Avalanche Shovel

“Did a search for shovels to no avail...so, of course, I felt it necessary to at least have a thread if not pertinent info.
;P”

“I think it's REI that sells a lexan shovel.”

“rei sells everthing made out of lexan”

“We use the Lexan shovels by Life-Link for the kids because they are almost unbreakable (they have still broken 4 in the last two years) Their aluminum shovels look interesting though......staff uses Voile's. I like the Voile's because they are larger, and they cut avalanche debris and ice much better...we use the ones with the hardened blades (Extreme) .

Remember you can't do this with Lexan...”

“Last year I planned on getting one of those extendable-handle aluminum shovel...I think it was a Voile also. Waited for them to go on special...then I forgot about it, since summer arrived.”

“Take a peek here....

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47577858&parent_category_rn=10826191”

“Can't you just buy one of those kiddy beach sand castle building shovels for like $2?”

“I carried a friends heavier, but smaller shovel for years, while he carried my larger, but lighter shovel......one day he asked why I was willing to carry his heavier shovel...I asked him which one he would like me to be using if he was buried under an avalanche.

Also you use the shovels for so much around camp, digging kitchen areas, snow caves, tent platforms...stuff like that. In the winter, they are really indispensable.”

“Welcome aboard Hikingirl”

“I'll be at Lassen Feb. 14-17 doing romping around on teleskiis with some friends. How ya been? Did you ever get those pictures I sent you?
~Maureen”

“Yea I did, thanks!!...I sent you an email, but I may have had the wrong one.

Let me know where your going to be, perhaps I can ski by....I may be working that week, I'll let ya know.

Drag Rockman up there with ya, he needs to use that pack and new sleeping bag.”

“Man peed way out of avalanche

A Slovak man trapped in his car under an avalanche freed himself by drinking 60 bottles of beer and urinating on the snow to melt it.

Rescue teams found Richard Kral drunk and staggering along a mountain path four days after his Audi car was buried in the Slovak Tatra mountains.

He told them that after the avalanche, he had opened his car window and tried to dig his way out.

But as he dug with his hands, he realised the snow would fill his car before he managed to break through.

He had 60 half-litre bottles of beer in his car as he was going on holiday, and after cracking one open to think about the problem he realised he could urinate on the snow to melt it, local media reported.

He said: "I was scooping the snow from above me and packing it down below the window, and then I peed on it to melt it. It was hard and now my kidneys and liver hurt. But I'm glad the beer I took on holiday turned out to be useful and I managed to get out of there."

Parts of Europe have this week been hit by the heaviest snowfalls since 1941, with some places registering more than ten feet of snow in 24 hours.”