UKC

Do you carry a shovel when winter climbing in the uk?

In reply to Tarquell:

only if planning on camping

In reply to Tarquell:

Rarely for personal climbing unless bivying as I'm usually trying to keep the weight and bulk down! Having said that they can be useful for digging snow belays, making anchors, using as a fluke and digging through cornices.
With groups teaching Winter Skills and Winter Mountaineering and when ski touring we'll often take them for group comfort (snow shelters, wind breaks), speed during demos and avalanche safety.

In reply to Tarquell:

I do own, and have used a small collapsable snow shovel which would also work a bit like a deadman. That said I think I only used it once or twice for belaying.

If you buy one for use in mountains buy one with a metal shovel bit. Plastic in my experience is no good when it comes for digging in very hard snow/ice.

In reply to Dave Perry:

+ 1

Defo go metal.

While I usually go Cotswold for purchases like this, Snow and Rock have a few deals at present.

(It's where my boxing day birthday present is coming from)

In reply to Tarquell:

Decathalon have two in for less than £20 at the moment.