Snorkles are predominately a western British Columbia innovation. Basically a cable operated, grapple heelboom loader, it is outfitted with a wooden or steel boom to increase the reach of the loader. In effect, the machine becomes a combination loader and yarding machine.

Experienced snorkle operators can cast and hit logs with astonishing precision. Shown below is a snorkle operating with a Madill tower yarder which is running a grapple which can be seen inthe picture below. The snorkle's grapple is not shown clearly in this image.

Snorkles come in three sizes: Regular, Long-snorkle, and Super-snorkle. The length of the boom is the deciding feature. Long snorkles may have a one piece or telescoping boom up to 24 m (80 ft). Super snorkles have a steel boom extension of more than one section reaching out to 37 m (120 ft). All snorkles require some stype of extension guyline structure, as shown below.