Voile XLM Shovel

Have not taken mine out yet. The shovel is real real light. Kinda small. I don't like the fact that the handle and the blade can't collaps "together"...you have to keep them apart...nothing beats the small size and the light weight...

It doesn't really weigh just one pound (a bit over 17 ounces actually), but it's still absurdly light. The shovel blade is reasonably sized, although the shaft is quite short. I use other shovels when I expect to be doing any pit work, but for spring tours where pit work is not needed, this shovel is perfect, and you'll never have an excuse for leaving it at home.

Just got done using this shovel on a 3 day 2 night backpacking snow trip. It worked flawlessly, even in single digit temps the handle still came apart and went together no problem. I like the nice big surface area, light weight, and bright green color, makes it easy to find in the snow. The only thing that would make it even better would be a longer handle, but for the weight and price you can't beat this little shovel. As always great service from the gang at Backcountry.

I just tried this shovel out this last weekend 3-13-2010. Temps got down to single digits and we had 15" of snow one night. The shovel worked flawlessly, never froze up and everyone wanted to use it. I had a Snow Claw on the last trip but the shovel works better, although heavier its more versatile. I also like the bright green color goes with my pack, and is easy to find in low visibility conditions. The only con would be that it is a little short and the handle doesn't collapse into the shovel for storage, but for the weight and how it performs I really can't complain. LOVE THIS LITLE SHOVEL !!

This is a great shovel for the size and weight. I use it for racing and spring conditions. This may not be the shovel for days when you plan to be digging a lot. The short handle and small blade limit the amount of snow you can move. Consider going with the TelePro for everyday use.

This little shove is not only light, but brilliant as well!
I was amazed, despite it's size, at how well this little shovel could dig!
In fact it was quite a life saver since it was used to build a temp snow cave to get out a recent sierra snowstorrn. The amazing thing is regardless of the lack of a longer handle the shovel still performed, and due to it's metal structure, the shovel withstood fair bit of abuse without any signs of stress.
If looking for a excellent lightweight backcountry snow shovel, this is the one!

It is one of the lightest metal shovels out there. Can't really go wrong for its weight and strength.
The handle may be short but that hasn't proved to be a problem. It packs down nicely for backcountry ski tours as well. Only complaint is that mine weighs 18.1 oz, which is over the manufacturer's specs of 16oz. I recommend this irregardless.

The shovel itself is good and a good size for backcountry, but the handle is a little short.

Got this as a gift for someone else but was very impressed with how lightweight and rugged this little shovel really was. Would highly recommend this site too - fast ship - excellent service!

I bought this shovel back in 2000 (looked a little different then) and that was the first purchase I made here. Been hooked on this website since. The shovel is amazing - it's lightweight and takes a beating. I've carried it hiking, backcountry snowboarding and it doesn't leave my truck when the snow starts to fly. Mine is black but is the same shovel. Other than some dings and dents it's held up awesome. It's also got holes in the blade which make it easily strapped in a number of locations.

Light weight...small package...aluminum blade...a great combination. The whole thing fits easily inside my pack without removing the handle. It weighs almost nothing. And in my opinion, a small shovel might actually be better for getting your buddy out because you can remove smaller shovel fulls faster without exhausting yourself. Works great for digging pits for analysis too.

I used this shovel on a snowmobile trip to the mountains. I would not go out again without a shovel and this one worked great. It separates for easy storage. I would recommend this shovel to anyone.