Ortovox Beast Shovel

The Beast weighs 580 grams, which strikes a solid balance between being light enough for long ski tours and durable enough for emergency excavation.

While the Beast is designed for efficiency and reliability in backcountry emergencies, it is primarily optimized for ski touring. If you are a professional guide or digging daily snow profiles, you might prefer a slightly larger, more robust model, but for most recreational users, this is more than capable.

Yes, the Beast features a compact design specifically engineered to stow easily inside most standard avalanche safety compartments or main pack bodies without taking up excessive space.

The shovel is designed to offer excellent leverage for its size. While it is compact, the geometry of the blade and handle allows for effective snow removal, even in the dense, consolidated snow often found in avalanche debris.

The Beast features a metal blade. Metal is essential for avalanche shovels because it can cut through the hard, icy debris often found in avalanche piles, whereas plastic blades are prone to cracking in those conditions.