Shovel and probe?
- Thread starter LeviD
- Start date
Ok, this is advice I heard third hand from Mike Duffy who evidently teaches a ton of avy classes. Get a carbon fiber probe. Aluminum probes bend too easily. I would add to that get a BCA carbon fiber probe - the Stealth CF 260. It has a rod that you pull to extend the probe as opposed to a cable. That stupid cable hurts like hell when you get hit by it in the cold. They all come with a clip to secure the cable to the probe but if you don't secure it, it will slap around as you are using the probe and hit you in the face. Ouch! Why bother? Get the Stealth and avoid the cable altogether.
As for shovels, I have a BCA Dozer, a Voile, a cheap one from Sportsman's Warehouse and a Black Diamond. The dozer works great but it's heavy and a little complex, the Voile has a D handle and is really easy to grip and can really move some snow, the Black Diamond has a little bit of a point to the blade which helps it dig in to the hard stuff a little easier, and the cheap one, well it's cheap. It's decent for digging out your sled but I wouldn't want to bet my life on it. I would pick any of the other 3 and make sure it fits in your backpack.
Take an avalanche class and invest in a beacon.
As for shovels, I have a BCA Dozer, a Voile, a cheap one from Sportsman's Warehouse and a Black Diamond. The dozer works great but it's heavy and a little complex, the Voile has a D handle and is really easy to grip and can really move some snow, the Black Diamond has a little bit of a point to the blade which helps it dig in to the hard stuff a little easier, and the cheap one, well it's cheap. It's decent for digging out your sled but I wouldn't want to bet my life on it. I would pick any of the other 3 and make sure it fits in your backpack.
Take an avalanche class and invest in a beacon.
I prefer the D handle shovels myself. I had a T handle it wasn't as secure feeling in a gloved hand and harder to hold in my pack no place to run the strap through. The one other thing someone suggested to me a long time ago on the probe is make sure its a longer one. The short ones say 7ft that fit inside a shovel handle if your standing and push it in you have 3ft above the snow and 4 below or your bending over every time to push it in all the way. I think mine works out to roughly 10ft.
buy a quality probe, and shovel, if you have ever been somewhere were they were diging in an avalanche slide, you will see broken shovels, volie makes some great shovels, look at the shovel, lots of times i use my foot on the back of the shovel to push it in to the snow, in a similar way you would use a spade. lots of shovels a rounded on the back and you cant use your foot to push on. dont get a thin probe, get something with some strenght, i have used alu. and carbon fiber, both work, but i find the thin ones always flex the most and break, also learn how to use your probe proporly and it is less likely to break. there a several reviews out there check out Zac's tracks i think lori has a couple of links to some good reviews, or just google some. but please lean how to use your equipment everyone. Its great to see people ask for advice before buying, saves you buying poor quality and haveing to re buy
good luck and safe riding
good luck and safe riding
While your at it get one of these. The ones that come in the shovel are junk.
http://snobunje.com/public/store.php?crn=84&rn=286&action=show_detail
We also use the BCA Tracker 2
http://www.backcountry.com/Store/ca...=Search&008=&gclid=CPTW_LfHz7UCFckx4AodKzwAIw
http://snobunje.com/public/store.php?crn=84&rn=286&action=show_detail
We also use the BCA Tracker 2
http://www.backcountry.com/Store/ca...=Search&008=&gclid=CPTW_LfHz7UCFckx4AodKzwAIw
I would recommend a probe at minimum 240cm, preferably one that is about 260cm.
The BCA Probes are great as well as the Black Diamond probes.
http://www.snowbigdeal.com/avalanche-safety-gear/avalanche-probes.html
My favorite shovel is the Black Diamond Deploy 7 shovel. Very quick to be ready to dig, you don't have to worry about the separate shovel shaft.
http://www.snowbigdeal.com/black-diamond-deploy-7-shovel.html
The BCA Dozer shovel is also a good one.
The BCA Probes are great as well as the Black Diamond probes.
http://www.snowbigdeal.com/avalanche-safety-gear/avalanche-probes.html
My favorite shovel is the Black Diamond Deploy 7 shovel. Very quick to be ready to dig, you don't have to worry about the separate shovel shaft.
http://www.snowbigdeal.com/black-diamond-deploy-7-shovel.html
The BCA Dozer shovel is also a good one.
