How long does a snow saw need to be, to effectively evaluate snowpack?

How long does a snow saw need to be to effectively evaluate snowpack? I just bought the BCA A-2 EXT shovel that comes with a saw in the handle. I realized during my Avy 1 course that the effective blade length is 25 cm. That can possibly be pushed a little longer if I'm really being precise. A compression test is typically done on a 30x30cm block of snow, but if its between 25-30cmx30cm will this make a difference in the result I may get from my compression test?

Just wondering if I should worry about carrying another saw in my pack, any advice I can get would be great :-) Thanks!

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I cut my column to match the blade of my shovel so as to make the compression across the top of the column as even as possible. So if your saw is more or less the depth of your shovel blade, all is good, IMO.

50 - 55 cm

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Originally Posted by Hacksaw

50 - 55 cm

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What tests require a 50cm+ blade?

Most tests like the compression test want a block 30 X 30 cm. I also carry a saw (G3 Bonesaw) that can also cut wood. I believe the G3 saw is 50 - 55 cm long. 20 cm of "extra" saw is only a few ounces.

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Originally Posted by Hacksaw

Most tests like the compression test want a block 30 X 30 cm. I also carry a saw (G3 Bonesaw) that can also cut wood. I believe the G3 saw is 50 - 55 cm long. 20 cm of "extra" saw is only a few ounces.

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So are there any tests that require a 50cm+ blade?

G3 Bonesaw has a 35cm blade. Does anyone even make a 50cm+ snow saw?

If you need/want extra length (for doing a ECT or rutschblock I suppose) the BD saw has a flicklock connection for a bottom section of pole, and the G3 can be connected to a pole with straps. Extra blade length isn't a problem of weight, it's a problem of fitting in packs.

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Originally Posted by razzle17

How long does a snow saw need to be to effectively evaluate snowpack? ....

A compression test is typically done....

if I should worry....

any advice I can get would be great :-)

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IMnotsoHO

God damn avy 1 courses and their incessant reliance on pit digging instruction.

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Originally Posted by PNWbrit

IMnotsoHO

God damn avy 1 courses and their incessant reliance on pit digging instruction.

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The L1 I took some years back had the requisite pit digging and all that, but the majority of the emphasis was on terrain, weather, poking around in the snow while you're skinning, etc. It seems that not all instructors have updated their curriculum to get away from the emphasis on pit tests.

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Originally Posted by Bean

The L1 I took some years back had the requisite pit digging and all that, but the majority of the emphasis was on terrain, weather, poking around in the snow while you're skinning, etc. It seems that not all instructors have updated their curriculum to get away from the emphasis on pit tests.

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Yep. The course I took in 2006 from one of the Sierra Avalanche Center forecasters had very little pit digging.

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Originally Posted by Bean

So are there any tests that require a 50cm+ blade?

G3 Bonesaw has a 35cm blade. Does anyone even make a 50cm+ snow saw?

If you need/want extra length (for doing a ECT or rutschblock I suppose) the BD saw has a flicklock connection for a bottom section of pole, and the G3 can be connected to a pole with straps. Extra blade length isn't a problem of weight, it's a problem of fitting in packs.

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Brooks Range makes 70 and 100cm saws, don't know who else makes longer saws. They fold so they will fit in your pack.

35cm of blade is what you need.

G3, BRM BCA all make good dual purpose saws.

25cm saw better have wood cutting teeth because that's all it is good for. BCA has always had an obsession with putting things in shovel handles as a marketing gimmick, utility be damned. About the time something useful sized is in a shovel handle the handle is too big to fit in a pack smaller than 40L.

Also I carry a 2m knotted para cord to cut ECT columns using mine and my partners probe.

My only saw is on my leatherman. About 4cm.

BCA is still based in Colorado, right? You could get a pretty decent sized pipe inside 25cm of shovel handle.