I hope you love the products I've recommended below, just a heads up that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn commissions on products bought via links on this page.
Preparation for the snow season starts with a snow shovel. These are convenient and useful tools which are basically mandatory if you live in a snow bound area. But as a tall person, it can be quite challenging to keep on top of the soft white powder with an inadequate sized shovel. Below you can find the best snow shovels for tall people.
*Note these are shovels designed for snow, to see garden shovels view the options for tall people here.
When it comes to buying a extra long snow shovel, the length of the shovel is the most important thing to consider. Shoveling snow off driveways and pathways is not easy work.
Especially for a tall person. As we have to bend over further to be able to scoop up the snow, our backs can take a fair beating. This is why a longer pole is a must. The shorter the shovel, the further down you have to bend. Which is not pleasant when you have to do this repetitively and on a regular basis.
In A Hurry?
Check out the longest handle snow shovel on amazon here.
To make the motion of bending over and scooping up easier on your back, the addition of a second handle on the shovels shaft is a godsend. Again this is a more ergonomic way to remove snow from any location you desire.
While size of the scoop is relevant to the amount of snow you need to move, other factors like an ergonomic handle play a more important role in looking after your back. A snow shovel with a curved shaft is also ideal as they provide a more ergonomic position for your body when bending down to scoop up snow. But finding these in extra long versions is not all that easy.
Lastly, you should consider a telescopic snow shovel to keep in your car. These are great as they allow you to move snow when you need without having the issue of fitting a long handle in your backseat or boot.
If the scope of works exceeds what a shovel can do, perhaps a snow blower for tall people is the best option to take.
What Size Snow Shovel Does A Tall Person Need?
To ensure you don’t do injury or cause pain in the lower back, you should have your hands 12 inches apart on the shaft and handle. If you’re right handed, your right hand will be on the very end of the shovel. So to minimize the amount you have to bend own, you want the handle on the snow shovel to be just below shoulder height.
A longer shaft with a bend in the shaft closer to the scoop is ideal as it reduces the amount you have to bend over to scoop up from the ground. As the average height person has a average shoulder height of 50 inches, for a tall person this height would be ideal. So to begin with, look for a snow shovel that has a total length of more than 50 inches and work your way up from there the taller you are.
The Longest Snow Shovel 62″
The longest snow shovel I have come across with modifying or making my own is the Garant Yukon Street 14″ shovel. This snow shovel has a total length of 62 inches. The handle alone is 48 inches long which is longer than stand snow shovels in general.
This snow shovel will be a back save for any tall person. It’s the only one of its kind that I have seen that is truly extra long. It is very well built, heavy duty and uses a hard wearing aluminum blade. The aluminum blade is especially useful when moving wet snow as it’s much heavier.
The only downside to it being aluminum is that it can wear away quickly on cement surfaces. So its best to avoid clearing snow on cement with this shovel.
While it’s not a ergonomically designed plastic snow shovel, it is extra long. So it makes up for the lack of bend with the extra long handle. Never again do you have to bend half way over to move snow out of the way.
The cool thing is, this snow shovel can be even better. With the addition of the below extension handle, you can have your forearm placed in a more comfortable position, which then also lessons how far over you have to bend. Anyone over 6 foot tall will love the Garant snow shovel with the extra handle attachment.
Back Saver Extension Handle
A great way to make any snow shovel better is by adding a extension handle so that your forearm is at a more horizontal position. This back saving handle extension by The Heft is a great addition to the above Garant 62 inch snow shovel.
What makes the The Heft such a good choice is that it extremely simple to use. It just ‘snaps’ onto your existing snow shovel handle. Once it is snapped into position, you get an extra 15 inches of height for your front hand to lift the snow shovel with.
The Heft can be used on just about any tool with a shaft diameter of 1 1/5″ to 1 1/3″. So it can essential be used year round and your back will definitely thank you for the improvement in ergonomics. Best of all it’s not that expensive. So worth while buying a few of them to attach to all kinds of tools.
Extra Long Snow Shovel 52.5″
This extra long snow shovel by SunCast is 52.5″ long. While not as long as the Garant shovel, it is bent for better reach with the lower hand. So essentially it could be longer, but the bend is designed to relieve pressure on the back. The shovel blade is angled more horizontal to the ground so you don’t need to bend over as far as you would with a straight shovel. However the above Heft addition to a straight snow shovel has a similar effect.
But you do lose some amount of heavy duty with an ergonomic design like this. For heavy loads of snow, a straight handle shovel is ideal. The blade itself is a hard wearing resin type plastic. So it’s not really the tool to use for breaking up ice either.
