I never thought about using the Japanese carpentry saws for cutting snow and ice. I have 6 of them and they are great precision tools. If I was going to use them in the field, I would make a light wood scabbard for the one I was going to take. The blades are very flexible but prone to being bent if miss-handled. I think you could destroy it otherwise.
I'm not talking about using them for snow, but for cutting branches to make a shelter. If I wanted a snow saw, I'd get the one SMC makes. My folding saw could be used to do both, but not as well as the SMC, which has really big teeth and is made of aluminum.
As far as Brian's comment about shovels, I always carry mine. I find it really useful for a lot of things, including digging out my tent platform and the area in front of my tent, getting snow for water, digging a latrine or digging out your car in the parking lot. I wouldn't want to be using a snowshoe for any of that. I bought a Snow-Claw when they first came out, but it is more useful for sitting on than anything else.
If you've seen any of the pictures I've posted of my trips to Yosemite, you will see what I have done with my shovel. Here are a couple -
Previous Topic
Index
