I was up at the Haglöfs shed during the week (huge show and tell imminent) and had a look at G3 snow gear while I was there.
Above is the Bonesaw, with which you can build an igloo, saw up the firewood for cooking the whale you just cut up with it, and then defend yourself against roaming yetis who might try to steal your dinner. The handle is curved and rubber coated, and the slots you can see take those red straps and fasten onto a ski or trekking pole or a snow shovel handle to make what looks to me like a snow-halberd. It’s got a ruler and a snow crystal measuring grid etched on there as well for snow pro-types.
I’ll admit that this stuff is completely beyond me, but it’s a lovely made bit of kit, so the engineer in me was very impressed.
Below are His ‘n’ Hers (or His and Mr Lightweight I’d like to venture…) snow shovels, and a Speed Pro Probe.
I’ve been looking at shovels, so it was good to play with something without a shop assistant watching me thinking “He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing”, and also to be able to see something a little different.
No testing or anything here, I just thought the gear was kinda cool, and it’s just making inroads into the UK too.
That Bonesaw *looks* interesting, but I wonder
a) how heavy is it?
b) whether the straps fasten it securely enough to any handle extension
c) those teeth look quite small for a snow saw, so has it compromised to be useable for other things?
Dunno, it certainly looks nice, it might be brilliant :)
Shovels are always a compromise between size/weight and useability. Metal blades and telescopic handles are the business. Probes stashed in handles are ok. Saws stashed in handles are an ineffective gimmick.
Polycarbonate blades find their limit too quickly in hard, icy snow. My advice is if you want to carry a proper shovel, go metal, otherwise just stick with a Snowclaw (great for the weight as a contingency, and teamed with an ice axe to chop at the hard stuff).
My snow gear is a Voile Mini shovel (else a Snowclaw), a Lifelink Carbon 2.8m probe, and a Lifelink snowsaw which will attach to my Lifelink carbon ski poles. Two great US brands that no-one seems to want to bring in to the UK these days…
(And they’ll never be widely used by UK mountain-goers, but I’ve just ordered a new tranceiver – ouch! ;O)
I’ve got a BD Lynx which has seen action a couple of times. Shifts snow nae bother but it’s a heavy bugger. To celebrate the current snowy weather, I ordered up a Snowclaw. That’s 400gms saved right there for the kind of digging I’d expect to be doing.
It’ll be snowshoes next. Just watch me.
Matt, click on the links for G3 stuff, I actually sat and watched some of their videos last night.
On the ootside looking in :o)
The Bonsaw had a weight, neither flimsy not heavy, but I’ve nothing to compare it too I’m afraid.
Kev, snowshoes rock. Go on!
Ah yes, interesting stuff on the website. It was only when I saw the Targa telemark bindings that I realised I already know of G3.
The bonesaw does sound good (if slightly heavier than my Lifelink saw – the handle looks more comfortable, but alas, probably only if you’re right-handed! :(
Nice shovels too. My voile is around the weight of the Spadetech but with a blade more like the Avitech. They all look better to me than those over-designed Black Diamond things that currently seem to inhabit many of the shops.
So are G3 getting UK distribution, and where from?
I’ve no comments on the saw or the shovels (I’m a girl! Haha). But… I accidently clicked on the photobucket and nearly fell off the couch! To my utter delight there was a real life rainbow of fruit flavours, a packet of Skittles indeed!! AND best of all… Green and Purple troos from Haglofs!!!!! Wowsers, Yay!!!! Nice work Haglofs!! Now you’re gonna tell me they’re men’s only, they’re for skiing and I’ll need to spend half a months wages just to buy an outfit eh!? Please don’t. Anyway I might be able to afford a hat! I do like those green trousers though… I can see it now… aah just lovely stuff.
:o)
Matt, the right-handed thing is a good point, I did spot that. I wonder what the re-tooling costs would be to give a lefty option?
Mountain Spirit (the shop)/ Craigmhor Outdoors (Gus) are doing G3, I spotted the kit and just had to have a look!
I just had a swatch at the website and they’ve got a good bit of G3 on there. http://www.mountainspirit.co.uk/shop/productresults.asp
Ange, don’t you give the game away…
Going live tomorrow :o)
Sh*t. Oops. Sorry!!
:o)
Ah, I know Rob at Mountain Spirit, but I’m unlikely to get up there before late Feb :(
(The next great advance in outdoors kit needs to be…. Star Trek transporter room technology! :))
Aye, how man times have I dreamed of that while sitting behind the steering wheel gnashing my teeth!
‘Beam me up to the top of the mountain, Scotty!’? Surely not!!
I need to find out if I need a shovel for the snowholing adventure. I quite like the idea of a ‘girly’ size, but don’t like that grungy green colour…
No, the technology will only beam you to car parks at the foot of the moutain…. obviously, duh! ;O)
You’ll want a shovel, Kate. An ice axe might make you an ’emergency scrape’ if it’s all you have, but to dig something comfortable you need more snow-shifting capabilty.
I have a spare…
Do you have a Snowclaw already?
I have a spare… :)
I have a Snowclaw. I’ll want a shovel. I’ll want a light one, and not one in grungy green. Do you have a spare? ;-)
Aye, but the green one’s got a nice motif on the blade.
And a non-gardening style handle…
Funnily enough I have a spare… :)
Lifelink, black polycarbonate blade, non-extending shaft, T-handle (i.e. non-gardening).
Not as good as my Voile Mini metal job, but good enough, especially when you have an ice axe to bash any really tough bits. I found it couldn’t hack some really iced-up snow in Norway once, and we generally tour without carrying ice-axes, so I switched to a metal shovel at that point.
Oops, I forgot to say, but 2 or 3 weeks back, I succumbed and got the Spadetech (Elle – I wanted to make sure I got a T-handle) and a Bonesaw.
Both very neat :))
The Spadetech is very nicely engineered, and the blade much neater than my Voile for stashing. Hopefully it’ll dig just as well – we’ll find out in a couple of weeks. Mildly irritatingly the anticipated weight saving didn’t arise – quoted weight 630g, actual 685g, my Voile 670g. 55g over spec, not the end of the world but 630 would’ve been nice. Still, the design means I can always save 150g by ditching a handle section.
The Bonesaw is also very nicely made. My Lifelink saw has big teeth which are good for snow and ice but nothing else, the Bonesaw will clearly deal with more, and as a potential emergency tool in Norway, the ability to saw branches for shelter or fire is a reassuring extra. It’s also shorter and neater for packing. The saw weight was accurate (165g iirc) but the extra 100g or so for the scabbard is an unnecessary burden – I’ve improvised a guard for the teeth from a couple of those plastic A4 paper binding strips instead :)
The right-handedness of the handle doesn’t seem like a big issue – the curve is quite gentle and the finger notches still sit quite well in a left-handed grip. If I find it a nuisance I’ll just add a small piece of closed cell foam to pad out the hollow.
Magic :o)
Mind and tell us how that are in action.