The potential for a real game-changer in avalanche safety is coming from AvaTech in the new SP1 and AvaNet cloud-platform.
So what is exactly this new AvaTech SP1 and AvaNet cloud-platform? Whatch the video below.
Right now the system is in it’s first iteration and will only be available to snow professionals. The price tag certainly reflects this as well coming in at cool $1,500 ($2249 after the special introductory pricing ends) for the SP1.
While this certainly won’t replace any existing methods for examining the snowpack, more data and information is always a good thing. In the short-term it will be interesting to see how the use of this tool and it’s crowd-sourcing platform help improve avalanche forecasting and pin-point specific trouble spots to avoid.
As AvaTech states on their website,
THE SP1 DOES NOT REPLACE YOUR BRAIN
There is absolutely no substitute for sound judgment and experience. The avalanche problem is incredibly complex and we are not building a magic wand to solve it. The SP1 is simply a tool that helps you gather more information about the snowpack more quickly, with the ability to SHARE this information real-time, to help you and others make more informed, data driven decisions. The tool in no way collects all the information you would need to make standalone decisions in avalanche terrain. It is your responsibility to also gather information about the weather, avoid terrain traps, conduct stability tests, review local avalanche reports, etc. The SP1 is a powerful tool that can help you make better decisions, but these decisions are ultimately your own.
Long-term it will be exciting to see if they develop a more recreational-friendly model in both use and price. Ultimately, given the crew of people working on this product and it’s ability to save lives, it seems as though the potential is there. We hope so!
What do you think? Game changer or just another gadget? Let us know in the forums here.
Just remembered you need some new Avy Gear for the coming season? Check out our shop pages here .
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