Plain and simple: Pieps iProbe is the most advanced avalanche probe ever. With its beacon-like capabilities it almost degrades other probes to just “poking sticks”.
If you haven’t heard about it before then let this be your intro to this very cool piece of avalanche safety equipment.
For more technical information and description see this page – Pieps iProbe avalanche probe.
Why is the Pieps iProbe so special?
The iProbe is a carbon avalanche probe that uses only one AA battery to power it’s “small beacon” that captures the signal of buried avalanche beacons from two meters away!
What does this really mean?
It means that once you locate a victim with your avalanche beacon (which usually works to about two meters away) you are not relying only on your skills and “feel” to determine whether you struck “the target” or not during the pin-point search.
The iProbe provides you with an instant sound feedback as you get closer to a victim (just like with an avalanche beacon), until it goes wild with a continuous beep. Then you know you found what you were really looking for and not just the victim’s backpack as it can easily happen with a normal probe.
While the iProbe is compatible with (can search for) all avalanche beacons its role is further enhanced when it comes to specific iProbe compatible beacons – Pieps DSP and Pieps Freerider:
In that case, you can deactivate a buried beacon via the iProbe (stop if from transmitting), no need to dig the person out and turn off their device manually. This is a great feature when used by an experienced user, especially for solving multiple burial scenarios.
The bigger picture: why does the iProbe matter?
The iProbe matters because it shows how a quite simple and obvious enhancement can greatly improve the role of avalanche probes in the future.
It also matters just like the iPod matters – whether a fan or not, we all have to admit, its touch screen interface helped to revolutionize the whole industry. It didn’t show a brand new direction but it showed that the direction was feasible by all means. This is something the iProbe can do for avalanche safety.
Pieps iProbe stands out from the crowd of all avalanche probes, which is really becoming just a crowd since we are getting more of the same only with a different brand name on it. (i.e.: Backcountry.com alone sells over 25 avalanche probes which is still only about half of all probes on the market.)
Why should you want one?
By now, you most likely see the benefits of the iProbe – in case of an accident we all would want to find our friends as fast as possible.
Because of its signal receiving ability the iProbe makes victim pin-pointing much more accurate and quicker. This would be especially true for less experienced skiers, boarders or sledders. With little experience it is difficult to tell the difference between hitting the ground versus hitting a body while probe. The feeling (sensations) in your fingers are confusing, never mind wearing big gloves.
The iProbe is becoming very popular with mountain guides and should also become more mainstream. Its cost, however, can be little intimidating.
We are used to paying about $70 for a good probe. The iProbe sells for about $190 – $210 which is quite a bit more. But if we can spend $700 for new skis or sled improvements almost every year then we should be willing to spend $200 for the iProbe at least once in our life-time, right?
For more technical information and description see this page – Pieps iProbe avalanche probe.