Crescent Moon Gold 12 Review

The snow is about to fly and the Snow Cheap Trail Series race # 1 is 24 hours away so it must be just about time for snowshoe season. Over the last 14 or so years I've owned and tested a few different brands of snowshoes for running. The Crescent Moon Gold 12 is the one we choose to carry for a few reasons.

The first reason is that I like the owner, Jake Thamm. He is real passionate about snowshoeing and getting outside to play.

I also like that Jake still makes all his snowshoes in the US. With many brands moving production overseas he has made the commitment to keep building in Colorado.

Crescent Moon has tried to be very Green for a very long time. Believe it or not that is not always the case with outdoor companies. To read about some of the things they do to be green check out http://www.crescentmoonsnowshoes.com/green.html

So I like the company, what about the product. The Gold 12's are great for running on packed to semi packed trails. Just what most snowshoe racing is made up of. Sure they can go in the deep stuff but at just 8" x 22" they are not designed to offer a ton of floatation.

What really sets the Gold 12's apart is the binding. The binding is what will hold the snowshoes onto your foot. I've had a bunch of different styles and nothing is as comfortable as the SPL binding found on the Gold 12's. The SPL binding is an anatomically shaped, molded polymer stirrup which is adjusted with interlocking straps laced through cam locking buckles which when pulled capture your entire foot in all directions.

What that means is they don't hurt your feet. They hold your foot very secure, and you can work them with gloves on. Those are all very good things.

What else works great on the Gold 12's. Well they weigh only 2.6 lbs, the binding fits most adult feet up to a size 14 and the 3 claw system provides traction underneath.

Over the years I've spent a bunch of time out on the trails in my Gold 12's and they have never let me down. My stride feels pretty natural, the narrow design helps me to not kick myself, and the light weight doesn't bog me down. Simply stated they rock. Oh yeah and if anything does go wrong Crescent Moon has a lifetime Guarantee on all their Gold Series Snowshoes.

Now get outside and play

Live FIT.