Have decided that I really MUST start carrying a transceiver when snowboarding off-piste/touring especially as I want to start heading out in the UK as well.
Does anyone know a good one that's reliable but likewise doesn't cost the earth as I'd like to be able to afford to keep going afterwards!
I realise that I'll need to practise using it before heading out so if anyone knows a good Avalanche training course please let me know!
For years my friends and I used the Backcountry Access DTS Tracker. It was one of the first digital tranceivers with 2 aerials and a very simple interface - ideal for people who don't use one much and don't practice much e.g. the 'week or two a year' skier rather than the ski patroller or mountain guide.
It's really been superceded now but is still available and is certainly relatively cheap.
Mine broke last year (about 10 years old, but my 4 friends' ones still work ok). I did a fair bit of research of the current market, and settled on the Mammut (Barryvox) Pulse. It's a 3-aerial job with more advanced features but can still be used in 'simple' mode. I've not taken it on a trip yet but I've been getting to grips with it at home (I've borrowed 2 DTSs to practice!) and it does seem very good.
I'd be happy to post more about how I reached my decisions, what I saw as pros/cons etc., but it'll be later this evening as I'm just about to head home.
I can't remember where you're based now, Ben? (In case it was near enough for a hands-on play/inspection).
I've got an old Pieps analogue. They work and if you can get them cheap (our ski club bought up Braemar MRT's old ones when they went digital) they're okay, but it must be said that the digital ones are substantially easier to use to locate a burial with, and if you've got the money I'd suggest you spend it.
Ben, I'm not sure, you may already have seen these, but a couple of links to some (UK based) info on tranceivers, admittedly from commercial providers. There's more out there via google - much of it is of US origin, also maybe look at pistehors.com for a European view. Anyway....
Both places stock a number of models (although stock levels are sometimes an issue).
I spoke at some length to David Hall from Backcountry UK (he gave a talk last Nov at our ski club, he helps us a fair bit, he's a good guy) and got advice which I'm happy was impartial but steered me towards the Mammut Pulse. (I'd been thinking of waiting for the BCA Tracker 2.) I actually bought from Facewest because they had stock at the time, and I've used them happily on several previous occasions, plus if you register they operate a points scheme which gives 10% redeemable against your next purchase.
Peter's absolutely right about digital being easier for searching. I suppose from an entirely selfish point of view, as long as you've got a device transmitting on 457KHz then people can come and find you!! That would be some use in an "off piste 'in-resort'" scenario where you'd hope the ski patrol would mobilise. But the rule of thumb is that avalanche victims may be dug out alive within the first 15 minutes, so realistically in other situations rescue is going to be self-rescue within the group, so everybody in the group needs a tranceiver they can search with, plus the other rescue essentials of a shovel and a probe (or converting ski poles).
Digital avalanche beacons really are quite easy to learn to search with, certainly the technology doesn't do much to get in the way. Some of the advice on those links says they now don't recommend 2-aerial devices since 3 are more sophisticated and accurate. In part I took the view that I'd future-proof my purchase to some extent by going for a model with the W-Link technology, but if budget is an issue then it's as well to remember that until recently the 2-aerial models were as good as it got. So if you don't want to go for something more costly, my own opinion is that the original BCA Tracker DTS is worth having - I'm certainly happy to continue touring with all my friends who've got them
Btw, whatever you get, be prepared for the anticlimax.... a tranceiver must be one of the most disappointing expensive shiny new outdoor toys you can buy - you unbox it, stick the batteries in, switch it on, it beeps a few times, and then.......... that's it
you unbox it, stick the batteries in, switch it on, it beeps a few times, and then.......... that's it
A bit like an airbag in a car, it's one of those things you pay for but never actually want to use. Digital ones take all the fun and mystery out of treasure hunt races too
Thanks for all the advice, good to get opinions from people that use them, I was thinking of the Ortovox F1 focus purely as its £150, but it sounds like its now horribly out of date!
The pulse looks good and its not too bad price wise so might end up going for one of those. I mainly do 'off-piste in resort' type of boarding but looking to get out and do a bit more, even in the UK such as the back corries and perhaps some stuff lin the lake if the snow conditions are right.
Matt - I'm based in Durham (seem to remember your Cheshire way?) so might be a bit of a long way!
Incidentally does anyone bother with Avalungs, the principal sounds good but the practise of trying to keep the tube in your mouth whilst being buried sounds un-likely!
I was thinking of the Ortovox F1 focus purely as its £150, but it sounds like its now horribly out of date!
Pretty much. I'll flog you a tried and tested and trusted Pieps for £50 if you want a working beacon and to save money, but though I wouldn't mind £50 I think you would be better off with a digital beacon in the current market. Obviously I think the Pieps is okay, as that's what I carry, but I would put the £50 towards a digital one because, quite simply, they're better.
Incidentally does anyone bother with Avalungs, the principal sounds good but the practise of trying to keep the tube in your mouth whilst being buried sounds un-likely!
I don't, but I don't really do the kind of skiing it's aimed at. I'm usually following fair tracks (often stick marked) through moderate terrain with a pack on my back, and a need to keep the equipment list light as I'm doing up just as much as down. For bonkers couloirs etc., assuming I was that good on skis, i'd probably look a bit harder at them.
I've not bothered with an Avalung either, for much the same reasons as Pete.
I did see a documentary one them a few years ago where they buried a guy with one, and dug him up an hour later, cold but certainly alive and conscious. But I also doubt the likelihood of getting the mouthpiece in - maybe if you see a slide coming your way from above but not if you trigger one.
