Avalanche shovel

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Current avalanche shovel made of aluminum

An avalanche shovel is intended to be able to dig up people buried by avalanches. In addition to the avalanche transceiver and probe, the avalanche shovel is part of the standard safety equipment of snowboarders , ski tourers and freeriders (alternative riders) who are out and about away from the secured ski slopes.

Without such a shovel it is hardly possible to dig someone out in an avalanche cone, because in the cone the snow has a very high density and becomes hard like concrete. Since it is mostly used in extreme situations, a good avalanche shovel has certain properties:

An avalanche shovel should not have any sharp edges, as these could potentially injure the ski tourer if the shovel is carried in or on the backpack. Modern touring backpacks have an attachment option for an avalanche shovel. Thus, it can be transported comfortably and space-saving. The shovel blade should be connected to the handle on the tour or be transported protected in a backpack, as snow can stick in the receiving hole. Avalanche shovels are very popular with freestyle snowboarders for shoveling the kicker (ski jump) . On the other hand, they can also be used to build an igloo or to dig up the car after the tour.

Some models with special recesses on the shovel blade can be assembled with cords and skis to make a makeshift emergency sled for transporting the injured away. Some shovel blades can be attached at a 90 ° angle to the handle and then serve as a pick (for loosening very compact snow) or as a tool for the so-called shovel shear test (a method to determine the avalanche risk at a certain point).

Normalization

With the UIAA 156 Avalanche Rescue Shovels standard , the requirements for an avalanche shovel were standardized for the first time by the UIAA in May 2018.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Albrecht Enzenberg: level 2_below 30 ° In: mountaineering . Issue 1/2006, pp. 50–52
  2. ↑ Safety Standards - UIAA. Retrieved September 29, 2019 (American English).