Ortovox X1 Transceiver ($290):
An avalanche transceiver that sends and receives locational "find me" signals is mandatory backcountry equipment. And chances are that your heli operators will be handing you the X1, the world's first fully automatic digital beacon, well before lift-off. Without wading deep in over-the-top tech-speak, this electronic lifesaver rules in both range and direction by combining the tried-and-true technology of analog and newer directional digital search capabilities. In other words, it's the best of both worlds in one user-friendly transceiver. Its analog search capabilities are combined with two digital antennae and microprocessors that allow for directional searches, with distance displayed in meters. Range tallies at a whopping 70 meters, farther than other all-digital transceivers, which typically top out at 35 meters and don't have enough range for many big mountain slides. A series of colored directional lights keep searchers on course, and a numerical distance display comes up on the digital display once it's within 35 meters of the closest victim. In the final ten meters, visual vectoring begins as the second antenna kicks in, with directional lights guiding the searcher. Contact 603-746-3176, www.ortovox.com.
