshoe. And if you're a woman, look for "what makes it a woman's shoe" vs. a pink colored frame of a man's snowshoe. There are real differences in the way women walk, such as how far apart your feet are and how long the length of your stride - the easiest snowshoes to walk in for both men and women are tear-drop shaped because the geometry of the shoe provides a shorter distance over which one shoe "clears" away from the other as your feet pass by each other with each step.
Still need guidance? Take our short quiz and find out which snowshoe is best for you!
Why Choose Crescent Moon Over Other Brands?
There's many reasons to choose Crescent Moon!
- We've making snowshoes for over 20 years here in Boulder, CO and that's all we do.
- Quality: All of the Crescent Moon Series of shoes feature an aircraft grade aluminum frame and an extremely strong decking material that has great abrasion and tear resistance.
- Pricing: At or below our competition¹s pricing, there is not a better value for you and your family. The award winning Gold 9 is the best all-around snowshoe you can buy and has a suggested retail price of $269, with features and benefits that distinguish it from similarly priced products from others. and the new Eva Foam shoe, the most innovative snowshoe in the last 20 years, is $179.
- Service: We listen to our customers, if you have a problem, suggestion, question or comment. Please call or email us, we’ll be glad to help. We can also tell you where to go, what to do, what to wear, and about events across the country;
- Reputation: We¹ve been making snowshoes since 1997 here in Colorado and have established our reputation for manufacturing uniquely designed, high performance snowshoes available only through specialty retail stores. We stand behind our products with industry-best warranties (Gold Series- lifetime warranty, Silver Series – 2 year warranty) and outstanding service. Winner of the “Consumer’s Most Valuable Product” citation and many other awards for excellence.
- Innovation: We’re recognized as having the best designed snowshoe on the market. We were the first company to use a loop binding for easy adjustment and a teardrop shape frame for a natural stride and optimal floatation. We are the only company to use a genuine toe claw for complete control on all terrain. We were the first to design a snowshoe specifically made for a woman and her shorter, narrower stride. All of the Crescent Moon shoes incorporate the “redundant design” features for added security and durability. And finally, the unique Crescent Moon harness system is recognized as the best, most comfortable and secure binding on the market. We continually strive to improve all of our products for comfort, ease of use, and reliability but without abandoning the fundamental designs that make Crescent Moon snowshoes so unique. And in January of 2018 the new Eva Foam shoe was recognized with the GEAR OF THE YEAR award for it's innovative design and performance.
What Is The Overall Advantage Of Crescent Moon Snowshoes?
A much better binding. A unique frame shape that contributes to ease of use and a natural stride. And, overall, we believe you get products from Crescent Moon that have greater value, will last longer and if you ever have problems or warranty issues, we promise you’ll get better service from a company that continues to improve its products through innovation, design and quality control.
How Can A Shoe So Much Narrower In The Tail Than Other Frame Shapes Provide The Same Floatation?
Stay within the weight recommendations. As long as you’re using a shoe for its intended purpose, you’ll experience excellent floatation. Crescent Moon Snowshoes are balanced and symmetrical, from tail to toe and side to side distributing your weight across the deck. Any of the Crescent Moon models will land flat and stable with each step to provide maximum flotation without “toe-loading”, or driving the front part of the snowshoe downward, which causes the tail of the shoe to pivot up, like some traditionally shaped shoes. If the tail of a shoe is higher than the nose, it’s not balanced and not compressing the snow beneath your foot equally, and therefore not contributing to floatation in an efficient manner.
Through extensive customer testing and on-snow demos, there is no discernible or measurable difference between the depth of sink in powder conditions with Crescent Moons and any snowshoe manufacturer’s comparable products. Because of the tear-drop shape, Crescent Moon shoes are generally lighter and easier to pull out of powder as well, so they tend to be more enjoyable and require less energy to use.
