gear reviews

Gear Review | Arva Safety Box SKITRIP

Lightweight and affordable, yet with minor drawbacks.

by Timo Macvan • 03/14/2024

Alexandra Zolotykh

Nordkette Innsbruck

Timo Macvan

Ich durfte das Set, bestehend aus dem ARVA EVO5, der 240 SKITRIP-Sonde und der SKITRIP-Schaufel diese Saison, im Zeitraum von November bis Februar, in den Tiroler Alpen testen. Hierbei ist es beim Freeriden und Splitboarden genutzt worden sowie in einem LVS-Workshop auf den Prüfstand gestellt worden.

Testers and test conditions

Finding and riding fresh deep snow in the mountains has always been my favourite way to spend time on a snowboard. For several years now, this has become my main intention during the winter months, so I have been travelling on the mountain with the necessary safety equipment for the last six to seven years. I take part in an avalanche safety course at least once a year to deepen and refresh my knowledge and also try to learn new things, such as snowpack analyses. This has given me the opportunity to test various devices from different manufacturers. I currently use a Mammut device for my personal fun in the Alps.

The first impression

The Arva SKITRIP avalanche safety set consists of an EVO5, a 240 probe and a shovel. The beacon feels very good in the hand. It is light, compact and my thumb reaches all the buttons, giving me the feeling that I am using a smartphone rather than a beacon. However, what immediately catches my eye is the rather small display. But maybe I'm just used to something different from my own device.

Otherwise, there are hardly any special features compared to other devices. There is an extra button for the group check and the classic toggle switch for the different modes Off, Send and Search on the right edge. This is where I noticed the first small negative point, as the toggle switch cannot really be navigated precisely between the modes. It takes a lot of force to switch between the modes and at the same time a lot of sensitivity, as otherwise the switch quickly slips into the outer modes (Off or Search).

The group check via the button, on the other hand, works intuitively and I was able to locate several devices very precisely on different occasions. If an error occurs, the audio frequency of the device changes briefly. The frequency deviation is detected and signalled both acoustically and visually.

The Arva Evo5 avalanche transceiver does not come with a dedicated holder, so it has to be stowed in your trousers or similar, but I personally don't mind this. The device is so light and small that it can easily be stowed in suitable pockets on the body.

From a technical point of view, Arva claims to have developed a device that is small and light without compromising on technology. In addition to the features mentioned above, the Evo5 has the function of identifying and marking several buried victims, whereby up to three beacons can be displayed. The device also displays a "+" symbol, which indicates additional buried victims.

The device is not only able to control transmission frequencies, which above all avoids interference, but also dynamically manages interference (caused by electrical waves from smartphones, for example). For this purpose, the device in search mode automatically reduces the search strip width from 50 m to 20 m in order to focus on the signal of the avalanche transceiver being searched for, to block out interference frequencies and guarantee a precise search.

The automatic return to transmission mode in the event of secondary avalanches is activated by a timer or a motion detector. This provides an additional level of safety in the event that another avalanche is triggered during the search and the person searching is buried. Another practical feature is the so-called U-turn display, which quickly helps with orientation, especially at the start of a search, and instructs you to change the direction of the search.

Shovel and probe

The SKITRIP avalanche transceiver pack box also includes a shovel and probe of the same name. The set costs RRP 379 € and is therefore in the mid-price segment. At 620 g, the aluminium shovel is in the light to medium range. The telescopic function makes it possible to extend the shovel between 62 cm and 76 cm. The 240 SKITRIP probe is, as the name suggests, 240 mm long. It can be divided into eight 30 cm long segments, which enables it to have a small pack size.

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Das Evo 5 im Sendemodus.

www.arva-equipment.com

Test report

Avalanche transceiver

The ARVA Evo 5 avalanche transceiver theoretically offers a search strip width of 50 metres in search and reception distance. Der Alpenverein tested this precisely and achieved 46 metres in a good coupling position. With a poor coupling position, however, the device only reached 28 metres in the y-coupling position and 17.5 metres in the x-coupling position. The terms x-coupled position and y-coupled position refer to the orientation of the avalanche transceiver in relation to the horizontal and vertical axis during the search process. In the x-coupling position, the device lies flat on the ground, while in the y-coupling position it is vertical. The coupling position is best when the device of the buried person and the searching person are in a horizontal position. The different values in the two orientations can reflect the performance of the device in different situations, especially when searching for buried persons in difficult conditions. The search performance and precision when locating buried victims proved to be decent in my test, but my own avalanche transceiver covers the specified search strip much better and is also easier to read. When searching for several buried victims, the device always shows the one with the shortest distance to the search device. There were always problems with the display here, as I was often only shown a second person after the first one had been marked. In an emergency, this can become a real problem if the person found is not marked by the searcher, which means that no one is alerted to other possible victims.

