Shovels as Winter Gear

[GlennS]

Last year about this time, I attended a presentation given by Joe Lentini, Director of the EMS Climbing School. He went over gear he considered essential for above treeline travel. One of the items was a shovel; both for avalanche rescue and for creating a shelter in bad conditions. He used the Derek Pinkham tragedy to illustrate his point. He said that when they found his body, he was about 15 feet from a snow bank they could have dug into to provide shelter.

I'm not looking to add any more weight to my winter pack but it would seem to make sense to carry a shovel as part of the group gear.

So...my question is...Does anyone carry a shovel for this and/or any other purpose?

Glenn

 

[sardog1]

Always carried a shovel out West and in AK. In the NE, only when I'm likely to be in avalanche terrain or above treeline. A snow cave is one of my favorite places to nap, from the time I was a kid right through years of digging caves for avalanche search practice. (Hmmm, must be some kind of connection there ...)

I'm not into quinzhee construction down in the trees -- takes too much time to be worth it for a one-night stand, IMO, especially if you're weary, getting cold, and in urgent need of emergency shelter. Better to rig a tarp alongside a downed tree and pile any requisite snow with the snowshoes.

EDIT: If you're buying a shovel with any expectation of using it for avalanche rescue, skip the plastic blades, including the Lexan. They break on avalanche debris fields and they're useless for slicing and dicing large, hard blocks-- been there, seen that.

A stout, relatively small, metal-bladed, metal-handled telescoping shovel is what lots of folks carry into the backcountry. A stout, large (read:heavy) metal-bladed shovel is what the rescue teams carry to the scene to move lots of snow in a hurry. It's also what lots of folks wish they had with them at the time of the slide. Shovel choice is a bit like buying a boat -- you can almost always think of a reason to have a bigger one when things get ugly.

 

[blacklab2020]

For all winter trips a shovel is pretty essential in my opinion, for reasons you mentioned above. A shovel is also useful around camp ... building tent platforms, collecting snow to melt, etc.

There are some very light weight ones on the market and a lot of packs now offer external shovel pockets.

I would readily say shovels are critical for any winter overnight. If day trips in avalanche free areas is your interest than you might look into a product called the sno(w)claw (sp??)... there were several recent threads on this product.

Best Regards,
Justin

 

[Tom Rankin]

I would readily say shovels are critical for any winter overnight. If day trips in avalanche free areas is your interest than you might look into a product called the sno(w)claw (sp??)... there were several recent threads on this product.

Yes, it's the snow claw, they make a plastic one that weighs only 5 ounces, and an aluminum one that is about 14 ounces. The plastic one can be used for butt sliding and as a splint as well, with optional straps. I just ordered 2, and we'll see how they work soon!

See also:

http://vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9609

and:

http://vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10345

 

[KayakDan]

When the snowpack gets deep enough,we carrythis Voile shovel
It's handy for winter camping,for digging a "boot pit" or a quick snow wall. Also very helpful for leveling out a tentsite. And under the right conditions-a little yellow sled!

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I always carry a shovel in the winter. I use an army entrenching tool most of the time. I know that they are heavy but it is usally on a sled anyway. I also don't like any of the plastic or lexan shovels. I also have another collapsable metal (aluminum) shovel but what I really like about the entrenching tool is the fact that the blade can be set a 90 degrees. Really helps scooping out snow from snow cave or snow trench or clearing an area for my tent.

Keith

 

[spider solo]

Yes,
I carry a snow shovel depending on where I'm going and my plans for the day.
Last year I think there was only one or two trips I carried it on.
There are times I need to dig really large oversized steps if I need to snowshoe a steep incline where I find myself floundering & getting no where.

There is one other reason I carry the shovel...spruce traps...especially if I'm travelling alone off trail. I used it for that very reason last year and I counted myself very fortunate to have it.

 

[nazdarovye]

So...my question is...Does anyone carry a shovel for this and/or any other purpose?

Always. Even when doing winter ultralight overnights or a day snowshoe, I carry a SnowClaw. It can serve as a seat or anchor (for a tent/tarp) in addition to being just fine for digging.

If we're doing a group snow camp and will be digging out a snow kitchen, or if we're going into avalanche-prone areas, I'll take a real shovel. I have a Komperdell and a Black Diamond (the latter also has a snow saw in its handle, which we've used a few times to saw blocks to build wind breaks).

I camp mainly in the Sierra Nevada now (I live in the Bay Area), but still make it back to the 'dacks sometimes. The SnowClaw goes with me on the Adirondack trips, the real shovel more often on the Sierra Nevada trips.

- Steve

 

[TomD]

snow shovel

I have both a Sno-claw and a Voile mini shovel. The Sno-claw is lighter, but the Voile is a real shovel-only used it a few times, but I like it-worth the weight.

 

[prino]

Snowshoevel?

You would think that someone would have invented something like this by now.
A snoeshoe that converts into a shovel. It would cut down on some extra weight. Come to think of it,MSR's already have that kind of shape to them anyway.

 

[sardog1]

Come to think of it,MSR's already have that kind of shape to them anyway.

Ayuh -- one of the reasons I like mine. (Gear that will multitask gets to go on more trips with me.)

 

[grasshopper]

msr snowshovels

yea I wear mine on my feet.the only time I see a need for another shovel would be out west or in a known avalanche area.I do have one and have taken an avalanche safty class on use of shovel and reading snow.The msr's are good for all other winter camp chores and shelter building.

 

[Rick]

I carry an older verison of this in deep winter when there are 3 or more of us. Otherwise, I have always just hoped a snowshoe would be sufficient if I ever had to dig, which I have never had to for real, though I have dug out snowbanks for the kids to play in.

I use it mostly for digging down into drifts for clean snow to melt for water, and for digging/leveling out a sleeping spot and in really deep snow, digging out a kitchen, which while it is work, can be pretty cool.

 

[mediclimber]

A few years ago Black Diamod made a shovel that had a removable blade that also fit on their ice axe. I carry the blade and ice axe together. The blade also makes a great stable platform for my stove and on more than one ocassion I have built small snow walls around the back and sides of my tent when staying at one location for more than two days.

 

[dougb]

SnowShoevel

I wear old-style Michigan snowshoes. In a pinch, they actually work pretty well as a snow shovel. I've even dug out a stuck car with one. But for only 5 oz, I may change...

 

[DougPaul]

I own, but don't generally carry a shovel. As others have noted, a showshoe can be used for light duty shoveling. An ice axe adze can also be useful for loosening packed snow and moving a moderate amount of snow.

On an overnight ski trip, my partner brought a light-weight shovel. It was very useful for making a tent platform on a slope. (Skis are lousy for this...)

Of course, a shovel is a very good idea in avy terrain.

And finally, I always have a garden-weight steel bladed shovel in my car for digging my car out. (The shovel is strong enough to break up a frozen plow pile.)

Doug