Access Shovel

The Arva Access is an aluminium avalanche shovel that splits into blade and shaft, so it rides inside your pack on every tour and goes together in seconds when a slope lets go. A 2 mm blade, a 47 cm oval shaft and a T-handle make it a straightforward digging tool for skiers and splitboarders heading into the Australian and New Zealand backcountry.

Who it's for

Anyone touring or riding off piste, from the Main Range in Kosciuszko to a first trip across the ditch to the Southern Alps. A shovel belongs in every pack in the party, next to a transceiver and a probe: when someone is buried, the digging is where most of the time goes, and a companion rescue only works if everybody carries the kit.

The Access suits skiers and riders who want a sturdy, no-fuss shovel that separates into two flat pieces for the pack.

Digging in a rescue

The blade is 23 cm long and 24 cm wide, pressed from 2 mm aluminium and reinforced, so it bites into set avalanche debris rather than skating over it. The 47 cm shaft has an oval profile, which keeps it stiff when you lever out a heavy block and stops it twisting in your hands.

Using it under pressure

Assembly is one move. The PIN LOCK system clicks the blade onto the shaft with a spring pin, so there is no collar to thread or tighten with cold fingers. The T-handle has a broad, shaped base that you can hold firmly in thick gloves while you shovel and pass snow downhill.

Practise putting it together at home and again at the trailhead before the season starts. The seconds you save on assembly are seconds on the clock in a real search.

Built from recycled aluminium

Arva make 90% of the Access blade and 34% of the shaft from recycled aluminium, cutting the carbon cost of the shovel without giving away any strength.

Looking after it

Dry the blade and shaft before you pack them away at the end of a tour, and check the PIN LOCK pin springs back cleanly before each trip.