Before you buy your axe consider your needs. Will you be using it as a general mountaineering tool, in steeper terrain when ski/split mountaineering, will you be ice climbing or a mixture of applications.
Available now in very limited numbers (20 of them in Australia!) and only from Mont: the award-winning Ortovox Diract Voice Avalanche Transceiver, the number one item on gear lists of alpinists around the World.
When I head into the backcountry I pretty much have the same kit in my pack every time no matter how far I am from the trailhead. Looking at the forecast gives me an indication of what I might achieve not what I’ll pack!
“I’ll be okay...I don’t need a map...I know where I’m going!” Yeah right… good luck with that one. If there is one discipline you should develop above all the rest, it is navigation.
In the backcountry one of the best things you can do to increase your chances of rescue if required is to leave detailed information about your intended journey with a reliable person. Someone who loves you or cares about you & is going to know you are missing.
Perform a thorough check of all your gear & equipment at the start of each season & prior to every tour, it pays to be at a heightened state of preparedness ready to make the most of favourable conditions. If meeting a group at the trailhead, as well as talking over the intended route the night before you should have discussed the possibility of any shared equipment. Each individual should have their gear checked prior to commencement on the day by the group.
Thinking your tour through in its entirety as best you can helps to formulate a realistic & achievable experience. Due consideration will identify weaknesses which can be averted allowing you to maximise your day & increase your safety margin. Contingency plans are a must allowing you to have a Plan B if required & cater for unexpected accidents, illness or mechanical failure.