How to survive an avalanche? Don't get into one.
Interview with Jill Fredston
(Eptstein, 2021)
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| Illustration by Slate Magazine 2021 |
The Canadian Avalanche Centre "Avalanche Canada" gear recommendation: https://www.avalanche.ca/gear
The BCA Tracker2 Avalanche Transceiver on epictv.com
Galileo-LawinenFon turns a smartphone into an avalanche transceiver (2014 link).
On misguided attempts to replace avalanche rescue beacons with one of a growing number of smartphone apps (2013, link).
The BCA Tracker2 Avalanche Transceiver on epictv.com
"The Tracker2 avalanche transceiver is used to quickly locate avalanche victims and is required equipment for ski touring and backcountry skiing. The Tracker 2 is one of the fastest and most precise pinpointing transceivers on the market. It features triple receive antenna, instantaneous real-time display, and the same easy-to-use interface as the Tracker DTS. A mechanical search/transmit switch is super intuitive making it easy to use right “out of the box.” Includes multiple burial indicator lights and Special Mode.
Galileo-LawinenFon turns a smartphone into an avalanche transceiver (2014 link).
"(in 2013...) the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) issued a warning about the dangers of relying on smartphone apps that were being marketed as economical alternatives to avalanche transceivers. But a new smartphone app and add-on hardware component could provide an alternative that is not only cheaper than dedicated avalanche transceivers, but also provides additional functionality.
On misguided attempts to replace avalanche rescue beacons with one of a growing number of smartphone apps (2013, link).
"Some people may be tempted to save a couple hundred dollars on an avalanche beacon and opt for one of several apps on the market. The Canadian Avalanche Centre does not recommend using these apps for actual avalanche incidents, however. It assessed three European apps – iSis Intelligent (Mountain) Rescue System, Snøg Avalanche Buddy and SnoWhere – before coming to the conclusion that they are unreliable and promote a false sense of security.
Avalanche airbags now offer wireless remote activation (2010, link).
"ABS has introduced a world-first - a remote, networked electronic system which allows airbag inflation to be triggered by other members of a skiing party, allowing them to help each other in an emergency.
This tracking system promises faster help for avalanche victims (2007, link).
"A new positioning system which will use Galileo, the future European global positioning satellite system, may prove to be a life saver for avalanche victims.
