Whether you’re heading up a Search and Rescue crew, or trekking over your favorite snow covered trail, Baldas has a line of snowshoes ready to serve as your winter wonderland foot gear. Baldas Snowshoes are designed to let you keep your pace high through any winter endeavor, offering unique designs, solid traction, and flotation to ensure you stride through winter smoothly.
Upon first discovering Baldas Snowshoes, our team was intrigued by their unique approach to the design and construction of their snowshoes – all of which takes place in Italy. Last year we had the opportunity to introduce our audience to Baldas Snowshoes through our First Look Review of the Miage and Trek Grip snowshoes. Now it’s time to share our field teams thoughts and insights on these snowshoes.
Getting to Know Baldas…
Baldas has three main lines of shoes, the Expedition, Trekking and Youth. Within those lines are several models, made to fit snowshoers of varied abilities and terrain preferences. The Expedition is for the more advanced snowshoer, made for extended hikes or backpacking trips on varied or difficult terrain.
Trek Grip…
The Trek Grip is designed to let you hit the trail or trek through the deep backcountry. Outfitted with the Baldas Castor binding system for convenience and control. The Castor has a step-in frame that covers and fastens in the toe in the front end. The great benefit of the castor binding is that it keeps the foot tracking straight while using a ratchet system to secure the boot into a solid base plate, so your foot stays secure mile after mile and you can get started on your adventure without delay.
The Trek Grip offers a variety of features oriented towards steeper and deeper treks so you can stay on top of the snow and on top of your game. An aluminum frame with a T-shaped profile is ready to carry you confidently through all of winter’s changing moods while 2 saw-toothed blades affixed to each side of the frame offer enhanced grip and stability on ice and hardpack.
And because winter weather can be fickle, Baldas outfitted the Trek Grip with a detachable spatula for a variety of ground and snow conditions. With the spatula clipped on, one can easily advance on powdered fresh snow. Without the spatula, its 9 crampons and profiled frame gives it an impressive grip on snow or ice. Did we mention it also has a stellar load capacity for those times you decide to go a little deeper into the winter wild?
The aluminium alloy frame does make this one of the heavier shoes we’ve tested in the field. However, the added weight also equates to enhanced durability so you can take those wooden relics down from the cabin wall and replace them with a truly generational snowshoe. The other critique our team offered centered on the interaction of the castor binding and the aluminum frame. If you’re goal is to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life, be aware that the Castor Binding clanging against the aluminum frame will be part of your trip potentially detracting from the otherwise serene surroundings.
Miage…
Baldas is the first company to combine plastic and ceramic technologies, for speed and endurance at any temperature or elevation. The Miage snowshoe is a perfect example of this technology which produces an incredibly light, yet durable snowshoe with elegant designs not normally seen in the snowshoe category.
Like the Trek Grip, the Miage features the Baldas easy-to-use bindings and a balanced deck that’s narrower for a more natural stride. The Miage lacks the broad flotation and control of some other shoes in deep powder, however, the incredible light weight of the shoe make it a great day trekker if you’re plans include tackling trails. Couple the minimal weight with a rapid-action heel lifter and you’ve go a snowshoe that is not only a great trail tackler, but is a solid climber that doesn’t wear you down with unnecessary weight.
While the castor binding on all Baldas Snowshoes does offer several advantages over more traditional binding systems, there are still two primary issues experienced by our field team while using this system in the field. First, the binding system does not accommodate winter boots over size 13. In fact, if you are a size 13 and prefer a heavier boot, you still might find yourself confronted with a tight fit. Secondly, while the binding system does keep the foot tracking straight, it doesn’t provide the most natural-feeling gait.
Bottom Line…
Whether you’re heading into the winter wild seeking to unleash your inner adventurer, or just looking to explore the trails of white, the Baldas Trek Grip and Miage are quality choices that will keep the winter enthusiasts happy for years to come.
Manufactured by Baldas the Trek Grip and Miage Snowshoes are available from www.baldas.com