I initially bought these to use in snow. When they arrived, I realized just how small they are. They are adequate length, but they're nowhere near the width necessary for snow. In powder they'd be beyond useless. Since I already had them, I tested them in the normal rocky/sandy Colorado soil, which is absolutely brutal on tent stakes. I normally use the MSR groundhog stakes, but the Ascent stakes work much better. They go into the ground easier, hold just as well, and come out easier. They're even a bit lighter and overall smaller. The Ascent stakes have become my standard tent stakes for all conditions except snow, and I've even ordered 4 more to cover guy lines.