Lawinenschaufel

The large family of Mammut Alugator shovels now includes different style lengths, handle shapes and shovel blade variations for different needs and preferences. The Alugator Ultra is the lightest shovel in the range and promises stability and durability with minimum weight.

Ich durfte das Set, bestehend aus dem ARVA EVO5, der 240 SKITRIP-Sonde und der SKITRIP-Schaufel diese Saison, im Zeitraum von November bis Februar, in den Tiroler Alpen testen. Hierbei ist es beim Freeriden und Splitboarden genutzt worden sowie in einem LVS-Workshop auf den Prüfstand gestellt worden.

The PowderGuide team arrived back home after two exciting and long days and have now had time to process their first impressions. The trend that has developed in the outdoor scene over the last few years continued this year. The absence of ski and snowboard manufacturers was apparent. Nevertheless, one or two were represented, which we naturally visited and were able to discover a few new products. In the outdoor textile sector, things looked a little different and virtually no brand missed the presentation at ISPO. As in previous years, there were three platforms on which the new products, trends and innovations were presented: ISPO Awards, ISPO Textrends and ISPO Brandnew.

According to Mammut, there may be problems with the locking mechanism on some of the Alugator Ride 3.0 Hoe and Alugator Ride SE shovel models. These are only products produced from November 2021 onwards.

January wasn't exactly at its best: down in the valley, climbing and mountain biking were already back on the agenda and up on the mountain, the last remnants of snow and artificial snow slopes were slowly but surely melting away. But before we get back into winter mode and start thinking about ski tours and freeride adventures, we ask ourselves when we last really took a close look at our equipment.

When it comes to safety equipment, not only the avalanche transceiver is important, but also the probe and shovel. Good equipment is available from many suppliers. The important thing is that you like the way it handles and that you get on well with it. As we all know, rescuing your comrades in an emergency is crucial for survival and every second counts.

For me, an avalanche shovel must fulfill two essential criteria. Firstly, I want a large and torsion-resistant shovel blade made of metal and secondly, an extendable style with a D-handle. Especially nowadays, when people like to save weight even on safety equipment, such models are no longer so easy to find, which is why I used the same shovel for about 10 years up to and including last season.

If you haven't done it yet, you should definitely do it: get the shovel from the construction site, the probe from the flower bed (if it was used as a climbing aid, as it was for me in summer) and the avalanche transceiver from the basket for a mushroom search. It's winter!

With the Shaxe, BCA implements the "2 in 1" principle for avalanche shovel and ice axe. We tested how practical this combination is and whether BCA's implementation meets the quality requirements for this safety equipment.

The basic safety equipment - avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe - is preached like a mantra in every avalanche course. Of the three, the avalanche transceiver is given a lot of attention, while the shovel and probe are overshadowed. It's long past time that PowderGuide took a closer look at these products.

At first glance, the Pieps Pro+ shovel is a standard avalanche shovel of a slightly larger type. The telescopic handle locks into place with the familiar "push-button system" and is 81 cm long when extended. The shovel blade is 25cm wide (=relatively large). The special feature: A saw is hidden in the shovel handle.

A stable avalanche shovel with a large blade is part of every freerider's basic equipment. With the Pocket Spike, Ortovox offers an extension that quickly turns the shovel handle into a lightweight ice axe. ISPO Award winner 2014 in the Basic Avalanche Gear category.