Purchased in 2010, the Atlas Elektra 11's were one of the lightest women's specific snowshoes on the market. What attracted me to the Elektra 11's were the aggressive crampon, heel lifter bar, and bomber harness system.
I spend most of my winter hiking in the Adirondack Mountains in New York State. Winter ascents of the high peaks often mean spending 8-12 hours on your snowshoes, climbing up 2000-5000 feet per day. Conditions in the Adirondacks can be challenging as rocks and roots clog most of the trails that can have varying amounts of snow coverage, exposing the snowshoes to all sorts of abuse.
I spend most of my winter hiking in the Adirondack Mountains in New York State. Winter ascents of the high peaks often mean spending 8-12 hours on your snowshoes, climbing up 2000-5000 feet per day. Conditions in the Adirondacks can be challenging as rocks and roots clog most of the trails that can have varying amounts of snow coverage, exposing the snowshoes to all sorts of abuse.
Descending a steep icy trail in the Adirondacks
After 5 years of hard use, I can say that my Atlas Elektra 11's are still going strong. I can't seem to kill them, even though I've tried. The harness system still works as well as it did when I bought them, and the frame, although beat up, is still fully functional. The heel lifter bar is amazing at saving my calf muscles when doing long ascents.
My only issues with these snowshoes are packability. There are periods of time when I need to strap the snowshoes onto my pack and it's difficult to do with the bulky harness system. The MSR Lightening Ascent model comes to mind when wanting to stack the snowshoes and strap them to a pack.
Pros: Lightweight, very durable, user friendly
Cons: Not stackable and packable, could be even lighter.
I would completely recommend these snowshoes to any female wanting an aggressive,durable, mountain oriented snowshoe. They have passed the test of time and in my mind are worth their price ($250). It's also a good sign that the manufacturer is still selling the same product 5 years later. As a gear queen myself, I would love to upgrade to the MSR shoes, but can't justify it when the Elektra's are still usable. Kudos to Atlas for such a great product!
My only issues with these snowshoes are packability. There are periods of time when I need to strap the snowshoes onto my pack and it's difficult to do with the bulky harness system. The MSR Lightening Ascent model comes to mind when wanting to stack the snowshoes and strap them to a pack.
Pros: Lightweight, very durable, user friendly
Cons: Not stackable and packable, could be even lighter.
I would completely recommend these snowshoes to any female wanting an aggressive,durable, mountain oriented snowshoe. They have passed the test of time and in my mind are worth their price ($250). It's also a good sign that the manufacturer is still selling the same product 5 years later. As a gear queen myself, I would love to upgrade to the MSR shoes, but can't justify it when the Elektra's are still usable. Kudos to Atlas for such a great product!
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