Talkin' Avalanche Probes

Reuben from Next Adventure wants to talk to you about avalanche probes. Why you should carry one in the backcountry, probe lengths, materials, and usage are all covered. Hey, I’m Reuben from Next Adventure. We’re in the backcountry department talking about probes, the differences, and why you should carry one. Probes are a necessary part of any avalanche kit. In the event of an avalanche, you need a beacon in order to locate any buried persons, a probe to pinpoint their exact location, and a shovel to dig them out. Without one of these three, your kit is incomplete. Probes are made from three primary materials, aluminum, carbon, and steel. Steel probes are heavy and are primarily used by guides. Your average recreational user is going to carry either an aluminum probe or a carbon fiber probe. Contrary to popular belief, the advantages of a carbon probe are not due to strength or weight. In order to make the carbon fiber just as strong as the aluminum, they need to make it bigger, meaning that the carbon and aluminum probes will generally weigh in the same range. The real difference between a carbon fiber and an aluminum probe is going to be deflection. The difference between a carbon fiber and aluminum probe can be seen when they are held side by side. Notice how the flexibility of the aluminum probe on the right allows it to dip down while the carbon fiber probe sticks almost straight out. What this means is that when probing snow, the aluminum probe will take the path of least resistance and even though the probe appears to be going straight down into the snow it may actually deflect off to the side. Carbon fiber, on the other hand, will generally go in a straighter course down into the snow and may lead to the quicker discovery of a buried victim. Every probe is going to have its own deployment system allowing the user to throw it in the air and fully deploy it before it gets caught on debris on the ground. Consider which deployment system you prefer when buying a probe. Next Adventure carries probes from Ortovox, Voile, G3, Black Diamond, Mammut, Arva, and BCA. Now, many brands are going to carry different lengths of probes. The common ones are 240, 280, 300, and 320. The probe you choose will generally be dictated by the kind of snowpack that you’ll be traveling in. For the Cascades in springtime, most people can get away with a 240 or 280. When traveling in heavier, denser, and thicker snowpack it’s not a bad idea to get a longer probe such as a 300 or a 320. If you’re doing any sort of snow study, consider using a longer probe such as a 300 or a 320. This is where a steel probe may come in handy if you’re going to be doing lengthy probes all day long and not covering a whole lot of terrain throughout the day. If you’re getting out in the backcountry definitely stop by Next Adventure and make sure that you are carrying a full avalanche kit with you, including a probe. Check out the full selection of probes at Next Adventure!