Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon

Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon—The beacon you’d want your ski buddy to have if you got buried.

If you’ve recently gotten into skiing or boarding the backcountry and are looking for an avalanche beacon, you’re probably a little confused about all of the choices. However, if I am going to head out into the wilderness and ride avalanche prone areas, I don’t want a beacon that costs less money, I want one that could save either my life or my partner’s life in case the unthinkable happens and one of you actually gets buried. The Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon is probably your best bet, whether you are a newbie to the backcountry or a seasoned veteran. In fact, it is the only digital beacon with a real-time display that shows both distance and direction all while the victim’s pulse is being sent. In the past, beacons have been complicated and hard to use effectively, but the Backcountry Access beacon makes digital displays make finding a victim a whole lot easier and has made recoveries even by inexperienced users 75% faster than when using a standard beacon.

Because this beacon provides both distance and direction information, it can seriously reduce the amount of time spent searching for a victim—and when it comes to avalanches, time is definitely the enemy. The longer the person stays buried, the lower the chance of survival, so having a beacon that you can count on will not only give you peace of mind before you drop into a powder filled bowl, but could actually help to save your life. In fact, this beacon actually revolutionized avalanche beacon technology by introducing a digital transceiver with dual antenna technology. Since then, this beacon has been a best seller.

The quick & dirty:
Where you can get one:
Backcountry Access Tracker DTS $229.06

Why it rocks:

Digital distance and direction displays simplify searches for inexperienced beacon users.
Dual receiving antennas make it much easier to locate a victim with more precise readings–resulting in significantly shorter search times for both novices and experts.
Automatic sensitivity adjustment eliminates the need for manual volume controls.
Multiple search filtering helps isolate signals in the event of multiple burials.
Optional auto revert-to-transmit system can protect rescuers caught in secondary avalanches or who forget to switch back from search to transmit mode.
Bright distance/direction LEDs (light emitting diodes) operate efficiently in the extreme cold and in nighttime conditions.
Improved harness design provides comfort, speed, and protection to rescuers during search.
Battery life: minimum 1 hour in search mode after 200 hours in transmit mode (approximately 250 hours in transmit only or 50 hours in search only)
Weight: 10.5 ounces (298 grams), including strap and batteries; 8.3 ounces (200 grams) without strap and batteries.
Size: 5-3/4? x 3-1/4? x 1-1/4? (14cm x 8cm x 3cm)

Seat-of-the-pants rating: 10 out of 10

If you are buying an avalanche beacon in the hopes that if the worse happens you’ll have a chance at being rescued, then this beacon is your best bet. It has been proven to help people find buried victims faster, and in the case of an avalanche time is of the utmost importance. The digital display showing both distance and direction to a victim, along with the dual antenna technology, make this the beacon of all beacons. It is definitely the beacon I’d want to have on me before venturing into the backcountry.

Looking to Buy? Check out these sites:
Amazon: Backcountry Access Tracker DTS $229.06