I bought this aluminum shovel, True Temper Brand, from the Truckee Hardware Store. With
a very sturdy blade and handle, (more so than the majority of avalanche specific shovels)
it can be used to chop ice, push with your feet and lever out blocks. Things that break
plastic and the thinner versions of metal shovels.
To make it transportable in a pack, I drilled out the rivet holding the blade to the shovel and replaced it with a removable pin.
Oware 