Gear Review: Mammut Alugator Expert Shovel

A tester who has tried virtually every shovel on the market is a huge fan of the Alugator. After digging snowpits and setting up campsites in five countries on dozens of ski-mountaineering trips, she praised the highly grippable D-shaped handle, the sturdy, semi-pointed blade (which never iced up thanks to a Teflon coating), and the longer-than-normal telescoping shaft, which provided great leverage while digging. All-aluminum construction keeps the weight low, and the shaft slides down into the blade for easy, compact packing. “I wouldn’t change a thing,” she says. $60; 1 lb. 13 oz.; mammut.ch