The Deploy Shovel

The past three days in the field under a variety of conditions gave me the opportunity to continue testing some of my current gear.

Both the class setting and the utterly fierce weather led to some new observations. In some cases I learned things that were worth adding to my existing reviews, so here are some updates.

On Monday (as the first big storm hit), I wore my Marmot Genesis Jacket. This is a “storm proof” softshell designed to be waterproof and breathable. How did it do? In heavy wet snow that gradually soaked everyone in our group, the Genesis was absolutely fantastic. I was warm, dry, and comfortable the whole time. I loved it.

Not quite so much of a slam dunk were my Black Diamond Prodigy gloves. Yes, they’ve got a Gore-Tex liner for waterproofing, but the exterior gradually soaked through. My hands stayed reasonably dry inside, but if I had been out for the night instead of just the day, having to deal with waterlogged gloves would not have made me happy. To be fair, the precipitation was intense, and the Prodigy really is a cold-weather glove. Still, in a transitioning wet-to-cold storm, they weren’t a good choice.

In other news, I learned from our instructor that the American Avalanche Association’s Avalanche Review journal gave the Black Diamond Transfer Shovel a “Skull-and-Crossbones” score in their Feb ’09 shovel tests. As you might guess, that is not a favorable rating. I have the Black Diamond Deploy, which is a very similar model. Are Black Diamond’s shovels unacceptable, as the AR article suggests? I don’t think so. The AR testers were using their ski boots to stomp on the back of the Transfer shovel’s blade. This caused a lot of damage to their ski boots—hence the poor rating. My own experience with the Deploy shovel remains entirely positive.

Finally, I made a considerable effort to get acquainted with the new Pieps Freeride Avalanche Beacon. The Pieps is a very small, low-priced, single-antenna beacon that probably should come with a “experts only” warning sticker. Time and time again, I was completely baffled by the Freeride in beacon search drills.

With a lot of practice, it is possible to get at least familiar if not comfortable with how the Freeride operates, but think very carefully about the situation and conditions before you or a partner wear this beacon in the field. I do think the Freeride has a legitimate place in your gear closet. I don’t think, however, that the Freeride is appropriate for all conditions regardless of who is using it. That is all.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 9:12 am and is filed under Gear. So There.