There is a lot to love about this shovel. Ive had one (my first and still the original one Ive owned) for five years and have used it all over the world on numerous expeditions, as well as when I was working as an avalanche forecaster. To me, it is the Golden Standard of all backcountry shovels.

Pros
- The D handle works with mittens and you can pass straps through it to securely lash it to a pack or sled (cant do that with a T grip)
- I love the flat back on the blade as it cuts nice, clean pit walls without scalloping
- The extension tubes are a very precious fit which means that it doesn’t feel all rattly and loose when you are using it.
- The blade ferrule is machine bored, which means that it has an excellent, tight fit with the handle. This is important as over time it doesnt get loose and wobbly like other shovels.
- The sidewall are deep enough to hold a good load of snow, yet not so deep that it makes it hard to fit the blade in a day backpack.
- The material is very durable and will withstand being driven through hard snow with a solid kick from a boot.
- The top of the blade is nice and square which helps when you are stomping on it with a boot as your boot doesnt deflect.

Cons? Hard to find any, but the tight fit between parts can sometimes make it a bit hard to extend the shaft or engage it into the blade, but this is a small issue. Oh, and the name (AviTech) is kind of lame for such a great product.

Perhaps one of the best things about this shovel is that it is so reliable. If I have to dig a friend out of an avalanche, I want a 100% shovel and the G3 AviTech is it.

Easy with mittens. Sturdy when assembled. Consistent and confident when used. This shovel is it when you need something you can really use. Others might be lighter and have a more clever design, but the avitech is what you want in your hand when you really need it. Epic shovel, get it.

Three years of digging in the coast and cascade mountains and this shovel is still going strong!
Built to last!

Love it! Does the job perfectly, and digging works fine with mitts to thanks to the D-handle. I don't think you can require much else from a shovel. Although it might be a bit on the heavier side for long touring.

All of the features you want in a shovel plus a few extras. The D-grip handle attachment is great for attaching to the outside of a smaller pack when going light.

Seriously sturdy and large enough for shoveling thru avy debris and ice layers.
I misplaced my old shovel, and after a look on other shovels I came to the decision that the only right thing to do was to buy i once again.
It fits perfectly in to my osprey switch 16 which seems to have been tailored around this shovel.
As others have mentioned, the fit between the shaft and the blade can be a little tight, but this really just makes the shovel less rattly when digging.

Seems to be a well built shovel. ive only used it to dig a few snow pits and to test the snow pack. thankfully not for a rescue. It is well built and sturdy however a bit heavier than i expected. i decided to use it primarily for my snowmobile backcountry travels. i have a black diamond shovel i will continue to use for ski touring!

A shovel built for cement. I have used mine for many more uses than just snow and it worked well for all applications.

But it is built ideally for snow. A great size for snow tests, good size for moving snow when digging pits, snowcaves or huge backcountry hucks(not that I do that!) Welded and bomber.

It fits well in any pack and goes together quickly. Burly.

I've had this for over 2 years now. I can't remember why I purchased this over other shovels but I've used this to dig my car out a few times with no problems. It condenses well which makes it easy to carry on hikes. Solid shovel. I would recommend it.

I've had lots of trouble getting the shaft into an out of the blade smoothly. It can really waste time that buried buddy may not have.