Avalanche Equipment

Avalanche Search & Rescue Equipment

There are various pieces of off piste equipment available to skiers and snowboarders. The bare minimum that a person must carry with them is a transceiver, a shovel and a probe but there are some other supplementary options available too.

Transceivers

All transceivers work on the same frequency and all makes and models are compatible with each other. The best transceiver is not necessarily the most expensive one but the the one that you have practised with and are able to use most efficiently.

Where possible buy a modern digital transceiver as the newer models have isolation functions that makes searching for multiple victims easier and are far simpler to use than the older analogue versions. Ortovox, Mamut and Peips all make transceivers and are usually available to buy in most ski resorts.

Shovels and Probes

Shovels are available in metal and plastic and metal one will usually be stronger. The longer your probe the better and although they come in different sizes, 140cm, 240cm and 320cm, 240cm is the smallest that is suitable for use in real avalanche terrain.

Shovels and probes are essential when travelling in the backcountry. Without a probe to accurately locate a victim and shovel to move the snow recovery times increase massively and a victim buried under a metre of snow will take almost an hour to recover.

It is often possible to buy a beeper, shovel, probe and backpack at a discounted price at ski shops in Chamonix if they are purchased together.

Air Bag System (ABS)

An ABS is a backpack that houses two large inflatable bags that can be deployed by pulling a cord. In the event of an avalanche the victim pulls the cord and triggers the compressed gas canister housed in the backpack. The inflated bags then keep the victim on the surface of a moving avalanche eliminating the chances of burial.

Avalung

An Avalaung is a device worn on the outside of a skier/snowboarders clothing or is built into a backpack that allows a buried victim to breathe under the snow.

The Avalung has a small snorkel-like mouth piece that a buried victim breathes through. Oxygen is dawn from the snow and waste carbon dioxide is deposited behind the victim allowing them to remain alive under the snow for up to an hour.

Avalanche ball

An avalanche ball is a marker system that increases the chance of being found by leaving a visible reference point on the surface of an avalanche.

When the victim is taken by a slide the ball is released. Although the victim is buried the ball remains on the surface attached to them by a length of cord allowing the rescue party to begin digging directly above the buried victim.