And in the end we each draw a balance between getting enjoyment from what we do, trying to avoid difficulties through experience, skill and judgement, and having an 'insurance policy' if things go wrong. For me the tranceiver, shovel and probe fit my balance but the avalung doesn't.
Btw, you can now get skiing/boarding rucksacks with airbag flotation devices.... but they look a bit pricey and heavy.
Good point... if you get a transceiver then get a probe and shovel too. Finding roughly where someone is is all very well, but if you subsequently can't dig them out that'll be a bit of a bummer...
Shovels are also good for assessing snowpack to avoid being caught in the first place, and prevention is vastly preferable to cure. Probes are good for both the final fine tuning of a search, and for checking snow pack and cornices etc. If you want to be optinmally safe I think it's best to have all 3.
Yep, was planning on buying a shovel and a probe to go with it, been meaning to buy both for a while, not only to be prepared and for assessing condition but also cos digging the car out/building kickers by hand is a pain in the arse!
Matt - have seen the rucksacks, £750 for a smallish one! If I was good enough to be doing heli-boarding and insane cliff-drops etc then maybe i'd (get the sponsors to) get one, they do seem excessive for most things, although apparently a lot of ski patrols now carry them! The other problem is you can't take them on a plane!
Cheers for all the info, just need to find the cash and wait for it to snow again now.
I have finally found an excellent article I remembered when looking at this about transceivers. A very good review of some mentioned here by an experienced user and Guide. Not on web unfortuately but for info the Ortovox F1 was not highly rated (good in its day, not good for less experienced especially if multiple signals) and Mammut Barryvox Pulse (best in test, worth every penny and good for experienced and novice alike). A good reminder was that whatever you have will only be as good as your training and shovelling skills!
Ben, if you haven't bought your tranceiver yet (or maybe even if you have...)
Facewest have now got the long awaited BCA Tracker 2 in stock, and have updated their Tranceiver Review to reflect 2010 models.
I had honed my choice to the Mammut Barryvox Pulse or the Tracker 2, and I jumped for the Pulse. I was quite relieved to see that the reviewer pretty much came down to the same two, with the ultimate choice being between absolute ease of use (Tracker) against having the option to use advanced or simple features (Pulse). So having read this latest review I'm still happy with my choice but I think tbh I'd be happy with either of these two (or, as he points out, for my mates to have either!)
Interestingly, I've been re-watching the BMC's "Off Piste Essentials" DVD lately and i notice that all the guides and skiersfeatured in it are using the Mammut Pulse - I guess that could be a sponsorship deal to help make the DVD rather than a pure endorsement, but Idon't suppose they'd have used them if they thought they were shoddy!
Well, I've just watched all the demo videos for the Pulse and Tracker tranceivers on 'Facewest TV'.... I know tests performed with tranceivers lying on the ground in a park instead of buried under snow are only so much use, but it seemed to me that while the two performed equally well in a search for a single burial, when it came to a multiple burial search, the Pulse looked a lot less confusing. He appeared to have trouble picking up the next signal with the Tracker, and the idea of putting it back into normal search mode and having to ignore the found tranceiver while walking away from it seemed a bit odd (I'm not sure that that's what BCA recommend?). I also know from familiarising myself with my Pulse that he didn't use all its features, for example, although it may well be sensible to take the signals in the order the Pulse determines, it is possible to manually select which signal to follow. I can see how that could give a useful steer as to different directions to search if more than one searcher is available.
Thanks for taking the time to read/watch our review, I hope it's useful for the OP rather than it adding to the confusion. You really can't go far wrong with either of the transceivers you've identified, they're great bits of kit. That said, we still recommend the tracker (1 or 2) as a first transceiver just simply for its ease of use and the lack of setup required.
I'll ask Stu about your question when he gets back from ISPO, I've not tried the tracker out for multiple burials yet.
Stu's knocked up a response to your question and some raised on UKClimbing, Pistehors and Snowheads here: http://www.facewest.co.uk/facewestblog/2010/02/10/transceiver-review-2010-update/
"Yes it can be more confusing trying to isolate a single signal from two or more being received, with the Tracker than the Barryvox. Essentially to have to filter out the signal you know about using your head rather than the transceiver. BCA’s argument is their research shows that there is a very high probability you will never have to do that so it is better to remove the potential confusion these features cause when they don’t work as well as they did in the video. As for walking around in Special Mode, it comes down to practise. This excerpt of an email from Bruce Edgerly, Vice President of BCA, suggests removing the Special Mode when you think you are closer the the second signal than the first – ‘we do not advise walking around in special mode to look for other signals. It is best to plant your feet at the first victim’s location (uphill of the probe, since there will be people shoveling downhill of the probe). Then simply rotate the beacon 360 degrees in search of the next signal. Not too fast, since the search window in SP is narrowed. Once you pick up another signal, then move in that direction. Go back to Search mode (rather than SP) when you think you’re closer to the next beacon. This will then isolate the strongest (second) signal.’ Personally I prefer to remove the special mode before I move off but as along as you have a system that works for you that’s the most important thing."
Thanks very much for commenting, and for posting Stu's comment there. I can see how either method can work and, as he says, it's a lot to do with using your head and understanding an approach that works for you. With my Tracker 1 I'd gone for the approach the BCA VP outlines there - I guess that's what was in the manual!
BTW, thanks to all at Facewest for the review and videos - it's really useful to find hands-on info and demos like that on the web.
