JNP

Like others here have written, I hope never to find out if it actually works, but as a piece of extra insurance, it is certainly easy to haul along with you. It is light, fits easily over my jacket without getting in the way, and I was still able to ski hard and jump around lots with the mouthpiece situated inches from my lips. At the end of each run, there it was still ready for an immediate snatch with the teeth. And it didn't look goofy in the pictures. More importantly, if it saves my life someday, it'll be worth every cent, of course.

After the recent flap about the ineffectiveness of Lexan shovel blades in work-hardened snow (see Black Diamond's spring 2006 news release on the subject), I figured it was time to suck it up and get an aluminum blade. I prepared myself for the extra weight, but not so: this shovel is just as light as my old plastic Life-Link, just as compact and easy to pack. Better yet, it sort of fits on the shaft of my ice axe-- bonus.