Different backcountry users need different skills. A weekend
warrior doing laps in familiar terrain in a familiar snowpack needs a
different skill-set than the skier who does a destination backcountry trip each
season to a unfamiliar hut in a remote region. Similarly the professional user
has different needs than the recreational user. From ISSW to the many regional
snow and avalanche workshops around the United States this season, there has
been considerable chatter about the difficulties that avalanche educators have
teaching the many different beacons currently on the market.
In an effort to address different user needs, AIARE and the
American Avalanche Institute have begun to develop curriculums specifically for
recreational versus professional users.
Keep in mind, many “recreational users” spend so much time
in the backcountry that they may fall into the “professional user” group—people
who are out frequently and devoted to being masters of their craft.
From an avalanche transceiver development perspective,
Mammut has recognized different user needs for a long time, which is why we
offer the ELEMENT for recreational users and the PULSE with both basic and advanced user-profiles for ambitious or advanced users.
Below, we will review some of the PULSE Barryvox’s features
which cater to advanced rescuers. Details of these functions can be found in
the PULSE REFERENCE MANUAL. Many of these
features are also very useful for recreational users that are willing to spend
a little more time mastering their beacon.