Gear Reviews

Avalanche Gear

Avoiding the White Room

The temptation with avalanche gear is always to leave it behind. You'll be carrying enough weight—even on day tours—to make you think twice about adding a shovel, beacon, and probe to your load—much less a saw.

When you do take them along, they'll likely sit, unused, in your pack trip after trip, making you even less likely to bring them next time. For this reason, I look for the lightest possible avalanche gear. If it doesn't weigh much, you'll be far more inclined to have it when you need it. The best avy gear on the planet is useless if it's sitting in your car.

It's also useless if you don't know how to use it—and if you don't practice regularly to stay familar with it. For this reason, I highly recommend taking an avalanche class from your local mountain guide or mountaineering school.