These Are The 3 Best Avalanche Beacons On The Market

Avalanche safety equipment has come a long way since Dr. John Lawton invented the first avalanche beacon at Cornell University in 1968.

Gone are the days of placing beacons to your ear, wistfully hoping that the signal would increase. Nowadays, your beacon does almost everything. Whether that includes directional guidance systems that cover multiple burial situations or out of this world battery life, beacons sure have come a long way. But as you’ll soon find, there are a few that have been leading the charge in ingenuity, user access, and speed.

*Avalanche beacons only reduce burial time– nothing else.

These Are The 3 Best Avalanche Beacons On The Market

3) PIEPS DSP Pro Avalanche Beacon

Having used this model in the past, I can’t say enough about the speed and accuracy of PIEPS‘ transceivers. Also, this pro model specifically hosts one of the longest battery lives on the market and is super intuitive to use. The only negative feedback on the transceiver is the switch, in that it can be hard to flick to search mode with gloves on.

Features

Three antennas Plus self-checking reference antenna
Smart transmitter adjusts signal to allow for the easiest solution in a multiple burial scenario
Circular range for extended, Symmetrical search area
Mark and Scan function for multiple burial scenarios
Digital signal processor to pick up beacons transmitting drifted signals

Buy here: PIEPS DSP Pro Avalanche Beacon

2) Mammut Pulse Barryvox

While Mammut is normally known for its soft good offerings, its transceiver is one of the best in the business. When it comes to complex, multiple burial situations, the Pulse Barryvox remains unmatched.

Features

3 antennas for simple pinpointing in close range and for deeply buried victims
Digital signal processing in the event of several buried victims
Acoustic search guidance
Marking of found victims (mark) and removal of previously set markers (unmark)
Intelligent group test
Automatic self-test on start up
Suitable for use with gloves
High resistance to impact and breakage
100% Swiss made, developed and produced in Switzerland

Buy here: Mammut Pulse Barryvox

1) Backcountry Access Tracker3

Backcountry Access‘ new sleek, simple, and extremely light Tracker 3 should appeal to amateurs and experts alike. The new Tracker 3 boasts a lighter build, LED screen, and particularly its “Big Picture” mode makes identifying multiple buried victims a cinch.