Gear reviews | BCA Shaxe Tech Avalanche Shovel

An ice axe is an important piece of equipment for alpine tours and many a technical tour or descent. However, it is often difficult, not only in the proverbial sense, to pack the ice axe as an additional item in an already full backpack. BCA makes this decision easier for freeriders with the "2 in 1" function of the Shaxe, which uses the same handle for the shovel and ice axe. This not only saves space but also weight.

First impression

The overall package of the Shaxe consists of the shovel blade made of aluminum, the handle with grip at the end and a bag in which the pick head and four screws with wing nuts are stowed. These screws can be used to build an emergency sled with a suitable ski. The package weighs a total of 1021g. Comparable ice axes and shovels together weigh a good 200g more. If you leave the bag and screws for the emergency sled at home, you save a few more grams. With an RRP of €169.95, the Shaxe Tech is comparable to the total price of an avalanche shovel and an ice axe.

The 24 cm wide shovel with handle (both made of 6061 T6 aluminum) and plastic handle look high-quality. The look and feel are right. The easy-to-grip cross grip at the end of the handle and an area with a non-slip surface on the handle improve handling when shoveling. The approx. 50 cm long handle does not have a telescopic function. This saves weight, but also offers less leverage. The pick head made of steel (420 stainless steel) can be mounted on the handle instead of the shovel handle. The shovel handle is unlocked, pulled out of the handle and replaced by the pick head. The connection is made by a plastic stump which is pushed into the handle like the shovel handle and to the upper end of which the pick head is attached. This plastic transition between the metals is certainly the weak point of the Shaxe. The construction is sufficiently stable for ski mountaineering, as an aid for ascents on foot in gullies or short climbing passages. However, the ice axe does not appear to be designed for heavy-duty use, e.g. for ice climbing.

The Shaxe is also available in the "Speed" version. This is slightly cheaper at €129.95 and a little lighter at 756 g (shovel and ice axe head). However, the steel pick head is then replaced by an aluminum one and you have to make do with a straight handle without non-slip surfaces.

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Testers and test conditions

The Shaxe was tested over a full season on short hikes, various ski tours, off-piste skiing and ski mountaineering tours. Depending on the type of freeriding, the Shaxe was used in different backpacks. Sometimes "only" as an avalanche shovel. The Shaxe was not used purely as an ice tool or on a classic alpine tour. Fortunately, the shovel was not used in an emergency, but it was used for exercises.

Practical test

In practice, I like the 2-in-1 concept of the Shaxe. You quickly get used to taking the complete package of shovel and ice axe with you for freeriding and it's a good feeling to know that you can fall back on an ice axe if necessary in a tricky situation. Unfortunately, the 52cm long handle with grip only just fits into some backpacks. In the two different Evoc models shown in the pictures, the handle can be stowed away, but the backpack is then noticeably taut. As one end of the handle is equipped with a tip for use as an ice axe, it is advisable to cover this with a plastic cap (not included). Otherwise the handle may puncture the bottom of the rucksack. The conversion between shovel handle and ice axe also works well and quite quickly with thicker gloves thanks to the rubber surfaces of the change mechanism.

BCA Shaxe complete package

Lukas Zoegernitz

On alpine ski tours in particular, it has proven to be a good idea to take the Shaxe with you as an ice axe. In tricky situations, you can then use the ice axe directly without having to convert it, and should an avalanche emergency actually occur, the shovel blade can be attached directly to the end of the Shaxe without the ice axe head. The ice axe head then functions as a shovel handle, which is not a major restriction when wearing gloves. Shovelling works well with the Shaxe thanks to the aluminum shovel blade and curved handle, even if the non-extendable handle is a noticeable disadvantage compared to other shovels.

The supplied bag for the pick head also contains four screws with wing nuts. These could be converted into an emergency sledge in combination with suitable skis (with holes at the ski tips and ski ends), the shovel blade with holes and the handle with holes. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test this in practice. Partly because, despite a decent selection, I don't own any skis with holes at both ends (K2 Wayback would be a suitable model). But mainly because the second hole is missing on the shovel handle of the Tech model to use it as a cross connection between the two skis. That's why I now always put the Shaxe in my backpack with the ice axe head attached and the little bag with the screws stays at home (because unfortunately it's useless in any case).

Conclusion & Details

The Shaxe has become a much-loved addition to my standard equipment. Even if the combo of shovel and ice axe has small deficits (short shovel handle when shoveling, long handle with tip when packing), for me the strengths (weight saving, ice axe "without" additional space requirement) outweigh the weaknesses (short shovel handle when shoveling, long handle with tip when packing) Therefore, the "2 in 1" implementation of ice axe and shovel by BCA is a compromise for me, where the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.