Big & Heavy, But Great Shovel & Great Value

By Jonathan S. Shefftz Ranked #111 - Shovels June 19, 2006

This is a big shovel, and the shaft does not get any smaller when stowing it away, but it moves lots of snow quickly. The inclusion of a snow saw is a great value, and stows away easily in the shaft. The snow saw can be used with the shovel grip (making the shovel usable, but less than ideal), or with the upper shaft of many adjustable ski poles (but don't leverage it too much in this configuration or you could break the ski pole). I also found an old downhill ski pole that was the right diameter, hacked it off partway, and created a dedicated handle for the snow saw.
Overall, not my first choice for a typical backcountry tour, but worked great for all the pit work in my Level 2 and Level 3 avy courses.

View Details: Voile Pack Shovel w/ Snow Saw

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