A Proper Avalanche Beacon Check Can Save Your Live
An avalanche beacon is an absolute necessity for anyone skiing wild snow in a backcountry environment. You and your backcountry partners are responsibility to ensure everyone in the group has a fully functional beacon that has strong batteries and both sends and receives a signal. Check your beacon every single time you head out.
Whether you’re leaving your car at the trailhead or exiting the ski area boundary, take a few minutes to run through a proper beacon check. It’s best to run through a full beacon check that is designed to test all functions of every beacon in the group.
Here’s a system for avalanche beacon check that works well:
- Select A Leader – Have the entire group stand in a safe spot in a circle about 5 meters in diameter. It’s important to steer clear of other groups nearby during your beacon check. Get far enough away from them where their beacon signals do not interfere with your group’s beacon check.
- Battery Check – Everyone powers on beacon. Say battery strength percentage out loud. All beacons should have at least 50% battery power. They are now sending a signal and are in transmit mode. It should be silent.
- Search Mode Check – Leader asks group to switch their beacons to search mode, while leader stays in transmit mode. Once entire group is in search mode, leader asks each person to call out distance on beacon to the leader. There should be lots of beeping going on. Then the leader turns his beacon to search also. All beacon activity goes silent.
- Transmit Check – Leader asks group to turn beacons back to transmit and put beacons away for the day. Screens should face inwards. Beacons should be underneath clothing. After all beacons are put away, leader stays in search mode and walks down the skin track about 20 meters. Group spaces out and leader checks that each group member’s beacon is sending a signal as they walk past.
- Regroup – After leader checks everyone in the group, it’s time to regroup. Leader turns his beacon back to send and puts it away for the day. It’s important that the leader show the group that his beacon is in transmit mode before continuing with the adventure. This is a common error.
At this point all functions have been tested – batteries, send, search. There are other variations of beacon checks that work, but be sure you check every single function of every single beacon – that’s the key.
Throughout the beacon check it’s wise to silently assess your partner’s beacon handling skills. The way your partners navigate a beacon may reflect on their abilities to perform a rescue. Watch your partners for any red flags. This may factor into your risk management and terrain selection for the day.
The beacon check is a good time to ensure that the group also has other important safety gear – shovels, probes, first aid kits, rescue sleds, skins, backcountry repair kits, water, snacks. Ask now before it’s too late.
This simple beacon check will check all functions of every beacon in the group – Batteries, Search, Send. It’s simple and can be completed in under 5 minutes. There are no excuses for not performing a beacon check.
Practice with your beacon year round. It’s the only way to hone the skills you need in the event of an avalanche.