But it does have a riveted steel strip on the bottom to prevent wear and tear when it slides along hard surfaces.
The scoop area is considerably bigger than the Garant shovel as well. Measuring 18 inches wide and 12 inches deep. The whole blade is made from the heavy duty resin plastic. Which is as tough as they come. While the bend handle makes lifting heavy loads more tougher, the resin plastic blade makes the shovel lighter, yet durable enough to tackle some tough snow.
With resin blades like this, the snow can stick to the blade. To stop this from happening and driving you mad, simply spray some WD-40 or apply a wax to the surface. This will stop the snow from sticking and clumping up.
The Suncast snow shovel comes completely assembled in a big box. So you can unpack and get straight to work. Tall people will appreciate the little extra length while enjoying the benefits of not having to bend the back over so much.
51″ Snow Shovel With 20″ Blade
SnowCast also do a slightly shorter snow shovel with a larger blade. This version has a 51 inch total length and incorporates a 20 inch wide blade for pushing and digging up snow. The snow capture area is also slightly deeper allowing you to hold more snow. It’s 13 inches deep.
Because this is a straight handle design, it can lift heavy loads. But the addition of a handle extension would certainly benefit this shovel to make it less painful on your back.
This SnowCast is a snow shovel made in the USA, so it’s designed to handle the conditions well. The shaft consists of a steel core shaft which is finished in a resin sleeve for extra grip when shoveling. This combination also means it is light enough so even the elderly can use it, yet durable and strong enough to push snow.
Like the above SnowCast, this 20″ blade also features a galvanized steel strip. This strip helps knock off ice while also protecting the non stick graphite blade from wear and tear.
Whats awesome about this snow shovel is that it does a very good job at removing most of the snow at ground level. Often you will find that some shovels leave behind a thin layer of snow. This will eventually become slippery and a safety hazard. But the SnowCast does a great job at removing this fine layer and leaving footpaths safe to walk on.
Snow Blowers For Tall People
A snow blower will make short work of built up snow on your pathways and driveways. But the problem of a snow blower is that many of them are too low to the ground for a taller person. Not so low that you can’t use them, but low enough to create all sorts of back problems. Not to mention if you already have lower back pain.
Just like using a lawn mower, anything you push can become painful very quick if the handlebars are not set at a height appropriate for a tall person.
The key to finding a snow blower for a tall person is height adjustable handlebars. But not all snow blowers offer this option. Which frankly is quite annoying. Depending on your height, you will be looking at a snow blower with handlebars that have a height range of between 40″ and 50″ off the ground.
Affordable Snow Blower For Tall Persons
The problem with upgrading from a snow shovel to a snow blower is that it can be darn expensive. Especially if you want a height adjustable blower. If you don’t want to spend 4 figures on a blower, you are in luck.
The Worx Electric 18 inch snow blower is a cost effective and easy way to ditch the snow in your life. How affordable is it really?. You can check price on amazon to get an up to the minute price.
Best of all, besides the attractive price tag, it has 3 height adjustments on the handlebars to cater to people of different heights. The height of the handlebars are super easy to adjust as well. There are clamps on either side which release the bar. So you just need to set it to a height that you feel comfortable with and close the clamps. Then say good bye to labor intensive snow shoveling and welcome to a quick and easy solution to snow build up.
Tips To Prevent Injury When Shoveling Snow
So now you have seen the best snow shovels for tall people and have an adequate length shaft, you can begin shoveling snow with less risk of lower back pain. But there’s more to shoveling snow then just a extra long handle. Some simple but often neglected alterations to your shoveling technique can greatly improve your performance.
Below are some ergonomic snow shoveling tips the tall person should endure.
- Have you shoulders and waist square with the location of the snow. Always face the area and don’t approach from a side on view.
- Like when lifting anything heavier, lift with your legs not your back. To do this you push your chest out and bend the knees. As you approach the lift motion pay attention to your leg muscles and focus your lifting power from the legs.
- Avoid lifting too much at once. Smaller lighter loads will take less toll on your back.
- If you find yourself fully loading the scoop with snow, shift your leading hand towards the scoop. This will reduce the stress on the back and make the load feel lighter.
- Never twist your body to release the snow. Instead turn your feet and body.
- Avoid tossing the snow. Instead walk to where you want to dump the snow. This will reduce straining muscles you never knew you had.
- Take regular breaks and stretch. No need to be a hero. Take breaks every 10 minutes or when you start to feel strained. A short break and a stretch will do wonders.
