WHICH AVALANCHE SHOVEL AND PROBE TO CHOOSE?

Going off-piste requires training and equipment for outings where avalanche safety is paramount. In addition to your avalanche transceiver, you'll need to choose a shovel and avalanche probe suitable for extreme situations. We'll help you make your choice easier.

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The criteria for choosing an effective avalanche probe

For effective searches, your avalanche probe must be sturdy. It must not only withstand the conditions of being carried in your pack, but also then withstand the sounding itself. In an avalanche, the average burial is estimated to be 110cm, so you need to be able to drill through compact snow in several places to a definite depth and quickly.

You should therefore choose an avalanche probe that has:

A good diameter

A thin avalanche probe may be handy when stored in a backpack, but in use, it quickly shows signs of weakness. Too soft and it may bend just probing the snow and you may miss a victim. A larger diameter will make it stiffer and therefore more effective, especially if it crosses the path of blocks of snow.

Tough tension and blocking

When it comes to avalanche safety, every second counts, so it's important to choose a probe that has a good tensioning system, which will make it easier to assemble but also easier to search since the rigidity will be optimal. Without this, you risk having to reel it in every time you pull it out of the snow and not perfectly feel what you are touching.

A sufficient length

To recover a buried victim, you need to have good footing. So you'll need a avalanche probe long enough to get down deep into the snow without having to bend too much. A length of 2 meters is a minimum, and manufacturers seem to have understood this as most avalanche probes are 2.40 meters long. However, make sure that when you dismantle your probe it fits into your backpack.

A cable

This is the best guarantee of longevity for an avalanche probe. The cable not only makes mounting easier, but also increases the rigidity of the probes, which, being stronger, logically last longer. You will also find avalanche probes with a cord. These models do not cope well with storage and are therefore more fragile.

The grip should be easy and the assembling of the device instinctive. As soon as the weather conditions are suitable, practice in situations as close to reality as possible. To try to represent the stress and pressure of searching for an avalanche victim, feel free to time yourself or impose a number of soundings in a certain amount of time.

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Finding a good avalanche shovel

Indissociable from the probe, the avalanche shovel must also be chosen with care. It is the one that comes into play when you are very close to the goal and every second counts. So you need a tool that allows you to easily clear the path to your victim. If you try to limit the weight of your gear as much as possible when you go off-piste, this is not the item you should try to save weight on: you need a robust piece of equipment that will optimize the efficiency of each of your movements. So focus on choosing an avalanche shovel that has the following criteria:

A shaft that fits your size

The search for a victim using the shovel is certainly the moment that requires the greatest physical effort in avalanche safety. To save energy, it is therefore important to choose an avalanche shovel adapted to your size for optimal leverage, the must-have being telescopic handles. Not only do they allow you to find the right length for your avalanche shovel for sure, but they also allow you to clear large shovels at the start of your search by deploying a long handle, then switch to a shorter one when you're clearing the snow closer to the victim.

A comfortable handle

Grip is a major issue in choosing an effective avalanche shovel. D-shaped handles are known to be the most comfortable, but you can also find more compact avalanche shovels equipped with a "T" handle, which makes them easier to store, or a "Y" handle.

A durable bucket

While there are avalanche shovels with a plastic bucket, it's best to go for a stronger material. Aluminum is a must, but it can put some off because of its weight. Fortunately, there are also treated metals that combine strength and lightness. To clear effectively, choose an avalanche shovel that has a bucket with a large enough volume without becoming too heavy once it's filled.

A sharp leading edge can also be a real plus. A model with curved edges will also keep the snow well inside your avalanche shovel. Finally, for effective shoveling, you need to be able to put your foot on the top of the bucket in "spade" mode to deal with compacted snow blocks.

You can also find avalanche shovels with a pickaxe function. The bucket of the shovel then tilts to give you more power to split the blocks before returning to the original position and continuing to clear the snow.

Choosing an avalanche probe and shovel that meet all of these criteria will allow you to respond more effectively to the search job should you have to deal with this physical phenomenon. So take your time in making your choice and don't leave out any details!