You hope you will never need it, but an avalanche shovel is one of those products you need if the worst happens. Avalanches are a dangerous natural and sometimes manufactured occurrence when the rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or a mountain.
What should I look for in an avalanche shovel?
If the worst should happen, a critical factor in a rescue attempt is time—the survival rates after about 15 minutes for victims buried in the snow.
When shopping for the best avalanche shovel for you, here are a couple of facets to consider.
You'll want to find an avalanche shovel that is both strong yet lightweight and packable. Plastic shovels aren't suited to avalanche rescue.
Some avalanche shovels can be bent at a 90-degree angle to resemble a garden hoe. The user will scrape snow back or chop it down into the snow more easily.
There are also several different shovel blades for avalanche shovels.
- Fully flat blades create smooth snow-pit walls.
- Scooped blades are less likely to spill snow off the sides during shoveling.
- Serrated blade edges can be used to bust up ice
- Shovels blades with holes with a length of accessory cord to build snow anchors; the holes also make a shovel slightly lighter to carry.
Shop Avalanche Shovels at CampSaver!
Ensure that every person in the group has an avalanche shovel because you don't know who may need to be dugout. Also, check out the over CampSaver avalanche safety products that we carry from Avalanche Probes, Avalanche Beacons, Airbags, Avalungs, and more! While we hope that no one is ever caught in a bad situation, it is best to be prepared should the worst ever happen.
Other categories you might be interested in Axes, Axes & Hatchets, Backcountry Climbing Skins, Backcountry Skiing.