Backcountry Access Tracker 2 avalanche beacon

[christopher]

Does anyone know what the real status of this is at this point?

http://store.backcountrysafety.com/qs/product/50/3305/226700/0/0

Backcountry Access Tracker 2 avalanche beacon

Product is currently unavailable.
» To backorder this product please contact us

Price / Prix: $359.95
A top of the line beacon - BCA Tracker 2 is the company's newest addition to avalanche beacons market. It retains the easy to use ability of the older Tracker DTS but it's faster and displays the search progress in real-time.

The recent news from BCA is that the Tracker 2 won't be available until fall of 2009. Therefore, we recommend to buy the BCA Tracker DTS if you are in an urgent need of an avalanche beacon.


Backcountry Access's Tracker 2 will be a strong competitor against the new Ortovox S1 which is being praised by many as the future of beacon technology. It will be interesting to see which one can lay claim to the "world's most popular avalanche beacon".

 

[76FOMOCO]

pm snowbigdeals or look them up and call.

 

[christopher]

I am waiting on them to reply back.

 

[christopher]

No reply as yet.

 

[76FOMOCO]

give them a call the have always been great to deal with!

 

[christopher]

I guess I can try that tomorrow.

 

[christopher]

Backcountry Access Signs Sponsorship Agreement with NSP

http://www.backcountryaccess.com/english/home/NationalSkiPatrol.php


July 7, 2009—Lakewood, Colorado – Backcountry Access (BCA), a leading manufacturer of snow safety equipment, has signed a sponsorship agreement with the National Ski Patrol (NSP). The diverse BCA product line includes Tracker DTS avalanche beacons, shovels, probes, backpacks and snow study kits. The Boulder, Colo.-based BCA is dedicated to avalanche awareness and education, a commitment that includes a variety of efforts to target backcountry users. These include the creation of more than 60 beacon parks worldwide that promote the practice of locating buried transceivers, extensive research on avalanche statistics and rescue techniques, the inclusion of an easy-to-read avalanche awareness guide in all company catalogs, and avalanche education tours.


“BCA is clearly a leader in its field. The National Ski Patrol is very excited about this opportunity to partner with BCA to help promote avalanche safety and awareness,” states NSP Executive Director Tim White. “We look forward to a long and successful relationship that will benefit NSP members and the public.”

BCA’s partnership with the NSP will be education-focused; the company plans to support a rewrite of the NSP Avalanche Fundamentals textbook. The new textbook is slated for release the beginning of the 2009/2010 season. NSP members will also be eligible for a discount on BCA products, including the much-anticipated Tracker2 beacon and Float 30 avalanche airbag, which will be released in fall 2009.

“With the Tracker DTS being North America’s most widely used avalanche beacon, we’ve had lots of inquiries from patrollers, wondering why they can’t order our products through NSP. Thanks to our exciting new partnership, now they can,” said BCA Vice President of Marketing and Sales Bruce Edgerly. “We hope this leads to even more opportunities in the future as we expand our product line to include avalanche airbags.”

NSP members will be able to order BCA products for the 2009/10 season using a discount code available on the “Promotional Offers” page in the log-in “Member Services” area of nsp.org. A pilot pro purchase program that began last winter was very successful. More information on Backcountry Access can be found at backcountryaccess.com.

About the National Ski Patrol
The National Ski Patrol is a Federally Chartered nonprofit membership association dedicated to serving the public and the mountain recreation industry. For 70 years, the NSP has been at the forefront of safety and emergency care education programs. The association's 27,000 members represent 98 percent of the nation's patrollers. For more information access www.nsp.org.

 

[SnowBigDeal]

Sorry I haven't seen this post up earlier. I haven't been around much lately.

I spoke with BCA recently and the Tracker 2 will be out early this fall. (I would expect by the first of October at the latest).

We have a functioning prototype of the Beacon at the office in Mt. Pleasant, UT if anyone would like to stop in and take a look. It has an amazingly fast processor, it picks up signals a lot faster than any other beacon out there.

 

[christopher]

then at long last it looks like it's for real.

 

[snowww1]

Tracker 2 is on schedule to be released this Fall. Definitely worth the wait. I had the opportunity to talk to some of the engineers last week and see the beacon in use. Very fast for pinpointing and excellent at multiple burials. They were telling me that they buried 6 beacons in a very small area and that the Tracker 2 pinpointed better than any other beacon on the market. Very easy to use. Mike Duffy

 

[christopher]

Well, its certainly on my list.

 

[john800]

Mike have you used any of the other new beacons? Particalarly the Pieps Freeride

 

[christopher]

Still nothing on the corporate website about an impending release.

 

[Surly1]

The Snow Big Deal guys showed me a demo of the Tracker 2 over the weekend (yes they had a demo version, actually two of them). Overall it is another nice beacon from BCA. Super easy to use (no button, you actually pull down on a slider at the bottom). And overall a similar look and feel to the current Tracker (just alot faster).

We did a couple of quick searches (and switching from send to recieve) to see how it worked, and how fast it picked up on a signal. I was amazed how fast it picked up the signal from the sending beacon. Literally in less than a second it picked up the signal, and you could pin point the location.

For comparative reasons, I also tried a Pieps Freeride. Very disappointed in this beacon. First off to get it in search mode you had to push the button three times consecutively. Yes you have to push the button three times. once the it went into search mode it took at least 2 to 3 seconds to pickup on the signal. From there you have a small LCD screen showing you the strength. As you turned away from the sending beacon the arrow (or pyramid display) would shrink in size, but never tell you a direction. Also it would take 1 to 2 seconds for the screen to actually update. Overall it was way to slow.

Overall, I would recommend the current BCA Tracker over a Pieps Freeride, especially for somebody that is new to the potentials of mountain riding (Pieps is too slow for a panic situation). When the Tracker 2 comes out, that will then be my choice for anybody looking for a beacon (that gets limited use with a beacon). Of course there is no replacement for training and lots of practice.

 

[XC700116]

Looks like I'll be upgrading soon then and keep the original tracker for a buddy.

Kinda hoping the "harness" is available in a little larger size too for us bigger fellas

 

[Nubulin]

I want one too.

They were supposed to be out last year.......

 

[sledmanhof]

Looks like I'll be upgrading soon then and keep the original tracker for a buddy.

x2
we also talked to mike and he showed us the demo and it looks so much simpler than even the original tracker. very fast and accurate for the pinpointing.

they told us they are suppose to be out around nov 1st.

one of the first things on my list to get before the season gets under way

 

[mad1818]

E-mailed BCA last week and now they say it should be out in December.

 

[christopher]

Seems like this is constantly being pushed BACK.

 

[AvalancheSafetyDude]

BCA told us last week that the Tracker 2 will be released on December 15. Same time as the Float 30 airbag.