Gadgetory

thomas fresh tracks and fewer crowds but it also carries considerable risks the Holy Trinity of avalanche safety tools is a must probe is to look for someone buried in the snow and then the shovel to dig them out and a beacon the absolute necessity to find someone when you can't see them beacons can both emit signals when you're lost and receive signals when you're searching for someone the newest in beacons is a third antenna oriented vertically if the first two across this way and that one can tell depth other backcountry staples include Avalon's that reduce the risk of carbon dioxide poisoning of buried in snow and the unfortunate event that you're caught in an avalanche you're more likely to be rescued faster if you're closer to the surface an airbag helps you float to the top to use it yank on this trigger airbag system from mem moot with its horseshoe shape is designed to prevent head neck and chest injuries current airbags inflate using air cartridges filled canisters aren't permitted on airplanes but a new kind of airbag hit stores this November Black Diamond has developed the halo 28 pack which uses a jet fan for inflation tistic show that you'll have a shallow a burial if wearing an airbag versus not as for the tech to avoid while some smart phone apps give the impression they offer beacon like features they fall short in many ways including battery life and loss of signal range in snow conditions arguably more significant is the incompatibility of these systems with existing rescue systems as well as the non compatibility with the apps themselves ask any Avalanche expert there is no get-out-of-jail-free card there's a general idea out there that if i have this equipment and i know how to use it i'm safe and that is really not true equipment is no substitute for education an avalanche safety course a good start in Lake Tahoe I'm see me das cnet for CBS News