Backcountry Access Slope Meter - 2008 BCS

This little thing is handy, much more durable than the life-link version, and easy to read. Use it often in avalanche terrain, a couple of degrees makes a difference. Because it only goes to 50 degrees, however, it's only good for being safe and not for bragging at the bar about how steep your line was.

An essential tool in determining slope angle... No more guessing or on party relying on an others "guess or judgement call", it's the ultimate decider of a slopes pitch.... Yes it could be a little burlier, but $30 a year to avoid death is pretty cheap for me..

this is by far the best slope meter on the market
great accuracy, durability, and consistency on command
you really can't get any better than this

These things break. Buy a nice compass with built-in inclinometer. It will be burlier, and is useful for more than 1 thing.

Does the job and always useful. Gives an important piece of data very quickly to help inform your decision-making in avalanche terrain.

They are a big larger than the size of a tic-tac container, as the previous reviewer noted, but still very small and portable.

Price seems a bit high, but I suppose you couldn't get much lower than $20-30.

this is by far the best slope meter on the market
great accuracy, durability, and consistency on command
you really can't get any better than this

iven the importance of this little gadget I'm staggered that they are not QC's before shipping.
Bubbles frequently stop the indicator from moving, plus it seems to have a pubic hair trapped inside the tube (not mine), and the bad news is that it's 2-5 degrees out on the flat. My minimum expectation would be for a 1 degree margin for error. At this price and given that it's a safety tool it should be spot on.

This really is a 1 dollar piece of kit so although may be useful the build quality even if it was perfect would be disappointing. I'll talk to BCA later and I don't really anticipate any problems and I know they can and do usually do much better.

I note the price has dropped by about $10 recently - another $20 would be better.

I then used the chat function with Jason today to see where we go from here. He responded with an answer which indicated that he either had not read my complaint or didn't understand it. He then typed in thanks for the chat and cut me off. This is pretty bad. ;o(

I'll try again and see what happens

This is a great slope meter, although it is somewhat pricey and there are other cheaper options available. I also feel like it could be more accurate as the black bubble is somewhat thick and you are only within +/- a few degrees of what the slope actually is. It does work very reliably and seems to be durable so far.

While I agree with some other reviewers that Backcountry Access could have put a little more into the quality of this tool, it does the job and is small and lightweight. Judging slope angle is much harder than you think. Eliminate the guess work in avalanche terrain and keep one of these in your pack.

This is a slope-meter ! It works ! You can be very safe in the backcountry by knowing the slope of the pitches that you are shredding. Although not a necessary piece of backcountry equipment, if you are interested in snow study and are curious about the slopes of your shots - buy one, they're the size of a Tic-Tac container.