Avalanche Gear 101: Beacon, Shovel and Probe (and How to Pick a Transceiver)

If you ride anywhere outside the marked pistes in winter, three things live in or on your body: a transceiver, a probe and a shovel. All three. Every time. For everyone in the group. There is no clever argument for leaving one at home, and we have heard them all.

The avalanche transceiver (beacon)

A transceiver is an electronic device a bit bigger than a phone. In send mode it transmits a radio signal on 457 kHz, the worldwide standard, so any brand finds any other brand. If someone is buried, everyone else switches to search mode, and the device beeps and shows the direction and distance to the buried signal.

How we use ours

• It goes on first thing in the morning, before breakfast, and comes off when the day is over. On your body, under a layer, not in the backpack.
• Check the battery when you switch it on. We want it at least three quarters full before heading out. Do not try to save batteries: send mode sips power and a fresh set costs less than a coffee.
• Group check at the start of every day: everyone sends, everyone receives.

What to look for when buying a beacon

• Three antennas. The modern standard. Old two-antenna and analogue units do not cut it any more. In a rescue every second counts, so if yours is a museum piece, retire it.
• A marking function for multiple burials, so you can flag a found signal and move to the next.
• Search range. Roughly 50 to 70 m on current models. More range means a wider search strip and a faster first signal.
• An interface you understand under stress. The best beacon is the one you can run with cold hands and a racing pulse. Simple beats clever.
• Updates and recalls. Keep the firmware current and check the manufacturer's site for recall notices, for new and second-hand units alike.

What the Snowbusters crew carries

We can personally vouch for the Mammut Barryvox and Barryvox S, and several of us have also run the PIEPS Powder BT. All of them are intuitive and easy to use, which is the whole point. Other current models that guides and instructors around us rate include the BCA Tracker 4, the Ortovox Diract Voice, which talks you through the search, and the Black Diamond Recon X. Models change every few seasons, so try a few in a shop or on a course before you buy.

The shovel

Metal blade. Aluminium is the norm. Do not buy a plastic shovel. Avalanche debris sets like concrete, and you need a tool you can trust to dig your friend out, not one that snaps on the third scoop. Digging is the longest part of any rescue, so a solid blade and an extendable shaft matter more than saving 100 grams. It has to fit inside your pack.

The probe

The beacon gets you close. The probe tells you exactly where to dig and how deep. Pick one that assembles in a single pull, locks solidly and is long enough to be useful, 240 cm or more. Like the shovel, it lives inside the pack, not strapped to the outside where a slide can rip it off.

Worth adding

A first aid kit, a charged phone and, in a group, radios. Useful, all of them. But the essential three stay the essential three: beacon, shovel, probe.

Gear is nothing without practice

Owning the kit and knowing how to use it are two very different things. Bury a pack, time yourselves, repeat. Then read our avalanche safety basics. On Snowbusters freeride camps and touring trips we drill it with you until it is boring. Boring is what you want. Stay safe out there.

Quick answers

Do I need avalanche gear for off-piste skiing next to the lifts?

Yes. Avalanches do not check how far you are from a chairlift. If the slope is not a secured, marked run, carry the full kit.

Do all avalanche beacons work with each other?

Yes. Every modern transceiver sends and receives on 457 kHz, so different brands and models find each other.