I hesitated jumping straight into this post because I do want to take some time to write some educational posts for those of you shopping for snowshoes who don’t have any/much experience and who might have a lot of questions. I promise I’ll get to the informational stuff in a post to follow soon. For now, I’ll try to keep things simple and we’ll start with trailwalking snowshoes for reasons I’ll explain shortly..

Atlas Trail Walking Snowshoes for Women

Trailwalking is the most common type of snowshoeing, involving generally forgiving terrain, established trails and somewhat compact and forgiving snow conditions. It’s where most of us cut our teeth and get our introduction to the sport. As such, it’s no surprise that Atlas offers the majority of its options in this category and it’s why we’ll start with this category of snowshoeing.

It’s in trailwalking womens snowshoes that you’ll first get your introduction to the Atlas Elekra snowshoe offered in 8, 9 and 10 series and a “kit” in the 9 model. We’ll get to the kit in a minute but what you’re probably wondering is what the difference is between the 8, 9 and 10 models.

Atlas Elektra 8 Series Women’s Snowshoes for Trail Walking

The first thing you’ll probably notice about this snowshoe is the price. The 8 series in women’s Atlas snowshoes is Atlas’ least expensive model (in women’s snowshoes) and one you might want to consider as an introductory shoe if you’ve never been in snowshoes before. I’m not recommending it specifically for that purpose, though, as I think the 9 and 10 series, despite being more expensive, offer some features that make them a better 1^st shoe. Better, albeit more expensive, technology can lead to a more enjoyable experience that will make you a snowshoe fan for life. If price really is a serious concern, though, the 8 series is where you should start.

Obviously you don’t get all the bells and whistles with a lower-end model, but the 8 Series snowshoes still offer Atlas performance mainstays such as their no-hassle Strapp™ binding system, reasonable arch support and what Atlas refers to as their Uniloop pull which ties several straps into a single pull mechanism for easy tightening and adjusting.

In addition to their great binding system, the 8 series snowshoe offers tempered steel heel cleats for great crampon penetration and a durable Nytex deck attached to an aluminum V-frame.

Atlas Elektra 9 Series Women’s Snowshoes for Trail Walking

Next up in the women’s trailwalking snowshoe is the Women’s Atlas Snowshoes 9 Series. Though the 8 series is a good introductory shoe, the 9 series trail walking snowshoe for women is a significant step up in both comfort and performance.

First, the 9 series a better binding system, upgrading from the Strapp™ to the Atlas proprietary Wrapp™. I’m a big fan of the Wrapp bindings for both comfort, security and stay. It’s not uncommon to find bindings that come lose too easily and that can be a really frustrating experience. No such problems with the Atlas Wrapp™ bindings, I’m happy to report. Both in my men’s shoe and my wife’s Atlas snow shoes, the Wrapp™ system works as advertised.

What I think is equally notable in this women’s snowshoe is the suspension (stick with me, ladies, I’m still talking snowshoes, not cars). The Elektra 9 Series uses a patented Spring-Loaded™ Suspension which, according to the literature, offers “natural articulation of the foot over uneven and sidehill terrain.” What this means to the layman is a great step forward (pardon the pun) in snowshoe comfort. Basically, your ankles don’t feel unnaturally contorted in these shoes when traversing less hospitable terrain.

As with the 8 series, the 9 series snowshoe comes with an aluminum V-frame and flexible, durable Nytex decking but it improves on the 8 series with what I feel is a superior cleat system. As mentioned in my points on the 8 series, I think you should consider the 9 and even possibly the 10 if you’re looking for an introductory womens snowshoe. I’m not criticizing the 8, mind you, but I think a step up from the bare minimum often offers the better introductory experience.

The Atlas Elektra 9 Series Trail Walking Kit

If you decide on a mid-level women’s snowshoe, the Elektra 9 Series kit is a great place to start. The kit includes either the 923 or 927 snowshoes, the 6000 series poles for better stability snow treking and a convenient zippered tote. There’s not much to say beyond that since I already covered the snowshoe itself, but I do think this is a great bargain.

Atlas Elektra 10 Series Women’s Snowshoes for Trail Walking

After covering the 8 and 9, you’d think there wouldn’t be much the 10 series Elektra could improve on, but Atlas came through with this snowshoe. First, while the 9 has a great binding system, the 10 improved on it enhancing their Wrapp™ and upgrading it to the Wrapp™ Comfort. What does that mean? It means the deceptively simple addition of insulating EVA padding which makes this one of the most comfortable womens snowshoes you can buy.

The EVA padding in the Wrapp™ Comfort bindings offers superior comfort, the elimination of annoying pressure points and does so without sacrificing any of the fit or security of the original Wrapp™ binding system. It’s features like that which have led me to repeatedly advise you to consider a slightly more expensive, higher-end snowshoe if you’re just getting started. If you just want to try the sport out without spending a lot of money, I’d actually recommend renting a pair of snowshoes to see if you might like the sport and then make the Elektra 10 series womens snowshoe your first shoe. If you enjoyed the sport, this shoe will help ensure that you continue to enjoy snowshoeing without suffering the sometimes nagging discomforts that can ruin any sport.

In addition to the binding, the 10 series also offers some improvements on rails & crampons for superior side hill control. Side rails run lengthwise on both sides of the snowshoe and a V-shape crampon sits in roughly the heel area for great downhill stick. I’m including a video below that emphasizes both the ease and usability of the binding system and also shoes the rails/crampons.

Final Points on Atlas Snowshoes for Women

As you begin your search for Atlas snowshoes for women, you might find offerings confusing. For example, you might come across the Atlas 1023 Elektra snowshoes for women (one of the most popular brands out there). Is that a 10 series snowshoe? Yes it is. The 23 in the 1023 Elektra simply refers to the shoe’s 23 inch size. How do you know what size snowshoe you need? I know it can be a touchy subject, but you pick your snowshoe based primarily on your weight. A shorter shoe on a heavier user might fail to float on the snow. A longer shoe on a lighter person might be excessively cumbersome so pick the right shoe for you! To help guide you, see the chart below.

Atlas Elektra Womens Snowshoes for Trail Walking Sizing Chart:

• Atlas Elektra 823: 80-160 lbs
• Atlas Elektra 827: 120-200+ lbs
• Atlas Elektra 923: 80-160 lbs
• Atlas Elektra 927: 120-200+ lbs
• Atlas Elektra 1023: 80-160 lbs
• Atlas Elektra 1027: .120-200+ lbs