Avalanche Rescue Snow Shovels Recalled by Mountain Safety Research Due to Risk of Failure During Emergency Rescues (Recall Alert)
Home product recall 15-732. Announced by CPSC on May 12, 2015.
- CPSC: stop using it
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own notice is on cpsc.gov.
The short answer
Announced by CPSC on May 12, 2015. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
- Stop using it what CPSC tells owners to do now (needs attention)
- Refund or Repair what’s offered
- About 4,300 in the United States and 340 in Canada units, as CPSC gives them
- None injuries, CPSC’s notice says
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
The lower lock button on the avalanche snow shovel’s shaft can fail to secure the blade, causing the shovel’s shaft and blade to come apart and render the shovel unable to be used as intended to rescue avalanche victims.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled shovels and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or to Mountain Safety Research for a free replacement shaft.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- What the company offers to fix a recalled product or vehicle: a repair, a replacement or a refund, as the recall notice says. For a vehicle, dealers make the safety repair free. Follow the notice’s own steps, or contact the company it names. Source: CPSC; NHTSA (49 U.S.C. 30120).: refund or repair.
- How to reach the firm: Mountain Safety Research at (800) 531-9531 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT, email consumer@cascadedesigns.com or online at www.msrgear.com and click on “Have You Purchased an MSR Snow Shovel” for more information.
Which ones are recalled?
This recall involves Mountain Safety Research Operator™ T, Operator™ D, and Responder™ avalanche rescue snow shovels. Lock buttons on the lower shaft connect the metal shovel blade to the metal shaft. Recalled shovels have a slit on either side of the lower lock button. The shovels measure about 32 to 34 inches long. The blades are red or yellow in color and the handles are gray. “Mountain Safety Research” is printed on the shaft of the handle. “MSR” is printed on the front of the shovel blade.
About 4,300 in the United States and 340 in Canada units, as CPSC gives them.
Avalanche rescue snow shovels.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 5 photos on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Imported by Cascade Designs Inc., Seattle, Wash., also known as Mountain Safety Research (MSR).
- Outdoor recreation stores, including Bass Pro Shops, REI and others, nationwide and online at Amazon.com and other websites from October 2014 through January 2015 for between $60 and $70.
- Made in Taiwan, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
None reported
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What the record doesn’t say
- The notice lists no UPCs, so check the model, the description and the photos.
- The notice lists no model numbers in a field of their own; its description may give them.
- How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Hearth Record wrote these lines.
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Recalls API.
Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Recalls of kids’ and home products are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record. Copied on Oct 19, 2026.