Backcountry skiing is absolutely exploding in popularity and for good reason. It’s a fantastic way of getting closer to nature by traveling through beautiful alpine scenery under your own power with the huge reward of skiing or snowboarding fresh untracked powder.
And whether your preferred mode of travel is touring skis, a splitboard, or Nordic backcountry skis, before you go into the backcountry, it’s necessary to first educate yourself on avalanche safety and gear up with a few pieces of essential avalanche safety gear including a transceiver, a shovel, and a probe.
Avalanche transceiver
An avalanche transceiver is an electronic device, small enough to hold comfortably with one hand, that continuously transmits a radio signal. The transceiver can also be switched to a “Search” mode that receives the signal being sent and enables a searcher to track it. Transmit + receive = transceiver.
Important note: You’ll often hear transceivers referred to as a “beacon” so when using this term, it’s important to differentiate between a PLB beacon (that typically transmits an SOS signal without receiving) and an avalanche beacon (that transmits and receives).
If the person who is carrying a transceiver is buried under the snow, the other people in the group can switch their transceivers to “Search” and follow the victim’s signal to the point where they can start probing to find the victim’s exact location and then start shoveling to dig him out.
All avalanche transceivers, regardless of who makes them, work on the same 457kHz frequency, so they all work together, regardless of brand or model.
When searching for a victim, speed is key and while the basic signal is the same for all transceivers, several features can make your search faster and more efficient.
- Three-antenna transceivers – transceivers with three antennas really increase the speed and efficiency of a search because they have a directional indicator that points to the target. In addition, the number of spikes (or occasional false readings) is greatly reduced or even eliminated. Pretty much all new transceivers on the market these days feature three antennas.
- Multiple victim search – in the event of an avalanche there are times when there is more than one victim. Many transceivers today feature a ‘multiple victim search’ mode that allows you to zero in on one victim, mark the location, and then search for another victim.
- Automatic revert to send – it’s not uncommon that a secondary avalanche can be triggered on top of searchers while they are working to find a victim. Transceivers with this feature will automatically revert to send mode if the transceiver remains stationary for a certain amount of time. Other models revert to send mode if they are not exposed to light
- Group check – when checking to make sure everyone in your group’s transceiver is working before you head out, this feature will limit the search range to one or two meters to keep the transceiver from “getting confused” by multiple signals in close proximity.
Men’s ski touring gear | Women’s ski touring gear
Another important factor is where you wear your beacon. Most beacon manufacturers supply their beacons with a harness that is slung over the shoulder and around the waist. In the event of an avalanche, the waist strap can be released so that the beacon can be pulled away from the body which makes it easier to use while searching while still remaining attached to your body via the shoulder strap. A good idea is to wear your transceiver over your base layer, so you don’t have to take it on or off when removing or adding layers. Learn more about how to dress using the 3-layer system.
Having said that, some skiers prefer to wear their transceivers in other places, like a cargo pocket on the thigh or a pocket at the waist. If you do this, make sure the pocket is secured by a tight zipper and that the beacon is attached to a sturdy anchor point on your clothing or body using a strong leash.
One reason some people decide to wear their transceiver in a pants pocket is that any other electronics you carry – mobile phone, GoPro – can possibly interfere with the transceiver’s signal. So, it’s best to keep electronics as far away as possible from your transceiver.
Women’s ski pants | Men’s ski pants
Think about finding a routine that makes it second nature to turn your transceiver on before you ever set foot in the backcountry. A surefire way to do this is to turn it on and check the battery level when you put on your ski clothes. You can turn it off anytime you’re back on safe ground but always double check to make sure it’s turned off when you take your ski clothes off. Many skiers wear their beacons every time they go skiing, whether at the ski resort or in the backcountry so that wearing your transceiver becomes as routine as pulling on your ski pants.
Another good idea is to bring along extra batteries. Even if you do check your transceiver’s battery level every time you turn it on, your ski buddies might not be as diligent and the life those extra batteries end up saving could be your own.
Avalanche Probe
An avalanche probe is a collapsible stick that you use to probe for an avalanche victim who is buried below the surface of the snow. Once you have located an avalanche victim with your transceiver, you’ll then use the probe to find exactly where the victim is buried.
Probes come in different lengths, generally from 200 to over 300 centimeters (6.5 feet to 9.8 feet). Shorter probes are lighter and take up less room in your pack but obviously don’t penetrate as deeply into the snowpack. You never know how big an avalanche is going to be or how deep your ski buddy might be buried so it’s probably worth a bit of extra weight in your pack when it comes to saving someone’s life. If you ski in a place that typically has a deep snowpack, go with a minimum probe length of three meters.
Probes are usually made of either carbon or aluminum. Carbon probes are more expensive but many skiers like them because they are lighter than aluminum. Aluminum probes are a bit heavier, but they are less expensive and better at penetrating hardened avalanche debris.
Pretty much all probes have a quick deployment feature and, as with all your avi gear, it’s important to practice using it in the snow with your gloves on so that you are completely familiar with the process before you need it for an emergency. Being able to quickly get your probe properly set up when you need it is critical.
There are some ski poles available that convert to avalanche probes, but we strongly recommend against them. A dedicated, single-purpose avalanche pole will be faster, stronger, and easier to use, all of which can save an avalanche victim’s life.
Avalanche shovel
When an avalanche stops moving, it quickly transforms into a consistency more like concrete than snow. Therefore, it’s critical to carry a metal avalanche shovel that’s specifically designed for avalanche rescue. Aluminum shovels are lightweight and considerably stronger than plastic, which makes plastic shovels completely obsolete for avalanche rescue.
Shovels, like skiers, come in a range of sizes and it’s important to choose a size that works best for you. Clearly, your shovel should be small enough to fit in your ski pack, but it should also be big enough for you personally to move a lot of snow in a short amount of time.
Your shovel should have an extendable handle for more efficient shoveling. Some models feature handles that can convert the shovel into a hoe which is especially useful when there are two people shoveling, one of whom can chop and dig while the other can use a hoe setup to clear excavated snow from the digging area.
Your brain
This is definitely the most important piece of backcountry safety gear of all, and we highly recommend you never go into the backcountry without it! Before you ever step foot in the alpine, educate yourself on avalanche safety, and stay up to date on it for as long as you continue to ski. Doing so will mean you’ll make the kind of smart decisions in the backcountry that will go a long way toward keeping you and your ski buddies out of an avalanche in the first place. So, don't hesitate to book a lesson with a guide to learn more about avalanche safety and how to use your equipment.
Be aware of current avalanche conditions in your area as you plan your itinerary for the day. Stay aware of the terrain around you, identify snow conditions, look for evidence of wind effects on the snow, watch for snow movement on surrounding slopes and peaks, and don’t hesitate to stop and dig a pit when you want to know more.
If you’re in a group and you don’t feel good about the environment, don’t hesitate to voice your concerns and initiate a discussion, even if you are being told that everything is safe by a mountain guide or a backcountry skier with much more experience.
And finally, practice, practice, practice so that you are totally dialed on how to use your transceiver, shovel, and probe on the terrain and with your gloves on. Transceiver practice can actually be good fun and can be done anywhere there is snow and more than one person with a transceiver.
With the right gear, a headful of snow safety, and a whole lot of good, ol’ common sense you can look forward to many wonderful years of exploring the mountains in winter and slaying acres of magnificent, untracked pow in the process. And if you want additional advice, learn what pro skier Chris Rubens and ACMG ski guide/pro skier Greg Hill say in our video on how to use your beacon, probe, and shovel.
TOURING SKIS: FOR WOMEN for MEN
