Gear Guide to Mammut Element Barryvox
Posted by Nicki | January 25, 2012
The Mammut Element Barryvox could save your life - and those of your companions.
In an emergency, every second counts. And never more so than in the mountains during winter, where avalanches can be all too common.
The Mammut Element Barryvox, quite simply, is programmed to find bodies buried in the snow, thanks to its triple antennas which pinpoint victims at close range or more deeply buried.
Developed to combine high performance with simple ease-of-use, the Element Barryvox with its one-button operation and clearly laid out display makes it totally user-friendly, guaranteeing fast and precise location in the event of an accident.
With a crystal clear read-out display to ensure errors are kept to a minimum, the Element’s extremely robust housing provides effective protection against impact or breakage in the event of a fall.
100% Swiss made, with at least 200 hours of battery life and a five-year Mammut warranty, this is one piece of kit that should become an essential for anyone planning to ski off-piste and off the beaten track.
Changing Tone
Most digital transceivers have a tone that alters as you get closer to your target. The Element goes one better, and also has a pronounced tone change if you drift off course while searching.
Once it has received a signal, the slimline device guides you to follow a curved flux line on screen, with displayed arrows correcting you to right or left as you follow the tone.
It will give an overview of distance and direction of victims, as well as the number, and in a multiple burial situation will allow you to quickly move onto a second victim once the location of the first has been established, leaving others to begin the rescue operation.
The accuracy of signal analysis even in complex situations will promptly set you on the correct path, ideal for those less experienced trying to keep calm in serious situations.
Weighing just over 200g, the Element Barryvox measures a compact 11 x 7.5 x 2.5 cms, and will stow away easily in a pocket or rucksack.
With an average of 30 avalanches every year in the Austrian Tyrol alone, this Mammut transceiver could literally be a life-saver.
Optimally suitable for backcountry skiing, expeditions and classical Alpinism, winter hiking, ice climbing and snow shoeing, the Element Barryvox is used and recommended by the military.
