Avalanches are a real life threat and
can happen at any time and to anyone. If your out in the BC wearing a
beacon a essential. The bottom line is, that if you are buried in a
slide, wearing a beacon will help you find your partners and improve
the odds of you digging them out with in the 15 minute time frame.
Here are some tips to improve your beacon skills.
Analog Vs Digital
Analog
beacons simply let you hear the audible deep when in receive mode. You
then search for the loudest deep. Almost all analog display a visual
indication of the signal strength.
Digital beacons display distance and a directional indicator to the buried victim in meters.
Immediately After An Avalanche
1 Make sure the rest of the area is safe form additional avalanche hazards.
2
Determine the number of victims as this will influence how the search
should be organized. (e.g whether you should perform a multiple burial
search, when calling for additional help, etc). You can determine the
number of victims by interviewing witnesses, using your transceiver,
and by looking for physical clues.
3 Once on a island of safety, have everybody change there beacons to either the off or search mode.
4 Look for visual clues (e.g., gloves, skis, etc).
5
Consider calling for additional help. When you should call for help is
very situational dependant. Be sure to consider (1) how many additional
minutes the victim will be buried if you do place the call, (2) how
fast the rescuers can respond, and (3) how you will transport the
victims once you do locate them.
Basic Search Technique
Primary Search
The
goal of the primary search is to receive a signal, period. If you
switch your transceiver to search mode and receive a signal, you have
already completed the primary search.
1 With your transceiver
set to search, move down the avalanche path until you obtain a signal.
The appropriate width of your search path varies by beacons.
Because
it is much easier to move downhill than uphill and you don't want to
repeat the primary search. When in doubt, narrow your search path. It
is always better to spend a few extra minutes searching a narrower path
than to end up at the bottom of the slide and have to repeat the entire
search hiking up. (Unfortunately, if the last skier gets buried, the
search must be done from the bottom.)
When using a single-antenna
transceiver, slowly rotate your beacon in all orientations (i.e.,
rotate your wrist 360°) to increase the likelihood that your antennas
will align with the victim's
Remember, the goal of the primary
search is to receive a signal. You should move quickly and
deliberately. Locating the initial signal depends more on choosing an
appropriate distance between search paths than on transceiver skill.
Secondary Search
The
goal of the secondary search is to get within two or three meters of
the victim. The secondary search technique varies depending on whether
your avalanche transceiver has a direction indicator (i.e., has
multiple antennas). These instructions only explain the directional
indciator approach.
1 Perform the primary search until you receive a signal.
2
Follow the direction indicator (i.e., the arrow or lights). If the
distance numbers increase, turn around and follow the direction
indicator in the opposite direction. (The direction indicator can point
in either direction on the flux lines shown in blue, below. You want to
be moving closer to the victim. The Pulse Barryvox and the Ortovox S1
will usually tell you to turn around if you are moving away from the
victim.) As you follow the direction indicator, slowly turn to reorient
the beacon so the arrow is pointed inline with the beacon.
3
Continue to follow the direction indicator. It will follow the flux
lines guiding you to the victim in an arc. It is not unusual for beacon
to give an occasional "blip" in the wrong direction. Pause for a moment
while holding the beacon very still to allow the direction indicator to
settle.
4 Move relatively quickly while the distance is more
than 10 meters. Remain calm and move deliberately. This is a bad time
to fall and become injured.
5 When the distance is less than 10 meters, slow down and pause for a few beeps each time the direction indicator has you turn.
6
When you are within two or three meters, you have completed the
secondary search. (On most beacon, the direction indicator will
disappear when you are within two or three meters.) Note that some
beacon will still display the direction indicator within the two to
three meter range. You should ignore the direction indicator at this
point and focus on the distance indicator as explained in the pinpoint
search.
Pinpoint Search:
The goal of the pinpoint search is to get as close to the victim as possible.
1 Perform the secondary search until the distance indicator shows that you are within two or three meters of the victim.
2
Only one rescuer is needed for the pinpoint search. Additional rescuers
should prepare their probes and shovels. If there are multiple victims,
additional rescuers should begin a multiple burial search.
3
Holding your transceiver just above the snow, slowly move it left/right
and forward/backward while looking for the lowest distance. If you are
using a beacon that does not have a distance indicator, move it until
you get the strongest signal. During the pinpoint search, it is
important that the beacon always points in the same direction (i.e.,
don't let it rotate as you swing your arm to the side). Similarly, keep
the beacon very close to (e.g., a few inches above) the snow.
Slowly
move your hand from side-to-side looking for the lowest number, and
then forward-and-backward while again looking for the lowest number.
You can use a bracketing approach to locate the strongest signal. I
sometimes put my foot on the spot with the lowest number and move it
only when I find a lower number.
Repeat this process until you find
the spot on the snow with the lowest number (i.e., when moving the
transceiver left/right or forward/backward causes the displayed
distance to increase).
If you have a one or two-antenna
transceiver, you may find more than one location on the snow that gives
a low reading. These are spikes. If this occurs, simply find a location
with a low reading and begin probing at that location. You may need to
continue probing beyond the starting location, but you know you are
very close to the victim and that you will find him if you use proper
probing technique. (See the discussion of spikes for details on the
distance and probing time.)
4 When you find the lowest distance
(or the strongest signal with an analog beacon), begin probing until
you strike something, leave the probe in place and begin shoveling.
