Need advice on BC gear (probe, shovel, pack, snow study kit)

Fish_Sandwich.

Fish_Sandwich.

Active member
Title pretty much says it all.

I'll already have a beacon so I don't need that.

I know I need at least a 300 cm probe.

Avalungs? Should I just get a blackdiamond pack with one built in? I think an avalung would be a good idea probably right.

I'd like to keep it not too pricey, but I want quality stuff, so if you know of a few of one item that are different prices and are both good list them both.

Also what gear/brands should I stay away from.

I'm going to WWU so I'll be skiing Baker this year and I want to go out of bounds and ski BC stuff. Thanks in advance guys. I'll be taking the class at Baker too about avalanche safety and whatever else it is about.
 
Make sure you get a SOLID metal shovel. The BD shovel/probe-in-the-handle combos don't cut it. And DO NOT get a lexan shovel.
 
I looked at snow study kids and I'm not sure what one to get?

I can rent a beacon so I won't need that, I can't afford it right now anyway, maybe christmas or November for my birthday perhaps.

Does blackdiamond make good shovels too?
 
^wrong. beacon is the first thing you buy. every other piece of equipment is useless without it. buy a beacon, take avi classes, find out how to use your beacon, get good at it, save buddies/have sick BC buddies have enough confidence in YOUR ability to dig THEM out to actually ski in the bc with you and show you tricks/tips.
 
I'll have a beacon when I need it though. Aka when I take the class, before I take the class, when I ski, and every other time I'm learning or experimenting with it. Would that be alright?
 
Thanks a ton man, I already had you at 10/10 so can't do much more for you there. I'm really excited to learn new things and especially to ski some sick lines this year. My girlfriend is like scared that I'm doing this, whatever. I'm doing whatever I can to minimalize the risks.

Just a sidenote. It would probably not be the best idea to skin a rockered ski right, especially Donner Party's as the waist is 140 and it's reverse sidecut. If I skinned a ski would the Bacons be a good ski to skin if I ever wanted to do that.

Also, why are transcievers so expensive? The technology seems fairly simple.
 
The stuff in the kit is really for advanced analysis of the snow pack on a continual basis. What you learn in the level 1 avy will give you the basics to do your on the spot checks and recognize the larger signs of instability. The snow study kit is more useful if you are going to be out every day tracking changes in the snow pack etc. I would put the money to more useful gear right off the bat
 
Cool, that should save me a hundred ish.

Is the beacon that buy just put up for sale a pretty good deal.

I don't know much about Beacons, can anyone give me a description on them, and different types and how they work, or link me to somewhere that does.
 
The most important things IMO are beacon, shovel, probe. Then avalung if you are into that.

Owning your own beacon is important so you can practice, practice, practice and know exactly how it works, have total confidence, ect. That moment your friend is buried, your beacon and knowledge are his life. Skimping on beacon (or renting and not really getting enough practice) and getting a avalung instead is like saying that your life is more important than your partners' in the BC. (If I get buried I'll survive since I have an avalung and transceiver. If they get buried...I have a rental beacon and little practice)
 
Classes are really helpful, and the instructors make for a great resource in terms of gear questions.

Look for ease of use and range (amongst other things) with your beacon. The BCA Tracker is probably the most common, so it makes a good starting point. Also check out Pieps, Mammut, and Ortovox.
 
Have people actually survived thanks to the Avalung? It's been around 10 years so I guess it's legit, right? How much time do you have to get the tube into your mouth between coming to a stop and the snowpack setting around you? Or are you meant to get the thing in your mouth while you're sliding?
 
Oh, and about tranceivers. The most important thing is that your FRIENDS know how to use theirs. Get a Tracker and give that to your friend if they seem unsure of their own one.
 
I'm going to rent the beacon more than for when I just go skiing, I'm going to learn about it first obviously. Otherwise I doubt anyone would want to ski with me.
 
Or a used life insurance policy?

Haha if you buy a used one in person and test it it should be fine as long as you make damn sure to test it thouroughly. But buying a used beacon off the internet or without testing it deserves a swift kick in the nuts while wearing ski boots.
 
Haha

ok, I just figured they were pretty durable, and I'd figure out if it works and all first.

I guess $300-$550 isn't shit compared to leaving the mountain in a body bag, or not leaving at all.
 
Haha yeah just remember its the cheapest life insurance policy you can buy as long as you take the time to know how to use it proficiently.
 
Yes, that should work into my scheme of convincing my parents to aid me monetarily to help offset the cost of a Transciever.

Damn, I think I'll be good in convincing them, my dad thought it was great that I was taking a class at Baker and stuff.

Can anyone direct me to a place to read about safety things on the internet, or should I just buy a book or check one out, shit I'm in the library right now.
 
Most important piece of avy gear: partner. all a beacon is good for if you dont have a partner is finding your body. 2nd thing that not many people have mentioned, regardless of how good your equipment is and how good your partner is, you can be pretty fucked if youre in an avy. lots of people swear by avalungs, and im sure their good to have, but my opinion is that if you're alive by the time the slide stops, if you and your friends have the skill that you should, you'll be in fresh air within 10 minutes. the problem is breaking yourself in the slide itself. dont think you can go out in high danger terrain just cause your 'prepared' , assess snowpack every time, dont just check the reports, and if it is too dangerous, hit the in bounds stuff. it's not worth the risk. also, buy a beacon. you can say you'll rent it and practice lots, but to be really confident with it, you've gotta be able to whip it out and dick around whenever. as far as brands, lots of ppl like the tracker ,which is 2 antennae. to go for three, i think the best bet is mammut pulse. check the telemark talk link for like a life-time of reading on top 3 antennae beacons. for shovels, i love my G3 avitech shovel. the black diamond probes do look nice, though i really like to get matching stuff (call me lame), and the G3 ones are nice too. getting a cheap book as a primer for the course would be a great idea too. there are also some sites that have beacon/shovel or probe packages for a good price, just google something along those lines. if you do decide to get some skins, check out climbing skins direct. they make the only twin-tip specific skins that i know of (and regular skins can be a bitch on twin-tip tails). theyre cheap too. and made in the US. get bibby pros!!! i dont really know what i would recommend as far as a ski goes. but if you dont plan on trekking a lot, buy the ski you want to shred with, not the one that would be best for touring. hope this helps.
http://revver.com/video/310519/a-dozen-more-turns/http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=40835&highlight=pulse++dts
www.avalanche-center.org
 
caveman snaked that video link in there while i was writing. but it should really be watched. example of not making it even with amazingly fast partners.
 
i would help out but i don't feel like typing a lot haha, also nomen's got you covered. we should make an alpine touring cult
 
Although I have really no experiance in the back country, one thing I think everyone should have (besides the essentials) is a first aid kit. Even if it is just a basic one. A cpr mask could be very useful if you ever need to perform cpr on a victim you don't know. Also along with the avi course, a cpr/ first aid course could be very useful.
 
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