Gear of the Week | Ortovox Carbon Pro 240+ Avalanche Probe

As the name suggests, the Ortovox Carbon Pro probes are made of carbon. In combination with the slightly larger diameter compared to typical aluminum probes, they are therefore very stiff and bend very little when probing. Even in hard snow, it is possible to probe relatively well even in unfavorable, deep burial conditions. The tensioning system is well designed. All you have to do is pull and the probe is already taut, the fixation is automatic and requires no further action from the user. I also like the clearly visible and, above all, permanent labeling with centimeter markings. With several probes that I have used before, the labeling was no longer legible after a short time. Of course, the centimeter markings are not really important for probing, but sometimes you might want to know more precisely how much snow there is, and especially when digging snow profiles it is also practical if you can use the probe as a scale. The rubberized handle of the Carbon Pro probes is nice and grippy and prevents hands in gloves from simply sliding down the probe when probing in hard snow.