Ask anyone who goes back country skiing, boarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing… what piece of avalanche safety equipment they take with them and it will be Avalanche transceivers or beacons.

 

Pieps Freeride Avalanche Beacon One Color, One Size Pieps Freeride Avalanche Beacon One Color, One SizeSince 1972 Pieps has made some of the highest-quality avalanche beacons available, and with the introduction of the new Pieps Freeride Avalanche Beacon, the quality trend continues. The Pieps Freeride features one digital antenna for simple, easy, and clear operationall wrapped up in a package about the size of a cell phone. Idiot-proof and precise, the Freeride displays distance and direction of the buried victim, shaving precious time off your life-saving rescue.


 $198

Mammut Pulse Barryvox Avalanche Beacon Mammut Pulse Barryvox Avalanche BeaconWith their innovative Pulse Barryvox Avalanche Beacon, Mammut gives you the ability to perform pre-search triage and find multiple buried victims quickly. For all burials, the Pulse uses a 360 degree direction arrow that leads you along the shortest path to the victim and eliminates the need for a final grid search. For multiple buried victims, the Pulse Beacon can search for up to eight signals at once. A triple antenna eliminates all signals except the one you’re following and marks victims once they’re located. This beacon even shows you which signals are being searched for by other Pulse users, so your search is more efficient. If you’re the one buried, this Mammut beacon also has a motion sensor that detects vital signs and lets other Pulse users know you’re still alive. In avalanche rescue, efficiency is everything; this Mammut beacon shortens your search and buys time for whoever is buried.

 $490

Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon Backcountry Access Tracker DTS BeaconThe Backcountry Access Tracker DTS avalanche beacon can greatly reduce the amount of time spent pinpointing, probing, and digging during an avalanche rescue. For 2005, the easiest beacon to use just got easier. In 1997, the Tracker DTS revolutionized the transceiver market by introducing digital, dual antenna technology. Since then, it has become the world’s best-selling transceiver. With directional lighting and digital distance readings, the guesswork of finding buried victims is eliminated. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of BCA, the Tracker is outfitted with a new strap that’s as easy to use as the beacon itself. A series of improvements make the Tracker even more bombproof than before. As proof, it now comes with a 5-year limited warranty. Practice with your beacon often to keep you and your backcountry partners as safe as possible.

 $290

Pieps DSP Smart Transmitter Pieps DSP Smart TransmitterEven though the Pieps DSP Smart Transmitter feels like cheating in the event of a rescuethere is no cheating when it comes to digging out your best buddy. Pieps is the pioneer of the 3-antenna system and has been defining the term ‘exact’ when it comes to locating a buried victim. The Smart Transmitter provides superior results in multiple burial searches by eliminating signal overlap and synchronizing signal reception with other beacons for increased speed. All of which allows you to concentrate on finding your buddywhich means you can dig faster and search less.

 $450

Created by a team of skiers and techies in the late 1960′s and since the early 70′s the beacons became popular with professional skiers and soon caught on when lives were being saved. The first ones had a shorter range but plenty of battery strength to last a tour.

The price was high for the average skier but as with all things the demand brought the price down for more users. Today you can buy *peace of mind for under $300.  What you want to remember is that if you are out with other people it is most helpful that all members wear and practice with them.

Ortovox F1 Focus Avalanche Beacon Ortovox F1 Focus Avalanche BeaconThe Ortovox F1 Focus is the most popular Avalanche Tranceiver ever! The F1 avalanche beacon is widely used by ski patrollers and mountain guides in the US and Europe. This reliable analog only beacon uses a three colored signal strength indicator in the shape of an arrow together with a loudspeaker to lead you quickly to the buried transceiver using the traditional grid search method. Recognized around the world as the leader in analog technology.

 $199


The premise is if you are lost in an avalanche you have approximately 20 minutes of survival time.  You need someone to start searching with their beacons to find your location, once found they will use a snow probe to locate where your body is and start digging with a snow shovel, which are 2 items to add to the list of necessary avalanche equipment.

 

Ortovox F1 Focus Avalanche Beacon Analog, One Size Ortovox F1 Focus Avalanche Beacon Analog, One SizeThe Ortovox F1 Focus is the most popular Avalanche Tranceiver ever! The F1 avalanche beacon is widely used by ski patrollers and mountain guides in the US and Europe. This reliable analog only beacon uses a three colored signal strength indicator in the shape of an arrow together with a loudspeaker to lead you quickly to the buried transceiver using the traditional grid search method. Recognized around the world as the leader in analog technology.

 $199

Backcountry Access Tracker 2 Avalanche Beacon Backcountry Access Tracker 2 Avalanche BeaconThe Backcountry Access Tracker 2 subtracts weight and size, and adds real-time display and a third receiving antenna to the best-selling, dead simple Tracker DTS. The third digital antenna increases accuracy and provides a strong buried signal in any orientation, while the real-time display eliminates lag time, allowing you to narrow your fine search zone quickly when seconds count. The Tracker 2′s single search / transmit switch makes learning and teaching a snap, and reduces confusion when you hit adrenal overdrive.

$335


*Avalanche transceivers will not be enough if you don’t practice their use, if you are alone, you forget to turn it on or you become injured from the slide.