Pieps Freeride Avalanche Beacon

While Dave is right about there being better beacons out there if you are well practiced with a beacon then you will have the best results.

This one is great if you are in and out of the area it is small and light so it is easy to carry along. I think this is important because then there is never a question and having your beacon becomes just as much of a part of your standard load as your Ipod or phone.

It doesn't have the same range as my prized Ortovox M2 it is way smaller and way less offensive to carry. It was not long ago when we all had analog beacons with just a pinging sound to guide us and by that measuring stick this is a very effective and easy to use unit. I would much rather have a beginner looking for me with this rather than something like an old F2

Start saving, Hunter. The Freeride is a single-antenna beacon. Your friends will be able to find you, but you will have a lot of trouble finding them. Even with practice, as some of the reviews mention, you'll be hampered by a significantly shorter range. Save up the extra $72 and get the Tracker. Or save an extra $78 and get the Arva Evolution 3+. You've obviously spent some money on other gear. If you can't afford a reliable beacon, you can't afford to be in the backcountry.

This thing was so easy to use and straight forward it was ridiculous.

I like mine. The range is ok, and it could have more features. But the best part of this unit is its size. Its about 2/3 the size of most, so it is light and easy to carry, this means you will have no excuse not to carry it everywhere every day.

You are better off buying a BCA Tracker. It is very easy to use especially if you have little experience with beacons. The Freeride will work, but it is not the easiest beacon to use. Hence the only $199 price tag. The beacons that start at 299 tend to be easier to use and more feature ruch

Yes this beacon would work for snowmobiling. This is a pretty basic model and will get the job done. The beacons that retail for about $300 have more features and are easier to use. You should always know how to use your beacon and practice. A beacon is no good if you do not know how to search for your buddy when he is dying. Taking an Avy level 1 course will tach you a lot of the skills need for traveling in the backcountry.

Any beacon that was made in the last 10-12 years operates on the 457 frequency. You may find some old beacons which do not, but most of them do.

The international standard frequency for all beacons is 457 kHz.

The arrow gets bigger when you are pointed more directly toward the signal. It is super intuitive you understand what you are looking at directly.

From what I've heard, the arrow does not point to indicate direction like those on a multiple antenna device. Instead, it grows larger to indicate signal strength. When the arrow is at it's longest, the device will be pointing in the direction along the flux line towards (or away from) the transmitting beacon.

This is similar to the arrow on the Ortovox M2 (which I have used)

the pulse and s1 both have DOUBLE the range that the freeride has.

Sure, you gotta be able to use your equipment to its potential. But with safety equipment I simply can't see any other option than to get the best gear I can possibly own.

That sometimes (not always) means paying a premium; but if that money means you drag your friend out of the snow a few minutes before his last breath rather than a few minutes after... well... I think you get the picture.

There are things more valuable than money...

(I spend around 100 days on snow each year and use a DSP)

I agree, a BCA Tracker is more expensive but much easier to use and more reliable. If you are only out 2-3 days a year, the last thing you need is to try and remember how to use the thing when your buddy is buried and you're freaking out. Practice with any beacon is important, but I was able to teach my 10 year old brother how to use my tracker in about a minute. Remember, if you have to actually use this beacon, it will be to save someone's life, get something you can use confidently. If you can, try out a few and then make the decision.

Spend the extra money and get a mammut beacon,it will more than pay off in the long run!

I'd buy the Tracker DTS from Backcountry Access. It is very easy to learn how to use, and relatively inexpensive. It's a great choice for someone who is new to beacon use. The Pulse and S1 have a distinct advantage for multiple victim burial situations, but those situations are rare, and I'd venture to say extremely rare in resort accessed side-country. http://www.backcountry.com/store/BCA0018/Backcountry-Access-Tracker-DTS-Beacon.html

Ive worked at a ski resort for the past 2 year and both years have witnessed slides that have come in bounds and taken out skiers who were in bounds!

RECCO IS NOT AN AVALANCHE RESCUE SYSTEM!!! You need to purchase an avalanche specific rescue beacon, a transceiver (which means that it can both send and receive signals). RECCO is great if you're lost in the woods near a ski resort. It is not suitable for an avalanche rescue scenario.

I've not used this model, but if you are skiing inbounds only this would probably be overkill. An alternative that you might consider is purchasing clothing with the RECCO logo (several items on this site have it) or purchasing a separate tag made by RECCO ($20 or so). The RECCO system is used by many ski resorts to locate avalanche victims. You can go to http://www.recco.com/resorts/north_america.asp to see if your favorite ski resorts use the system and how it works.-------------------To directly answer your question, although I do agree with what has been said above, the Pieps Freeride does an excellent job at sending a signal. So this will work for you, however this beacon does not do well searching for others.-------------------The Recco system is essential a body recovery system. It takes too long to get the equipment on site. If someone is caught in an avalanche, they have a 92% chance of surviving is recovered within 15 minutes. Those chances drop to only 30% after 35 minutes.The first thing a patroller will do when arriving at an avalanche site is do a sweep with their beacon. As such, this is a good beacon for wearing in bounds, where you won't need to look for someone. ---------------------------------------Agree with the last point. Every patroller carries a beacon and can search immediately upon arriving at the scene whereas they will have to send for a RECCO detector (top shack?). Waiting for the RECCO detector to arrive on-scene would be a bummer if you were buried. RECCO is cute, but it's a better 'sales pitch' than practical avie survival. Please keep in mind that despite this winter's unfortunate accidents, it's tremendously unlikely to ever be buried in an in-bounds slide.

Yes, the Freeride transmits similarly if not the same,however, you would not want to be looking for your wife with the Freeride.

ok the patroller has three antenna, but that doesn´t mean that the pieps freeride lacks in search, lacks in search in the hands of someone who doesn´t know how to use any type of beacon, I could use a barryvox, but if I don´t know how to use the product it is just like having a 20 year old or 10 year old beacon like my old pieps, which didn´t have digital readout and only the beeping sound with a signal strength indicator, so lets say you could go out with a group of people and if someone has a S1 or a DSP its good enough that with this person they would find you quicker than the Pieps freeride, but let me a sure you that I could find you as quick as a DSP or S1 with this pieps and you could chrono me that in less than 2 min I could find you.

Before going into the backcountry, even before buying or even shopping for backcountry gear you need to talk to some experienced people. Most places near ski areas have touring clubs and such that have monthly meetings during the winter, or ask your local gear store about avalanche safety seminars.

Everyone in your party has one, and they're all on "transmit" mode. If someone gets buried, everyone who isn't buried switches to "receive" mode (every beacon has both) and finds you. If you're on your own, it won't help you, but then again if you're on your own in avalanche-prone territory, you're an idiot. Don't ever do that.

I do not recommend this beacon. This is low end and does not give you directional indicators. if you are at all serious about BC skiing, get the DPS, or Tracker--------------I second what he said, I would look towards the DSP if you are serious about your life and the other's you are skiing with.

Go for the Ortovox F1, the technology is much better than a single antenna digital beacon. I would not want you looking for me with this peips. - MikeBoth the F1 and Freeride are single antenna beacons. I don't want you looking for me with either. - Oz

In a nutshell, single antenna. Thus no direction indicators to help in finding a burial, spikes in the signal, etc. Try this site for a good overview of the transceiver: http://beaconreviews.com/transceivers/Specs_PiepsFreeride.htmThis is "better then nothing", but I would not want you to tour with me if you only had this.