 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| beanie1 wrote: |
Spoke with Noah's Ark today and they said they no longer stock the Tracker as they think it's out dated. They told me the Ortovox X1 is the best thing currently on the market as it's so easy to use, so that's what they're selling now. Though looking at their website I think they mean the S1?
A friend has also reccommended the Barryvox, though I've read reports that they are best for experienced users.
What do you think? |
whatever you buy, practice lots so that you become an experienced user. 
i have the Ortovox F1 on the basis that it is super-simple (no bells and whistles to go wrong), easy to use (for me anyway) and apparently has the best range of transmission and reception.
i really would try a few if you can. maybe wait until you get to a resort and then find a shop which sells a few brands. go in at a quiet time and do searches around the shop.
I agree with CEM's comments above - I'd be very dubious of trusting their advice on anything after that little nugget they gave you. That said, I don't really like the Tracker
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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It is speculative extrapolation on my part I know but reading between the lines about no survival advantage being conferred by tranceiver use near a piste indicates to me that it may be possible that the advantage in backcountry is conferred by having a pro like your ski guide immediately on the scene to institute an efficient search. I'd guess that on/near an average piste, there won't be a lot of people carrying transceivers who really know how to use them in anger, so the transceivers don't make a difference until the pros arrive on scene.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| beanie1 wrote: |
Spoke with Noah's Ark today and they said they no longer stock the Tracker as they think it's out dated. They told me the Ortovox X1 is the best thing currently on the market as it's so easy to use, so that's what they're selling now. Though looking at their website I think they mean the S1?
A friend has also reccommended the Barryvox, though I've read reports that they are best for experienced users.
What do you think? |
The Tracker DTS was revised for the 2005 season and is one of the best selling digital beacons in the world.
The S1 doesn't work properly (claimed software problems) and is not expected before winter 2007.
The independent reviews of the X1 have been mixed.
The X1 is being sold as the "Patroller" in France for this year (an updated X1) in a clear orange case. It is not shown on the Ortovox website for some reason. Maybe they are beta testing on the French?
This is what we thought of the X1:
http://pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Gear/Ortovox-X1
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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davidof,
What would your opinion be of the Barryvox for a novice user. (Obviously I will practice and overtime become more experienced, but the reality is I'm stuck with 2 or 3 weeks skiing per year...)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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beanie1, you don't need to be skiing to practice with your transceiver - you can do it in a back garden/on the beach/in the park if you you don't mind a few funny looks!
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I'll probably buy a Tracker this year for the following reasons:
Any off piste I attempt will be (as far as possible) only putting one person at risk at a time thus reducing the risk of multiple burials.
I enjoy playing round in small gullies where large search areas are less likely to be encountered, small terrain traps are more likely to cause problems.
I use digital equipment a lot as part of my job and am very used to using visual indicators.
After reading as many reviews as I can and listening to a lot of peoples views I think that this model will be the most suitable for my needs. I've been winter mountaineering for many years and have some experience in snow pack evaluation and avalanche risk assessment, my main preoccupation will be avoiding the damn things in the first place. Please feel free to give me any more ideas.
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| Scarpa wrote: |
| my main preoccupation will be avoiding the damn things in the first place. Please feel free to give me any more ideas. |
that, of course, is the best idea
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| beanie1 wrote: |
davidof,
What would your opinion be of the Barryvox for a novice user. (Obviously I will practice and overtime become more experienced, but the reality is I'm stuck with 2 or 3 weeks skiing per year...) |
Hi Beanie,
I have only used the Barryvox for a half day on a training course I was helping with - I think some other people have posted their impressions above.
Initially I thought it was rather a complicated beacon - but then I realised you could just ignore those features and in the basic set-up it just worked like a simple digital beacon - arrows and distance indication.
If you feel you may need more advanced features in future then the beacon will grow with you. It seemed to work very well.
However in my opinion the two simplest digital beacons are the new Nic-Impex Evolution II and the Tracker DTS (and the Ortovox X1/Patroller but use this beacon before you buy it and see if you get along with it).
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Arno,
Sure. But unfortunately my other half is only a recent convert to skiing, so we're a few years off the stage where we'll have 2 in the house... My skiing buddies don't live near me in the UK, so won't be the opportunity to practice with them either.
davidof,
Thanks for the advice. That's pretty much what I've heard from other sources. It also seems reasonably priced, and of the people I know who use it none have had any complaints.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Any good shop will let you try them all out (and hide a transceiver for you to find) - it will be easy to see which you'll find the most intuitive but I've only heard good reports from novices about the Tracke.r
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Whilst I'm not yet at the stage where I need a beacon,hopefully I soon will be.Threads like these will then be invaluable.
