Lightweight thermoplastic snowshoes.
This review is part of our New Brands Gear Guide.
By Chris Townsend
Norwegian company Fimbulvetr set out to “provide superior mobility during winter” by making “snowshoes unlike any other” that are “stronger, lighter, more durable and ergonomic… a natural extension of the foot”. To achieve, this Fimbulvetr abandoned the metal and neoprene usually used in top quality snowshoes and instead turned to a thermoplastic elastomer commonly used in car engines and shock absorbers called Dupont Hytrel RS. The company says: “we couldn’t find a stronger, more durable material on the planet”.
Each snowshoe is moulded into an asymmetric lightweight one-piece body with a honeycomb pattern to give maximum torsional strength and flotation. There are three models in different sizes, all with built-in crampons and flexible bindings that will fit any footwear. All the snowshoes are made in Norway.
The name Fimbulvetr comes from Norse mythology and means ‘great winter’. In English it’s often written Fimbulwinter. It’s the prolonged harsh winter that lasts three years with no summers preceding Ragnarok and the end of the world. I guess it’s the origin of ‘winter is coming’ in Game of Thrones.
fimbulvetr.no
Tested: Fimbulvetr Hikr
€270 / 2146g (pair)
Last winter, I tried the smallest Fimbulvetr snowshoes, the Hikr. I found them excellent in soft deep snow with really good flotation and stability and okay on hard snow. The bindings system fitted different footwear well but I didn’t find the lacing system easy to use until I started just tying a shoelace bow in it.
Full review here