5 If you have multiple victims, you will need to use special techniques to locate the additional victims.
can happen at any time and to anyone. If your out in the BC wearing a
beacon a essential. The bottom line is, that if you are buried in a
slide, wearing a beacon will help you find your partners and improve
the odds of you digging them out with in the 15 minute time frame.
Here are some tips to improve your beacon skills.
Analog Vs Digital
Analog
beacons simply let you hear the audible deep when in receive mode. You
then search for the loudest deep. Almost all analog display a visual
indication of the signal strength.
Digital beacons display distance and a directional indicator to the buried victim in meters.
Immediately After An Avalanche
1 Make sure the rest of the area is safe form additional avalanche hazards.
2
Determine the number of victims as this will influence how the search
should be organized. (e.g whether you should perform a multiple burial
search, when calling for additional help, etc). You can determine the
number of victims by interviewing witnesses, using your transceiver,
and by looking for physical clues.
3 Once on a island of safety, have everybody change there beacons to either the off or search mode.
4 Look for visual clues (e.g., gloves, skis, etc).
5
Consider calling for additional help. When you should call for help is
very situational dependant. Be sure to consider (1) how many additional
minutes the victim will be buried if you do place the call, (2) how
fast the rescuers can respond, and (3) how you will transport the
victims once you do locate them.
Basic Search Technique
Primary Search
The
goal of the primary search is to receive a signal, period. If you
switch your transceiver to search mode and receive a signal, you have
already completed the primary search.
1 With your transceiver
set to search, move down the avalanche path until you obtain a signal.
The appropriate width of your search path varies by beacons.
Because
it is much easier to move downhill than uphill and you don't want to
repeat the primary search. When in doubt, narrow your search path. It
is always better to spend a few extra minutes searching a narrower path
than to end up at the bottom of the slide and have to repeat the entire
search hiking up. (Unfortunately, if the last skier gets buried, the
search must be done from the bottom.)
When using a single-antenna
transceiver, slowly rotate your beacon in all orientations (i.e.,
rotate your wrist 360°) to increase the likelihood that your antennas
will align with the victim's
Remember, the goal of the primary
search is to receive a signal. You should move quickly and
deliberately. Locating the initial signal depends more on choosing an
appropriate distance between search paths than on transceiver skill.
Secondary Search
The
goal of the secondary search is to get within two or three meters of
the victim. The secondary search technique varies depending on whether
your avalanche transceiver has a direction indicator (i.e., has
multiple antennas). These instructions only explain the directional
indciator approach.
1 Perform the primary search until you receive a signal.
2
Follow the direction indicator (i.e., the arrow or lights). If the
distance numbers increase, turn around and follow the direction
indicator in the opposite direction. (The direction indicator can point
in either direction on the flux lines shown in blue, below. You want to
be moving closer to the victim. The Pulse Barryvox and the Ortovox S1
will usually tell you to turn around if you are moving away from the
victim.) As you follow the direction indicator, slowly turn to reorient
the beacon so the arrow is pointed inline with the beacon.
3
Continue to follow the direction indicator. It will follow the flux
lines guiding you to the victim in an arc. It is not unusual for beacon
to give an occasional "blip" in the wrong direction. Pause for a moment
while holding the beacon very still to allow the direction indicator to
settle.
4 Move relatively quickly while the distance is more
than 10 meters. Remain calm and move deliberately. This is a bad time
to fall and become injured.
5 When the distance is less than 10 meters, slow down and pause for a few beeps each time the direction indicator has you turn.
6
When you are within two or three meters, you have completed the
secondary search. (On most beacon, the direction indicator will
disappear when you are within two or three meters.) Note that some
beacon will still display the direction indicator within the two to
three meter range. You should ignore the direction indicator at this
point and focus on the distance indicator as explained in the pinpoint
search.
Pinpoint Search:
The goal of the pinpoint search is to get as close to the victim as possible.
1 Perform the secondary search until the distance indicator shows that you are within two or three meters of the victim.
2
Only one rescuer is needed for the pinpoint search. Additional rescuers
should prepare their probes and shovels. If there are multiple victims,
additional rescuers should begin a multiple burial search.
3
Holding your transceiver just above the snow, slowly move it left/right
and forward/backward while looking for the lowest distance. If you are
using a beacon that does not have a distance indicator, move it until
you get the strongest signal. During the pinpoint search, it is
important that the beacon always points in the same direction (i.e.,
don't let it rotate as you swing your arm to the side). Similarly, keep
the beacon very close to (e.g., a few inches above) the snow.
Slowly
move your hand from side-to-side looking for the lowest number, and
then forward-and-backward while again looking for the lowest number.
You can use a bracketing approach to locate the strongest signal. I
sometimes put my foot on the spot with the lowest number and move it
only when I find a lower number.
Repeat this process until you find
the spot on the snow with the lowest number (i.e., when moving the
transceiver left/right or forward/backward causes the displayed
distance to increase).
If you have a one or two-antenna
transceiver, you may find more than one location on the snow that gives
a low reading. These are spikes. If this occurs, simply find a location
with a low reading and begin probing at that location. You may need to
continue probing beyond the starting location, but you know you are
very close to the victim and that you will find him if you use proper
probing technique. (See the discussion of spikes for details on the
distance and probing time.)
4 When you find the lowest distance
(or the strongest signal with an analog beacon), begin probing until
you strike something, leave the probe in place and begin shoveling.
5 If you have multiple victims, you will need to use special techniques to locate the additional victims.
