A lightweight, collapsible snow shovel is a required tool for your backcountry winter kit.  It can be used for much more than just digging somebody out of an avalanche.  If you have spent much time in the snow in the boonies, you know that snow is both a problem and a solution.  I asked Brian Horner, survival training expert and President of Learn To Return Survival Training Systems, what kind of survival scenario would he prefer, desert-heat or snow-cold?  Without hesitation, he said no question, snow-cold.  He explained that he could almost always manage the generation and retention of heat in the cold but couldn't make things cooler if it were hot. 

The nice thing thing about snow is that it can usually be used as a rudimentary construction material.  You can build walls, seats, cooking stations and shelters.  Now, in all honesty, I have never successfully built an igloo type snow shelter but I have carved out my fair share of snow caves and a whole bunch of quinzhees.  In fact, the quinzhee is my favorite.  In my experience, you not only need a shovel to build a good snow cave or quinzhee, you need one that is the right size and has a particular feature that most models do not. 

Even if you are building a shelter big enough for just 1 or 2 people, you are moving quite a bit of snow but not so much that you need a grain scoop sized shovel like many ski patrollers use.  Why?  Because it is usually to too big to carry on your back and it is too unwieldy to maneuver when you are fine tuning the shelter from the inside.  There are a lot of good shovels on the market that fit my size and weight requirements but there are a precious few that have the feature that I am really looking for. 

I have found that the right sized shovel with the ability to fix the blade in the “hoe” position, where the blade is perpendicular to the shaft, allows efficient removal of large amounts of snow by dragging it out the entrance hole.  If you have built snow shelters before you will immediately know what I am talking about. 

Somehow I lost my old Life-Link shovel last year so I went looking for a replacement and I had this particular feature in mind while searching.  The unit I chose is the Ortovox Professional Alu.  It is medium sized and both the handle and blade are made of lightweight aluminum.  I prefer a metal blade because it allows me the flexibility to build a fire in it or melt snow for water over a fire if need be.  I think it is also louder if you needed to make some noise and would make a better weapon than hard plastic models.  If you prefer a Lexan blade, go with the smaller but lighter Professional.

In any event, these are valuable tools when the time comes to move some snow in the wilderness.  If you are going out to work or play in the white stuff, get one and practice with it.  It could save a life someday.

Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.