Finally, approximately 85% of the floatation on any snowshoe occurs beneath the area surrounding the ball of the foot, regardless of its configuration. Crescent Moon Snowshoes have as much “working” surface area as most other conventionally shaped shoes beneath the foot, but tend to be lighter, because of the narrow profile. The narrow profile is what allows you to take shorter, more natural strides.
What’s The Difference Between Crescent Moon’s Binding And Other Bindings.
The anatomically shaped footplate makes for a logical, comfortable fit without pressure points. It anchors the harness system so your foot is completely encompassed with equal tension across and around your foot eliminating “sloppy” or loose fit, regardless of the size of your boot.
Other bindings do not have a toe-encasement strap or any other complete foot capture design to prevent you from stepping through the front or sliding from side to side on the snowshoe. Crescent Moon’s anatomically shaped footplate with its steep in-step shaped cut prevents the front of your foot from moving within the binding and consequently you will NEVER experience heel creep. When compared with the other brands, Crescent Moon’s are much more comfortable and convenient because of the superior binding and will outperform them in all conditions.
Why 3 Claws For The Traction System?
Crescent Moons is the only three claw system available. 3 claws provide traction throughout the step–from toe, to ball, to heel. The design of a Crescent Moon binding and traction system creates a “natural” full-motion for greater comfort and efficiency in every application, whether you’re walking, climbing or carrying a pack. Crescent Moon is the only snowshoe manufacturer that has a toe claw. Your toes are the last thing to leave the snow before your next step as you push off from one foot to another.
What’s The Difference Between Crescent Moon And Other Snowshoe Makers?
All we do is make snowshoes. We're a small company and we focus on making a snowshoeing experience for our customers through innovative design and quality components.
And our approach is to simplify versus complicate, and in our opinion, confuse you. Some of the competition sell as many as 24 different models of snow shoes to accomplish what Crescent Moon does with 6 models. Snowshoeing really is simple to learn and to enjoy, so why should the purchase of your equipment be so complicated. Look at the Eva Foam shoe, the GEAR OF THE YEAR and see how simple and elegant it is - it has no hinge, a velcro-like binding and feels more like a tennis shoe or running shoe than a traditional snowshoe.
For the traditional hinged snowshoes there are two ways to make a binding; either a “free rotation” or a “fixed rotation”. Shoes made with the “free rotation”, or free pivot, binding allows the tail of the shoe to stay on the ground with each step. The advantage is that it sheds snow, the disadvantage is that it makes it difficult to walk over obstacles-such as tree fall, or to maneuver in a tight forest area or to back up. In general, free rotation bindings are more cumbersome than the fixed binding solution employed by Crescent Moon. A fixed rotation shoe follows your foot with each step so you can get over and around obstacles. You can back up and turn around without falling. If there is snow on the tail, you can get some snow on the back of your legs but a little snow doesn’t hurt anybody. If you don’t want snow, don’t go snowshoeing!
Another major difference is in the respective manufacturers’ choice of decking material. Crescent Moon uses a strong, flexible, lightweight material called “TGS” instead of hard plastic decking material, which can be slick on descents.
Some manufacturers use formed plastic bindings which can become uncomfortable or fit poorly because of the lack of flex and adjustment, particularly when the conditions are very cold. The use of plastic throughout a snowshoe can also contribute weight to their designs.
Finally, any binding that uses nylon webbing to secure the foot, when wet, will expand and need re-adjustment. That’s why Crescent Moon uses only impermeable materials like TGS in our bindings because it doesn’t absorb water so it doesn’t expand and come out of adjustment.
Have You Ever Had A Problem With The TGS Breaking?
TGS is a very strong material. We’ve experienced only normal wear and tear and have an extremely low “return and repair” rate. According to many of our retailers, Crescent Moon’s hold up better than any other brand they use in rentals.
TGS is impervious, impermeable, nearly tear-proof, and will not freeze in “snowshoeing” conditions. However, if you run over your shoes with your car, or walk across a fresh lava field, or a bed of nails, you can rip it. When rips and tears do occur under normal use, Crescent Moon will replace the parts, otherwise, if your dog chews them up we’ll repair them at nominal rates.