My buddies are worth it...are yours?

[EEEK FACTOR]

After taking my AST1 avi course this weekend I realized that my beacon was great for saving my a$$ but not so good at saving my buddies. All transceivers transmit really well, but without taking this course I wouldnt have realized that it didnt search so well (especially in multiple burial situations). I dont want to flame any company out there, because Im sure with practice my old beacon would work fine. I would however like to say that the Pulse Barryvox beacon(with heart monitor) as well as the PIEPS DPS are extremely easy to use. Dont do what I did...think because you have a digital beacon with a few arrows and a distance display that you're good to go...even the easiest beacon to use requires practice, no beacon is dummy proof but these two are very simple and accurate. I purchased the pulse and so did 4 of my buddies(cause they like me too). If you wanna ride with an old crappy analog beacon thats your choice but if you ride with me Im gonna trade you for the day. You can find me with the easy to use digital beacon, and I'll find you with yours. In a nut shell get trained and practice with your beacon it could be my a$$ youre saving.

 

[aebsledder]

Practice with the people you ride with too!

Our riding group did the field course last year and actually did fairly well...but far from perfect. One thing I did realize from watching another group do a search, you don't want the people you are riding with to be horribly out of shape. I am not saying you need to be in shape like a professional boxer, but you need to be able to move quickly over broken terrain (on foot) to give the people you ride with the best chance. One group last year had a couple of gentlemen in it who clearly had not gotten any type of exercise in the last 10 years and it was absolutely painful to watch them struggle up the slope. Another member of the group found the "victim" and he basically recovered it by himself. Like my title says it helps to practice with the people you normally ride with too. You will always have the same skills if you are in a solo or a group search with another group, but you will become more efficient as a team if you practice together. Oh yeah, and it helps to have good gear too.

 

[Tree Boss]

I noticed the same thing last year practicing for my 1st time with a beacon shovel and probe. It's not as easy as you think and practice is the key to sharpening your skills and saving someones life!!