Gear Reviews
Salewa Mountain Clothing: A review of the Salewa "Mountain Guide Edition" clothing here, and more to come soon as there's a new UK distributor for Salewa.
Prowire carabiners are a great do-everything carabiner. I use them for rock, ice, trad, sport and mountaineering. Wire gates don’t freeze up, they are easy to clip, lightweight, yet still big enough to handle wearing gloves unlike some superlightweight ‘biners. Different coloured carabiners for rope and gear end is a nice touch too.
My quickdraws came with the short stitched sling – not everyone’s choice for trad climbing but good on bolts. The sling is stiff and holds the rope-end carabiner tightly with a neat rubber insert - great for quick clipping but you can’t turn the ‘biner round.
A couple of years ago the Swiss Alpine Club did a huge test of snow shovels. Probably not the most exciting gear test, but it did prove a couple of interesting points! Digging holes against the clock over the 4 day test, the team of volunteers broke every plastic-bladed shovel digging in hard avalanche debris. And surprisingly, the smaller bladed shovels proved faster than bigger blades - digging in hard snow is more about cutting out blocks than shifting big volumes. In an avalanche rescue the time taken to dig out the victim is crucial – try timing yourself digging a metre deep hole in hard debris! Good equipment and good teamwork make the difference.
So, the conclusion of the test was that for an avalanche shovel the ideal design is a sturdy metal shovel with a small blade…which just about describes the Alugator Light. For off-piste and ski touring weight matters, and the “Light” saves 200g over the “Expert” by being a bit smaller with a shorter T shape handle, where the Expert has a D shaped grip. In use it’s comfy to hold, easy to assemble, and reassuringly solid, and at £40 it’s a bargain!
If you only use your shovel to build jumps and dig out the car then it doesn’t really matter what you buy. If however, your shovel is part of your avalanche kit then it makes sense to buy good gear – lives may literally depend on it. Imagine you have been avalanched and buried…then buy the kit you want your mates to be using to rescue you…
Again, thanks to V12 Outdoor for great service and good advice
I’ve been using the original Pulse transceiver for the last 4 winters – the first time I tried one I found it really easy to use and obviously so much better than my old analogue transceiver that I went out and bought one straight away. Speed is crucial in a search, and modern transceivers really are faster.
The new version of the Pulse looks identical to previous models, and has the same excellent harness – this is a good thing as my original Pulse has lasted well and after 4 years it hardly has a mark on it. It is important to look after your transceiver – they have quite delicate antennae which can be damaged by dropping, and all transceivers should be sent back for a service every 3 years.
The differences are all in the software. There have been several “tweaks” to improve performance, plus a new approach in what Mammut call “user profile”. When turning on the device for the first time you choose Basic or Advanced profile, the idea being to keep operation as simple and intuitive as possible - most transceiver users have limited training and any real search is going to be a highly stressful situation. In Basic profile some of the more complex functions are switched off, leaving you with a very easy to use “1 button” transceiver. You get distance and direction arrows plus clear instructions on the screen which take you through the search process. There’s even a prompt to slow you down if you’re hurrying!
Advanced profile is for users with good transceiver training. You can select more complex functions – switch to analogue mode, receive “vital data” from victims, adjust group check distances, adjust “return to send” times…and more. Fortunately each Pulse comes with a DVD of instructions! The “vital signs” function has been much talked about, but in my opinion has very limited use – i.e. multiple burials with few rescuers. “Triage” in this disastrous situation is discussed in the instructions. You can get the new software installed on old Pulses at the 3 year check and service.
The Pulse harness works well. Easy and comfortable to wear, it’s also really quick and easy to get the transceiver out of the harness in a search, even wearing gloves – 1 clip releases the unit and it’s held on elastic with enough reach to get the transceiver to ground level for the fine search. It’s surprising how often people struggle to do this with other transceivers, wasting time. One small drawback is that you can strap on the harness in the morning without switching on the transceiver – fine for breakfast but you need to remember to turn on later. In some systems the harness is part of the on/off switch so you can’t forget. But then of course you always do a transceiver check…
Unfortunately a transceiver is only part of avalanche safety, and the best transceiver is only as good the user. The 2009/10 Alpine ski season has already seen 2 skiers buried without transceivers – both died. Today, terrible news of 7 deaths in a single accident in Switzerland. So, buy a modern digital transceiver. Carry a shovel and probe. As with all avalanche gear, buy the best you can afford, the stuff you want your mates to carry. If your mates don’t have transceivers, don’t go off piste with them! Get some good training, and then practice. Read the avalanche bulletin and weather forecast, learn to spot danger areas and avoid them. Be safe!
