So, you got yourself a copy of Jared Hargrave’s excellent book, Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes: Utah. Your skins are cut, you can transition your setup lickety-split, and your beacon battery is at 100%… but before you go breaking trail, take a look at your probe and shovel. Aside from your beacon, these two items are the most important tools you can have in your pack, and not just for a potential rescue scenario. There is no excuse to bring subpar equipment with you into the unknown. MSR’s Striker 240 probe and Responder shovel are definitely above board, a fact I can attest to after a season of using them in the backcountry.
MSR= Mountain Safety Research. “Safety” is literally their middle name, so it stands to reason that they crank out some quality rescue gear. Their Striker 240 probe is no exception. 240 refers to the length (in centimeters), which translates to a probe that is convenient to stow even in smaller daypacks. 7075 aluminum construction gives users maximum strength with minimum weight, and this tool should last years thanks to the corrosion resistant steel cable. MSR claims that the probe is “ultra stiff” and is more accurate and efficient in search scenarios compared to other probes, a boast I was eager to test.
Luckily, I never had to use the probe in a real life victim search, but needed to put it through some legit testing. It was off to the Beacon Park at Solitude Ski Resort, where I spent an afternoon probing away in packed powder conditions. The Striker 240 probe impressed me at nearly every turn. Deployment was very fast and reliable; quick link tubing and the instant locking pin were easy to use: just pull the probe out of its stuff sack, give it a chuck and yank the T-handle…BOOM! When it came time to strike, I was pleased: thicker walls in the lower sections of the probe were noticeable when smashing through the dense snowpack of the Beacon Park. The Striker 240’s hits were straight and true. My search times need improvement, but this MSR probe is rock solid.
MSR Responder Snow Science and Rescue Shovel
You’ve located your victim, now it’s time to dig. MSR’s Responder shovel is billed as compact and aggressive, features a smaller blade for packability, and is made with hard anodized aluminum. I found the compact blade and neckless design to be very pack-friendly; this shovel takes up much less space than my old one. As far as its capabilities, well, it off to the mountains for testing.
Thanks to the diverse snowpack of the Wasatch range, I had plenty of chances to deploy the Responder shovel. Pits, pits and more pits! Putting together the Responder is fast and simple; snap the lock pin into place and then choose what length I needed. The serrated leading edge of the shovel did a fine job of breaking through dense snow layers, and though the blade is compact, it still did a great job when digging. The flat back is ideal for shaving smooth snow pit walls for test purposes. The whole rig is easy to use with or without gloves, and excelled in every type of snow I could find.
Both the MSR Striker Probe and Responder Shovel performed well in the tests, but each is not without flaw. The probe features a T-handle that is very helpful in deployment, but kept whipping me in the face during searches. Yes, it can be easily snapped onto the upper part of the probe, but what is the reality of taking this extra step when trying to locate an avalanche victim? As for the Responder shovel, personally I could find nothing to gripe about. However, a recent recall by the Consumer Product Safety Commission* has me raising a serious eyebrow.
If knowledge, planning, and luck are on your side, you might never have to use these tools for a backcountry rescue. But if you do end up as a potential rescuer, you better have full faith in your gear. MSR has built their name on great performance, and their backcountry tools did not disappoint me. If you are just assembling your safety quiver, or looking to upgrade old items, the Responder shovel and Striker probe lineup are worthy considerations.
*4,300 MSR shovels sold in the USA (and 340 units sold in Canada) have been recalled due to an issue with the lower shaft lock button. The buttons on faulty shovels have a visible slit in them, and may cause them to fail during use. Check the MSR website (http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/snow-tools/shovels/replaceyourshaft) for additional details on this recall.