It began life as the Denali, which was more or less the basic solid plastic design that is now called the Evo. Add a heel riser for climbing straight up hill, a more aggressive crampon, a few other odds and ends, and you end up with the Evo Ascent. I've used them for a couple of spring bear seasons now, and generally find them sufficient. Spring bear creates some of the only conditions that favor snowshoes over skis for efficiency: randomly spaced dry ground and thigh deep post-holing, mile after mile. Leave the shoes on, let them suck up the beating, and save yourself a ton of time and frustration either taking them on and off or slogging on foot.
It's worth noting that even in the spring there are conditions where snowshoes are less efficient than going without. No need to pull your boot and 9x25 shoes both through slushee machine snow.
You can find various previous versions of the Denali/Evo/Whatever for cheap on ebay or craigslist. For a beater spring shoe they are a decent line to choose from.
The Good:
-The deck and crampon can handle abuse
-Risers are nice for the uphill...as long and you're going straight uphill, which almost never happens
-Bindings are easy to use (see below however)
-You can add tails if you eat too much. Seriously though, if 9x25 won't float me in some conditions, a 9x30 won't either. Since that photo was taken I've re-considered the value of more tail.
The Bad:
-Poor side hill articulation. The Atlas 12's have it over everything else I've tried in this department.
-Heavy
-Broke a binding strap on one trip...they don't inspire confidence. As long and you don't break the heel strap it won't be a catastrophic failure though.
Botton Line: They function well enough and the price is usually right. 8/10
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