I am the last person who should need a snow shovel.
Sure, I grew up in New England, clearing my share of front walks and pond ice, but now I live in San Francisco. The closest I get to a blizzard are the drifts of camellia blossoms from the tree in our backyard.
Then my partner bought a ski condo in Mammoth Lakes, in California’s Eastern Sierra. The condo’s maintenance crew usually shovels the balconies, but in 2022–23, the snowpocalypse hit. Storms dropping six to eight feet of snow arrived one after the other. The crews were working full-time clearing the complex’s roofs, to keep them from collapsing.
When we arrived at the condo after three big storms in a row, we couldn’t see out the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony—they were blocked by a head-height wall of snow. Not just snow, either, but quasi-geological strata of snow and ice and refrozen snow and refrozen ice.
Fortunately, we had a True Temper 18-inch Ergonomic Mountain Mover snow shovel stashed in the gear closet, “just in case.”
In our guide to snow shovels, senior staff writer Doug Mahoney notes that even after testing 75 shovels since 2013, he has yet to find a better snow shovel. He has also personally been using the Mountain Mover shovel since 2009. “It lasted a good 10 years, and then I got a new model to test with in 2019.” It’s a great shovel by itself, but the ergonomics are far better when it’s paired with a secondary handle, like the BackEZ EziMate Handle, which we recommend.
Our pick
This shovel offers an ideal combination of size, weight, ergonomics, and materials. So it’s great for clearing off steps, sidewalks, patios, or decks.
Also great
Attach this second handle to any shovel’s shaft to make the work easier, safer, and less of a strain on your body.
