After a year’s delay, the ballyhooed Ortovox S1 avalanche transceiver ($650) has hit the shelves. Breathlessly touted by Ortovox and backcountry skiing trade mags as revolutionary and the next step in the development of avalanche beacons, the S1 eases multiple-victim searches with a PDA-styled display of position and distance of up to five buried victims within a 60-meter radius. Once the beacon is atop a buried victim, the display shows how deep he is buried. The S1 ends the often confusing triangulation needed when moving from the point of one burial to the next in a multiple-victim scenario, a complicated process that requires some degree of proficiency to do quickly. The S1 promises to eliminate the learning curve. The flip-phone design is simple to use and includes an electronic compass, a temperature gauge and an inclinometer. But as with all other avalanche beacons, technology never can beat knowledge and avalanche awareness, so don’t go thinking this fancy gizmo is your ticket to avalanche-free frolicking. It is yet another weapon in the arsenal of avalanche safety.
Get it — Find a dealer near you at www.ortovox.com.