The intuitive operation, especially the group check function, proved to be simple and effective. The only thing I found a little unwieldy was the activation controller. Why? I found it difficult to operate the avalanche transceiver with one hand, and the control often ended up in search mode unintentionally, even though my intention was to set it to transmit mode one level earlier. The device also uses a rather unusual method when switching off. By the time I found out that the device can only be switched off by pressing the marker button at the same time, I had already used up two battery charges. In addition, the lock button is quite small and therefore challenging to operate with gloves, so that the initial impression of the handy device was somewhat spoilt.

In practice, the ARVA Evo 5 impressed me with its lightweight and slim design, which is hardly noticeable. As I always carry the avalanche transceiver in my dungarees in my pocket at chest height, I found it very comfortable to wear. Even though the display is smaller than I am used to, I am impressed by the way it is illuminated, even in very bright conditions and when wearing sunglasses or ski goggles, so that all the information and details are easy to recognise.

Dynamic interference management showed its effectiveness in environments with electronic interference sources. If the device has identified such a source of interference, it displays it and automatically uses a reduced search width strip. I tested this function several times at a touring festival, as we had several people in the group with a backpack full of cameras, drones, laptops and mobile phones, so we had ideal testing conditions.

During the test, the automatic return to transmit mode was also successfully simulated and the device reliably switched back to transmit mode. This occurs either after the device has not been operated by the user for a certain period of time or after the device has not been moved for a certain period of time. There is no more precise information on the unit of time for the switch. In the test, it was a few minutes, although the time intervals were not exactly the same.

The U-turn indicator proved to be a useful feature, which also worked reliably most of the time. The only thing I noticed was that I had to move with the device before the signal prompted me to turn round. If I was facing away from the transmitter, the U-turn was not displayed immediately, but only when I moved away slightly, which was only one or two steps.

Shovel and probe

The shovel sits comfortably in the hand, offers a sufficient axis thanks to the 76 cm telescope and therefore helps to achieve a good stroke per shovel stroke. The click elements and the shovel blade seem stable, so that even powerful shovelling in hard snow is possible. What I particularly like about the probe is how easy it is to pack and unpack. Thanks to the conveniently long cord inside the probe, it can be folded up without any obstacles and it is also quick and easy to put together in the litter. What I sometimes struggled with, however, was the stability of the probe, as its flexibility in the harder snow meant that it sometimes didn't find its way through the snow cover and the individual elements came loose when bent. This was the case on the Nordkette in Innsbruck, where the snowpack is both heavily influenced by wind and sunlight and has most likely already been ridden through by other snowboarders, making it very hard.

The device was thoroughly tested for its functions at a test festival.

Alexandra Zolotykh

Timo Macvan

Conclusion

The ARVA Evo 5 avalanche transceiver delivers solid performance with a theoretical search strip width of 50 metres, which has been confirmed in good coupling positions in tests conducted by the Alpenverein under various conditions. Despite minor inconveniences, such as the somewhat awkward operation of the activation control and the challenge of switching off the device, it scores points with its lightweight and compact design and easy-to-read display. The intuitive group check function proves to be effective. The dynamic interference management proved its worth in environments with electronic sources of interference. In all exercises, "buried persons" could be found quickly and reliably, although in the rough search there was sometimes an unclear signal display in the case of multiple burials. After marking the person found, further signals could be received. The locating of buried persons and the display of multiple signals therefore offers room for improvement. The enclosed shovel offers good handling and stability, while the probe can occasionally have problems penetrating very hard snow due to its flexibility. The set is good value for money, but there are devices on the market that have a more reliable search function.

Advantages:

Compact and lightweight design
U-turn indicator
Automatic return to transmit mode
Interference manager
Stable and lightweight probe
Small pack size of the probe
Price/performance ratio
Automatic return to transmit mode
Interference managerperformance ratio

Disadvantages:

Partial problems with the simultaneous detection of several devices
Activation of the send and search modes
Flexibility of the probe combined with detachment of the elements
No update function

Here is the link to the Arva website with further information.

The avalanche transceiver was provided to PowderGuide free of charge by the manufacturer for the test period. You can find out how we test it in our Test Statement..

The ski trip set from Arva
.

www.arva-equipment.com

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