One thing I do know.The majority of humans are useless at processing information whilst under undue stress.The emergency services(fire,police,piste patrols) undergo constant training in order to operate efficiently.The average recreational skier simply will not/cannot do this.Simplicity is,and always will be,key to any chance of success.That will be my main purchasing guide;along with the wise words of people like davidof 
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You know it makes sense.
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ski,
My skiing buddies already have their own. My other half is still very inexperienced so he won't be going off piste for quite a while yet - he's only recently progressed off the blues!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| snowskisnow wrote: |
One thing I do know.The majority of humans are useless at processing information whilst under undue stress.The emergency services(fire,police,piste patrols) undergo constant training in order to operate efficiently.The average recreational skier simply will not/cannot do this.Simplicity is,and always will be,key to any chance of success. |
I totally agree, I've seen people really go to pieces under the strain of a crisis and make some apalling decisions regarding safety. I'd prefer devices to be as simple as possible for use by people who may only experience a real avalanche situation on occasion.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| davidof wrote: |
Hi,
Regarding Recco, there was a very good article in the autumn “Avalanche Review” – the journal of the American Avalanche Association. The Recco kit, which I have used, can pick up any electronic devices – walkmans, mobile phones etc although it works best with the Recco pastel. However there are few live recoveries due to the time it takes the rescue services to arrive at the scene of an avalanche. I know they had a live recovery at les Deux Alpes a couple of years back. Recco can really be seen as a device that is useful for recovery off-piste skiing in close proximity to a ski domain. Since the 2 Alpes incident most ski areas in France have Recco receivers.
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Hi davidof, & friends,
Is that article available on the 'net? I haven't turned it up yet.
There was a live Recco recovery in Germany at Christmas. The press release link is a long one and I don't seem able to post it here so I'm taking the liberty of simply 'cut & pasting the article below.
Recco seems to finally be penetrating the US and Canada market, they seem to have cracked the catch 22 of 'if there are no reflectors why should an area get the receiver? & if there are no receivers, why should I wear a reflector? problem by persuading clothing manufacturers here (Arc'teryx & the North Face come to mind), and some boot manufacturers (all Atomic boots this year incorporate Recco reflectors) to include the reflectors, and if my understanding is correct they are giving away the receivers to resorts and S&R operations.
The old argument that it took too long for help to get there is still a factor but with satelite & cell phones increasing their coverage, I read recently that in Switzerland over 50% of callouts were by cell, and the average time for helicopter/Recco to arrive was 18 mins. So there is really no excuse not to carry a few Reccos!
Recco.com reports a new receiver being tested that will also search for transcievers at the same time, and even can pick up reflections from turned off cell phones, radios etc.
Here is the press release.
Hinterstein, Germany (Ski Press)-On New Year’s Eve, a 29-year old
German
woman who was caught in an avalanche and trapped under 1.5 meters of
snow was pinpointed with the RECCO avalanche rescue system and
recovered
alive after being completely buried for 45 minutes.
The woman and her partner had been snowshoeing to a backcountry cabin
when the slide hit, swept her 150 meters downhill and trapped her under
1.5 meters of debris in a narrow, hard-to-reach gully. The backcountry
traveler caught in the slide was not wearing a transceiver even though
the avalanche danger in the surrounding mountains was rated
considerable
on the international scale that day.
Luckily her partner was not caught and placed a cell phone call to
police, who then deployed Mountain Rescue of Hinterstein. Two rescuers
equipped with an avalanche dog and a RECCO detector were immediately
transported to the accident scene by helicopter, ahead of a rapidly
approaching storm and descending darkness.
After a 15-minute search, the buried woman was located with the RECCO
detector, pinpointed with probes and subsequently dug out alive and
conscious. Three hours after the slide, she was transported by military
rescue helicopter to a nearby hospital where she has since recovered
from the ordeal.
Even though RECCO has been globally adopted by ski resorts and is
utilized
often as a method of off-piste avalanche rescue, this successful
recovery
occurred far removed from the nearest ski slope. A convergence of
factors
including cell phone coverage in the incident area, a rapid air-based
rescue
response and a buried victim who was detectable by the avalanche rescue
system, which is able to pinpoint RECCO reflectors integrated into
commercially available ski wear, boots and protection gear.
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FAQ
Same goes for the shovel and probe. 
