Ortovox have been developing mountain safety equipment since 1976.  The Ortovox Kodiak shovel is their premier snow shovel; an essential piece of kit in the arsenal of any budding backcountry bandit.

The Kodiak has a scoop that with a large surface area which is still small enough to fit inside any backpack.  Ortovox say it best themselves, “The scoop resembles a bear’s paw: voluminous, sharp edged and unbreakable”.  It certainly seems so; the aluminium blade, sanded shaft and D-handle make for some JCB-esque digging efforts.  The handle and scoop can be detached for easy stowage.

There is an distinct feeling of quality with the Ortovox Kodiak.  The shaft slides into the scoop in one precise, solid motion.  The most innovative feature is the way the scoop can be affixed at 90 degrees to the shaft, creating a hatchet.  This is ideal for breaking up and managing snow when crafting a backcountry kicker.

The Kodiak is one of the best shovels on the market.  At 770g it’s light enough to carry all day, and you hopefully won’t even have to take it out of your backpack.

Useful Information

£75 from Snowshepherd

Mountain Spirit offer a range of avalanche safety courses.tx