Avalanche Shovels

Avalanche shovel: how to choose it well?

In terms of avalanche shovels, three parameters are crucial for choosing the one you need for your winter outdoor activities: the handle, the blade, and the grip. Detailed explanations on these components.

Avalanche shovel: a sufficiently strong blade

On an avalanche shovel, the blade is the part that will dig and receive the snow to transport it elsewhere. Thus, a blade ill-suited for an avalanche can make the situation critical, as the less snow you can remove, the slower you can dig out the victim, and thus the lower their chances of survival will be. From one ski shovel to another, the snow removal capabilities can vary from simple to double or even triple, directly impacting the speed of digging out the victim. To choose an effective blade, several parameters must be respected. Therefore, you should choose an avalanche shovel with a high-quality, relatively thick aluminium blade (at least 2 mm) to ensure it is robust enough to carry a significant amount of snow over a more or less extended period. An avalanche shovel with a plastic blade is also feasible, or even preferable compared to low-quality aluminium. However, an avalanche shovel with a plastic blade will be more sensitive to UV rays, so it is essential not to store it in a sunny place or use it excessively during the summer. Additionally, your avalanche shovel should have a blade with well-raised edges on the sides. This makes your avalanche shovel more rigid but also more effective, as you will be able to transport a larger amount of snow. Furthermore, to cope with the many minutes of shovelling, it is advisable that your avalanche shovel be reinforced at the junction between the handle and the blade. In this regard, a tube-shaped connection welded to the blade is ideal and should be preferred over a half-moon stamped shape. Regarding the size of the blade of your avalanche shovel, it should be relatively large to transport a significant amount of snow, while remaining small enough to be portable without exhausting your arms. Indeed, an avalanche shovel with a too large blade will carry more snow, and consequently more weight, which can tire you out much faster depending on your arm strength. Also, the blade of your avalanche shovel should have a top edge as horizontal as possible. This allows you to push the avalanche shovel into the snow with your foot much more easily: with an avalanche shovel that has an inclined edge at the level of the blade, your shoe may slip, which will reduce your efficiency and energy. Finally, we recommend choosing an avalanche shovel whose blade offers a sharp and/or curved attack edge, which will best penetrate and retain the snow.

If the blade is an extremely important part of your avalanche shovel, the handle of your avalanche shovel also plays a crucial role and requires an informed choice.

Just as the blade of your avalanche shovel can vary by model, the handle of your avalanche shovel can also differ. Thus, for your avalanche shovel, we recommend a telescopic handle, which will not only save space in your backpack but also adapt perfectly to your height. Indeed, to save energy and be effective over a long period, it is crucial that your avalanche shovel provides you with optimal leverage. Now, the length of the handle of your avalanche shovel is decisive for this leverage effect. Moreover, a telescopic handle allows you to adjust according to the distance to the victim. Thus, at the beginning of your shovelling phase, you can significantly extend the handle of your avalanche shovel to clear large amounts of snow, and reduce the size of the handle as you get closer to the victim. Furthermore, a handle with an oval shape is ideal, as it will make the handle of your avalanche shovel more rigid and also easier to deploy and lock. A round handle is not recommended for this kind of situation as it can sometimes turn, making it more difficult to find the “lock” position of your avalanche shovel. Also, the strength of your handle and, as mentioned earlier, its fit with the blade are important criteria for choosing your avalanche shovel. If poorly chosen, a handle can quickly break or bend and thus prove to be of little use in an emergency situation. Finally, some avalanche shovels offer a handle with an anti-slip surface treatment or an integrated grip. In case of humidity, sweaty hands, or even wet gloves, an adhesive handle can therefore be particularly useful.

Another important component of an avalanche shovel, the grip is also a significant parameter for choosing your avalanche shovel.

Avalanche shovel: a comfortable grip

If the blade and the handle play a crucial role, the grip is also an integral part of your avalanche shovel, and is decisive for your shovelling efficiency to free the victim from the snow. Thus, the grip of your avalanche shovel must be adapted to your hands: a grip that is too large prevents you from fully grasping the grip and thus being effective, while a grip that is too small makes your hold less comfortable. Additionally, there are three shapes of grip, namely the T grip, Y grip, or D grip. An avalanche shovel with a T grip generally takes up less space in your backpack and is therefore particularly practical. However, this format is less comfortable. An avalanche shovel with a Y grip can be relatively effective, but not necessarily comfortable. A D grip is the most effective, but also the most cumbersome. Some people are more or less comfortable with one type of grip over another, so be sure to carefully consider the type of grip when choosing your avalanche shovel, as well as the dimensions of your backpack so you can transport it without too much difficulty.

You now know how to choose your avalanche shovel to complete your avalanche safety pack. However, one crucial piece of information is still missing: how to use your avalanche shovel? While owning an avalanche shovel is highly recommended, knowing how to use it is equally essential!

Avalanche shovel: what shovelling technique to adopt?

As we mentioned, the first 15 minutes are crucial when a person is buried under the snow due to an avalanche. This is why your shovelling technique must be effective and well-prepared, to react as best as possible if such an event occurs. Thus, when the victim is located using the avalanche transceiver and the probe, it is recommended to leave the probe in place and move about 50 to 80 cm down the slope to avoid crushing a potential air pocket. When several of you have an avalanche shovel, the most effective shovelling technique is the V shovelling chain. This technique involves evacuating the snow to the back, with one person at the front removing the snow above the victim, and the other people positioned in a V shape (in pairs) evacuating the snow to the back to prevent it from falling back into the hole. Note that the deeper the victim is buried, the wider the hole dug with your avalanche shovel must be, namely 1.5 times the depth of the victim. Thus, the person at the front will try to dig as vertically as possible and do so with significant speed, while the people at the back evacuate the accumulated snow. To gain efficiency, remember to take turns, so that the person at the front does not tire and the pace is maintained. Be careful, as you get closer to the victim, use your avalanche shovel more gently to avoid hitting them! Once the person is freed from the snow, be sure to place them in the recovery position while moving them gently, and isolate them from the cold. While this technique may seem straightforward, remember that under stress, it is easy to panic and lose your composure. To avoid such inconveniences, consider practising at least once with your avalanche shovel: in addition to allowing you to be quicker on the day, it will help you realise the effort required.

The avalanche shovel holds no secrets for you! The blade, the handle, or even the grip: you now master these elements and can thus choose your avalanche shovel to complete your avalanche safety pack. As important as the avalanche probe and the avalanche transceiver, the avalanche shovel should thus be part of your gear during your off-piste sessions! Do you have any doubts or questions regarding the choice of your avalanche shovel? Do not hesitate to contact our team of experts at 01 48 58 30 20 (free call) or by email at hello@hardloop.fr. We will be delighted to provide you with information and assist you in choosing your avalanche shovel for your winter outdoor activities!