ARVA Mini Ovo Light Shovel

Bigger can be better, but not if it means you have to carry more weight on your back during a long day on Mont Blanc. The Arva Mini Ovo Light Shovel isn't a teensy-weensie ballerina, but it is smaller and more packable than most shovels on the market. It also has a rough-and-tough aluminum shaft, a 1.5mm-thick aluminum blade, and an ergonomic L-shaped handle to make digging easier whether you're sculpting the back wall of a snow pit or chopping through avalanche debris.