I agree with the brands but would suggest you go 260cm at the minimum and 300cm recommended. why not get a longer one, it's only a few more dollars. I've had good luck with Black Diamond, BCA and ortovox probes.
I have never heard of the carbon over aluminum suggestion that was mentioned in another post. I have yet to bend an aluminum probe and use mine enough to wear one out every season. No one i know has bent one either. The usual place they break is the cable.
I've been happy with my voile shovel for years now. D handle is super nice and during a test of all shovels(avalanche review), it was one of the few that came out on top.
Voile for me
I like to tell people "if your shovel breaks, your friend is going to die, so buy the best damn shovel you can." If your buddy cheaps out on a shovel, barrow him yours, and you carry his...
I read a shovel review a few years ago, it was pretty scary. Independent study done in Europe, I posted a link to it on here somewhere. They broke almost all the shovels tested except the Voile T6 telepro. Some shovels stayed together for one pit, some didn't make it long enough for one pit. I would like to see a similar review with the current models since that review is now dated, but I really hope there have been improvements.
As for a probe, I will be buying carbon next but I have a Black Diamond (Guide?), IIRC its 300cm and aluminum. Thankfully I've never needed it, just for checking jump landings or checking HS.
The large blade shovels sound great, but you can easily over load the handles and snap them. A short handle shovel is nice to pack, but sucks for any digging. I'm a fan of D handles, more control. Telescoping handles are a requirement IMO.
That $20 shovel (don't care if its aluminum or plastic) at the local giant store, yea sure its good for leaving in the truck, but has NO place in the backcountry
Avy debris sets up HARD and FAST. Hone your snowpack evaluation & terrain reading skills so you never have to switch that beacon to SEARCH mode. "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain" by Jill & Bruce Fredston is a very good read. I'm sure that book has saved countless lives, might take a slow reader 10-12 hours to get through. But its your LIFE we're talking here, need to know what out there is trying to take that from you.
Not trying to rant, just my suggestions.
I like to tell people "if your shovel breaks, your friend is going to die, so buy the best damn shovel you can." If your buddy cheaps out on a shovel, barrow him yours, and you carry his...
I read a shovel review a few years ago, it was pretty scary. Independent study done in Europe, I posted a link to it on here somewhere. They broke almost all the shovels tested except the Voile T6 telepro. Some shovels stayed together for one pit, some didn't make it long enough for one pit. I would like to see a similar review with the current models since that review is now dated, but I really hope there have been improvements.
As for a probe, I will be buying carbon next but I have a Black Diamond (Guide?), IIRC its 300cm and aluminum. Thankfully I've never needed it, just for checking jump landings or checking HS.
The large blade shovels sound great, but you can easily over load the handles and snap them. A short handle shovel is nice to pack, but sucks for any digging. I'm a fan of D handles, more control. Telescoping handles are a requirement IMO.
That $20 shovel (don't care if its aluminum or plastic) at the local giant store, yea sure its good for leaving in the truck, but has NO place in the backcountry
Avy debris sets up HARD and FAST. Hone your snowpack evaluation & terrain reading skills so you never have to switch that beacon to SEARCH mode. "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain" by Jill & Bruce Fredston is a very good read. I'm sure that book has saved countless lives, might take a slow reader 10-12 hours to get through. But its your LIFE we're talking here, need to know what out there is trying to take that from you.
Not trying to rant, just my suggestions.
Just FYI, as a sledder:
The test that those guys did they were all wearing ski boots which is what caused the majority of the failures. They jacked up the back end of the shovels with their boots.
All for a good torture test, but they WAY in which they tested those shovels was very one dimensional (for a skier I suppose it would be useful stuff)
I also prefer a D handle. More comfortable, easier to dig harder longer...
I got a B-52 from snowbigdeal last year when nobody else could find one, biggest shovel BCA makes, and I use it for utility purposes rather often, it has held up well, very happy with it. If A shovel fails when I'm digging out a car... that's just a reason that it's not the one I should be carrying in my pack, so I use my avy shovels as much as I can.
btw, that big ol B-52 fits perfect in my abs SB 5 small pack. IF your pack can't hold anything but a tiny azz shovel, it's time for a new pack
Also got a carbon BCA 320 probe, not for the length, but because it's the stiffest probe I've ever handled.
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