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Backcountry

Mammut Barryvox S 2019-2020 Avalanche Transceiver Review

Why we chose the Mammut Barryvox S Avalanche Transceiver: One of the best search companions, regardless of experience level.

The best transceiver will always be the one you know how to use, but for those looking to upgrade or change systems, the Mammut Barryvox S makes an ideal search companion. Although a popular beacon of choice for more experienced guides and ski patrollers, the Barryvox S offers intuitive functionality and features that will also benefit more novice backcountry enthusiasts.

This is an upgrade from Mammut’s old reliable Pulse transceiver, (while the Element has now become the standard Barryvox) and boasts some pretty impressive tech. For starters, it has one of the largest search strips in the industry – up to 70 metres. Though this is somewhat of a red herring. However, while it won’t often give accurate readings at the limit of its range, it could still make all the difference when searching large avalanche sites.

“It has one of the largest search strips in the industry – up to 70 metres”

Secondly, the interface and display is now far more intuitive than its predecessor and eliminates any unnecessary confusion to let you focus on the search. The screen is larger and brighter, where the arrow and distance are more clearly displayed than earlier editions. If you’re walking in the wrong direction, it will alert you and tell you to turn 180° – hardly revolutionary, but still surprisingly rare on most transceivers.

There’s only a single button on the front panel, used for flagging up victims in a multiple search scenario and the side panel switch for changing between transmit and search mode is nearly impossible to accidentally switch over.

For those with more backcountry experience there’s a host of unique specific features.

For other members in your party using the Barryvox, they’re able to transmit the user’s heart rate, which will pop up during a search and rescue. It’s a somewhat morbid feature to discuss, and one that poses a few moral dilemmas, but could make that crucial difference when searching for multiple casualties.

You can also manually change the auto-revert setting from between two to four minutes. In scenarios where you may be searching for a victim is terrain that remains prone to additional slides, selecting a quicker revert time could make all the difference.

“The Barryvox S comes complete with three antennas to optimise the search signal, but also allows the user to switch between digital or analogue mode”

Lastly, there’s a pretty noteworthy feature for the old guard. The Barryvox S comes complete with three antennas to optimise the search signal, but also allows the user to switch between digital or analogue mode. Although the latter is somewhat less intuitive, those who are familiar with the older system will often find this the most effective method for searching.

Whether you’re a backcountry novice or a seasoned guide – the Barryvox S offers some of the best functionality, with one of the easiest interfaces out there. Ultimately, buying your next transceiver is a personal decision and, above all, it has to be one you feel confident using. It’s hard to see anybody having issues with this one, though.

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