Tech comes to the rescue in winter sports

When it happens, there’s no time to think.

Survivors have described it as being pounded, pummeled and swept away. They cannot move. Pants, jackets and shoes come flying off.

In seconds, victims could be buried under 2,000 pounds of snow.

Survival hinges on 15 minutes, the amount of time backcountry experts give to survive an avalanche.

I don’t plan on going to the backcountry, areas that are outside of sanctioned trails, any time soon — or ever. I’m strictly on the greens when it comes to my sporadic snowboarding, and that’s fine with me.

But I do like going snowshoeing and I know there might be a time when I wind up in territory where there could be a slide. Already this season, avalanches have killed 22 people across the American West.

So it’s important to know about devices that might save your life, should you decide to go to the backcountry.

At the very least, three things need to go with you: a portable shovel, a foldable probe and an avalanche beacon/tracker/transceiver.

“You take all three or you take nothing,” said Scott Schell of Backcountry Access, one of the companies that makes the life-saving devices.

He showed me how to use the company’s $290 Tracker DTS avalanche beacon. It’s a fat (well, at 12.8 ounces, relatively fat), but sturdy, device that has been around for more than a decade and is simple to use (http://www.backcountryaccess.com/).

For it to work, others you’re trekking with need to have them, too.

Turn it on, wait for the numbers to come up on the LED screen — 99 means it’s just about fully charged and will last 200 hours.

Scott Schell / Backcountry Access The Tracker DTS Beacon, made by Backcountry Access, weighs 12.8 ounces. It is used to help locate others carrying the device who fall victim to an avalanche. It costs $290.

Above that readout are five directional displays that will tell you if you’re on the right track. The range is 50 yards. The frequency — 457 kilohertz — it uses can penetrate snow to find another beacon.

Schell advised keeping the tracker in its harness, secured snugly over your base layer of clothing — it’s the one layer that may stay on when the others fly off.

But time, time is the overriding factor.

“After 15 minutes, the chances of survival drops right off the table,” said Bruce Edgerly, co-owner of Backcountry Access.

Since shoveling thousands of pounds of snow takes everything you’ve got — and the right techniques — that’s where the minutes matter most.

The beacon cuts down the search time dramatically — as little as 2-3 minutes. Once you’ve hit the red button and “search” comes on the readout, you’re ready.

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