J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by steverandomno

Thanks ise.

I'm really curious about the S1. It looks like a great idea.

PS - Both the classic tracker and S1 have minimum operating temps of -20C based on the technical data taken from the user manuals.

A friend of mine has asked for some advice on avalanche trancievers.

At the beginning of the season, I bought a couple of BCA Tracker DTS units. Having practiced with them a bit find them very easy to use.

I notice that the Tracker 2 will be out for next season and so my reccomendation was going to be to get the new version. However, I can also see good reviews of the Ortovox S1.

With the S1, I like the idea of being able to see signals visualy on the LCD screen, however the fact that it is an LCD display also worries me.

I had an old mobile with a similar looking LCD. The LCD screen stopped working all together below about -10C and I was worried about the same thing happening to the S1.

Has anyone had experience of using this unit in low temperatures?

The Tracker has a very rugged construction, which I like. However it is quite bulky as a result and I was wondering how rugged is the construction of the S1?

What are the pros and cons of both units? Does anybody have a strong opinion either way?

Take a look at going to Banff in Canada. There should be some good deals this season. The teaching there is great (and all speak native English). Sunshine Village and Lake Louise have some of the best beginner terrain available. I would reccomend that you buy some good boots if you plan on skiing a lot. Also, rather than hiring skis, you can pick up some cheap older model skis from a few years ago. Look for an old pair of atomic C9's or something like that. Even some second hand skis would probably be better than most rental models. It will save you money in the long run.

Don't bother with a dry slope. You will fall over when learning; so given the choice between carpet and snow, I know which I'd choose. You will likely learn far more in the first day of your holiday than in a one or two hour lesson even at the snow domes. When you compare the cost, a 1-2 hour lesson at the snow dome is about the same as a whole day of teaching in Banff (on a three day package). It's not worth it in my opinion.

Good news. I should post doom laden messages more often, it seems to work! :-)

It does look like BC/Alberta is having a raw deal this year. However, the Banff area can get a lot of snow late season. I remember skiing 21 cm of fresh powder at Sunshine on May 21st 2007. Keep an eye on the forecast, there is plenty of time yet.

I suppose having more shovels and probes in a high traffic area is one advantage.

I think you missed my point. The idea is to stress the danger. In an ideal world everybody would carry the full kit, know how to use it and know how to manage risk.

There are pseudo out of bounds places in north America where they enforce transciever use at the access point via electronic gates. I bet half the people that use these areas have no probe or shovel and no idea how to use the transciever. Even if they know how to use the transciever, it does not stop them skiing dangerous slopes in dangerous conditions.

I take your point about RECCO I did not mean to say that it can be relied upon for out of bounds recovery. Of course it is primarily an in-resort based system. (I didn't want to start a debate about RECCO). The point was that it would be used in these cases to recover bodies, and by pointing that out, you stress the danger. I suppose this is too subtle a point to be effective.

Whilst the aim of the fines is to deter people from venturing off piste unprepared, I think that all it will do is encourage those who do venture off piste unprepared to buy equipment, and take even greater risks. Buying the equipment does not prepare you. The last thing you want to do is cultivate the idea of trancievers as a magical saftey blanket that will protect you from everything. This is already part of the problem.

I hope I'm wrong and it kicks people into asessing what they are doing properly.