Coming soon: Guide to Shovels for Pilots

Zzz wrote:Coming soon: Guide to Shovels for Pilots

https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/fold ... lit=shovel

Zzz wrote:It's just another checkbox in your IACRA.

Hahahahaha

It seems everyone has an axe to grind over this old saw....
I was going to do something with the screaming woman and cat meme but I didn't want to get banned.
I would be most of the mushers on the Yukon Quest use an Estwing axe. Not elegant but indestructible. Hammer what is your opinion of those?
We sell Estwing along with the Fiskars and Hults Bruk models. I have both an axe and hand saw in the plane but if you need to start a fire or run off the runway into the alders I'm getting the saw out. I do enjoy the craftsmanship and using an axe but the little hand saws get a lot done.

Zzz wrote:It's just another checkbox in your IACRA.

Super-cool!

I guess it is inevitable that pretty much any subject will cause controversy if it’s exposed to enough people. But I think this one is pretty silly...it’s the equivalent of arguing against carrying a knife because scissors are safer, or arguing against flying because walking is safer, and it’s a one-size-fits-all universe so what’s true for one person is true for everyone.

The lead person on a hotshot crew can swing a Pulaski twelve hours a day for a month and not get hurt, but if a pilot tries to use a boys axe to start a fire they’re taking an unacceptable risk. Better to rely on a less versatile and efficient tool rather than master the proper one. I think it’s a ridiculous and dogmatic viewpoint which isn’t supported by experience or history...two things humans and axes share a lot of.

A axe is a tool and a pretty simple one at that. Learn to use it safely and it’s a safe tool. Use it carelessly or without respect for the energy it holds and you can hurt yourself...that’s true for any tool, so choose wisely. You’re unlikely to smash your thumb if you pound nails with a wiffle bat, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good trade off.



.

If only everyone would just agree with Hammer....

But that was a nice example of over simplifying the topic while dishing out insults to those with a differing opinion.
Good on you for supporting constructive conversation.

OK everyone. All together now. Hammer is right and if we could only be half the man he thinks is he is, we'd all see it.
Wanna know where you can shove that axe?

Bagarre wrote:If only everyone would just agree with Hammer....

But that was a nice example of over simplifying the topic while dishing out insults to those with a differing opinion.
Good on you for supporting constructive conversation.

OK everyone. All together now. Hammer is right and if we could only be half the man he thinks is he is, we'd all see it.
Wanna know where you can shove that axe?

Wow...nice. And it’s not even cocktail hour yet...

Bagarre wrote: If only everyone would just agree with Hammer....
But that was a nice example of over simplifying the topic while dishing out insults to those with a differing opinion.
Good on you for supporting constructive conversation.....

That.
Most problems have more than one correct solution,
"most correct" may be different for different people.
Axes are definitely more macho than saws though.
Kinda like a 44 magnum revolver for survival
vs a 22 rifle.

Ya'll need to chill. No one, especially me, should give a shit what anyone else does with their axe, saw, or strap-on. It's food for thought.

Just enjoy the fact that someone took the time to share their info on a useful topic. Writing these takes a great commitment that I have yet to see from only a handful of BCP members. I do solicit feedback on them, but I feel that in this case the pros/cons of axes were already adequately expressed in the original article.

If only we could harness the power of a peanut gallery in some focused and useful manner, we'd be unstoppable!