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danger by getting the right gear: an avalanche beacon (also called a transceiver). an aval'anche pole. and a reli able shovel. Many professionals also recommend learning to use an inclinometer (also called a slopemeter). a cheap and simple inclin'e gauge about the size and weight of a postcard. An avalanche is still one of nature's unstoppable forces. bUI if you happen to find your unfortLlnate self in the path of several million cubic feet of snow. a beacon may be your onli( lifeline to colleagues that remain. hope fully. on the surface. The wallet-size beacons work a bit like sophis
ticated divining rods. A buried beacon broadcasts a signal that can be received on the surface within a radius of about 260 feel. By adjusting the sensitivity of the surface be.acon. and carefully pacing over the avalanche's path in a grid pattern. rescuers gradually na�row their search until they are within a few yards of the signal. Then the digging begins. If this operation is completed quickly and efficient ly. lives can be saved. but anyone buried for even a few minutes has little chance of survival.
