You’ll soon be able to add another avalanche safety device to your arsenal, as new and innovative gear is being invented. Along with the basics like shovel, probe and beacons, we’ve seen innovations like Black Diamond’s Avalung, then air bag packs, and now the ROTAUF MRK5 avalanche marking device.
Looking at the ROTAUF MRK5, it’s hard to tell exactly what it does or how it works. But upon further inspection, this little device is so remarkably simple, that it makes one wonder why we haven’t been backcountry skiing with these on our bodies all along.
ROTAUF is a company based in Switzerland, and they say the MRK5 is a supplement to the standard avalanche rescue equipment. In case of an avalanche, you simply grab a handle on the device and cast it away. A brightly colored float inflates immediately. During a slide, the float rises to the surface of the snow and remains attached to you by a durable cord. When the avalanche stops, your buddies can immediately locate you by finding the float and following the string to where you are buried.
Combined with a typical beacon search, having the highly visible float marking the approximate location of a slide victim can save tons of valuable time as you can get into the general area of a slide victim to begin a beacon search and zero in on the victim.
The MRK5 is about the size and weight of a smartphone, and ROTAUF says it can be integrated into jackets, backpacks, and harness-systems.
Check out the demonstration video:
Here’s the technical specs of the MRK5 from the ROTAUF website:
TECHNICAL DATA:
Dimensions – 3 x 5 x 13 cm
Total weight – 150g
Weight of the float – 120g
Volume of the float – 4l to 8l (depending on altitude)
Lenght of the cord – 5m
I’m really curious about this new innovation, and wonder if any real-world testing has been done to it. I don’t see any data in that regard. But not only does it seem like a no brainer, it also looks so simple that it will probably be a lot less expensive than dropping $1,000 on an avalanche air bag. Hopefully that will be the case.
I also wonder if it will only be integrated into jackets and packs, or if it will be sold individually so you can attach it to your current gear… that way we won’t have to buy new garments just to get this device. Either way, combined with a beacon and Avalung, the ROTAUF MRK5 may be the thing that completes the avalanche safety trifecta. No word yet on when the MRK5 will be available for purchase in the United States. But if you’re interested, see it for yourself at the ROTAUF website.