- LENGTH: 94cm extended / 66.5cm collapsed (37” / 26.2”)
- WEIGHT: 794g (1lb 13oz)
- BLADE VOLUME: 2.65 litres (0.7 gallons)
- PRICE: £69 / €75
Found at the higher end of Black Diamond’s range of shovels (but boasting a moderate price tag nonetheless), the Evac shovel has proven itself amongst casual backcountry riders and professional guides alike. It’s available in two sizes; the larger Evac 9, and this, the Evac 7.
The Black Diamond Evac 7 avalanche shovel has a detachable blade and collapsable handle for easy stashing – pretty much the minimum requirement for any decent digger. Unlike much of its peers, though, this has a curved handle that allows you to put it in ‘hoe mode’.
“The hoe mode is massively useful both for clearing snow from a burial site quickly during an emergency, and for making snow pits”
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By removing the blade and re-attaching it the other way round, it’ll now sit at roughly right angles to the shovel handle, rather than in-line. This is massively useful both for clearing snow from a burial site quickly during an emergency, and for making snow pits. Some users have also reported that it speeds up the process of digging out your car after a big storm, so there’s that to consider too.
Whichever mode you have it in, the D-shaped handle makes the Black Diamond Evac 7 easy to wield, especially as it has a grippy rubber section across the top. Like the rest of this model, it’s built to last, so whether you only use it when the unthinkable happens, or using it daily throughout the winter to dig packs and/or build powder booters, you know it can be relied on.
