Avalanche Shovels are necessary pieces of equipment for digging out avalanche victims from under the snow. You’ll need a good shovel and good shoveling technique (chop and remove instead of typical shoveling) to execute a quick rescue. Avalanche Shovels also help in testing snow stability.

There a few things you should consider when choosing a shovel:

Material – 6000 and 7000 Series Aluminum provides the best strength-to-weight ration for avalanche shovels. Plastic Shovels may weigh less than aluminum shovels, but they are also less durable and therefore unreliable.

Blade Size – Smaller blades are easier to handle but less efficient at moving large amounts of snow. Larger blades can move more snow but take more strength to use and can tire you out quicker. Sometimes it’s easier to be be quicker with your rate of shoveling with a smaller shovel than be slower with a larger shovel that isn’t being used at full capacity.

Blade Shape – Many Avalanche Shovels come in multiple shapes: Flat, Curved, or Serrated. Flat Shovels will help you create smoother walls in your snow pits while Serrated Shovels can help you cut through ice.

Handles – If it feels good in your hand, you’re going in the right direction.

Grip – Choose a shovel grip that works best for you. T-Shaped and L-Shaped grips are lighter and more compact, while D-Shaped grips are sometimes more comfortable to hold when you are using mittens.

Shaft – Most shovels have telescoping shafts so they can fit in your backpack. They also give you leverage options, where longer shafts give you more leverage for digging while shorter shafts help you maneuver in tighter spaces. Oblong or Triangular shafts are usually more rigid and stronger than Cylindrical shafts.

Weight/Size – Generally speaking, you want your back-country gear to be as light as possible. However, you shouldn’t try and lighten your backpack by getting a lighter shovel. You’ll need your shovel to be extremely dependable, and that usually means it needs to be heavier. Your Avalanche Shovel should also fit inside your backpack instead of outside your backpack, where there’s a risk it can rip off if you fall.

Below is what we think are the Best Avalanche Shovels on the market today: