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October, 2024

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PSA: Check your beacon at home.

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cydwhit
Posts: 5070 - Karma: 43,013
Just a little early season PSA prompted by a personal experience. Always turn your beacon on before you leave your house. I know it's not as snappy sounding as "on at the car, off at the bar" but if you check your beacon at home, you actually have the oppurtunity to do something about it. If you just check it at the lot, you're stuck waiting with a dead beacon while your friends tour.

Checked my BCA tracker 3 at home yesterday before I headed out. Turns out it's super messed up, won't turn off, and won't switch from Transmit to Search mode. Because I checked it at home I wasn't stuck skiing with a faulty beacon, and I was able to borrow a friend's and still head out. Same goes for dead batteries.

Happy touring!
Nov 12 2018 11:43AM
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God
Posts: 416 - Karma: 672
Just to piggy back this great advice, but you should check all your gear at home before going on a tour; especially your bindings. There’s nothing worse than having to finish your tour with a wired up binding.
Nov 19 2018 12:05PM
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cydwhit
Posts: 5070 - Karma: 43,013
GodJust to piggy back this great advice, but you should check all your gear at home before going on a tour; especially your bindings. There’s nothing worse than having to finish your tour with a wired up binding.


Yep. Totally.


I almost feel like I'm in a layered system of checks.

1. Check everything before the snow falls so you have time to order parts.
2. Check everything at home before you go out so you have all the tools and backups available.
3. Check everything at the car before you head up, that way you have time to fix stuff in a protected area, or track down a backup
4. Check everything before you drop in

If you get to stage 4 and find a problem, good luck fixing it. Try to catch all those problems when you have more resources available haha!
Nov 19 2018 12:19PM
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God
Posts: 416 - Karma: 672
cydwhitYep. Totally.


I almost feel like I'm in a layered system of checks.

1. Check everything before the snow falls so you have time to order parts.
2. Check everything at home before you go out so you have all the tools and backups available.
3. Check everything at the car before you head up, that way you have time to fix stuff in a protected area, or track down a backup
4. Check everything before you drop in

If you get to stage 4 and find a problem, good luck fixing it. Try to catch all those problems when you have more resources available haha!


I do almost the exact same thing! Except I’m notorious for forgetting the little issues. Like I’ll be completely safe but I’ll forget my downhill gloves, or I’ll bring a camera without a memory card.

Damn, I really need to make a list.
Nov 19 2018 12:34PM
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clorox
Posts: 1728 - Karma: 4,863
My friends and I all check each others beacons for search and transmit mode before a tour. Super easy but a final group check ensures that everyone has a functioning beacon and you don't trust your life to someone unable to find you.
Nov 24 2018 7:16PM
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JohnJonsz
Posts: 317 - Karma: 871
A few years ago I went to a byo beacon house party where the hosts periodically hid beacons along booze and beers for guests to go find around the house. Everyone brought bottles with proper names (jose, jim, jack, sam adams etc) so when people arrived or wanted a drink they’d do a beacon search and come back like “hey I found some buds!” or “yo I found JD!”
Nov 29 2018 2:23AM
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