Beacon that can't search

How about "bacon"???

Too late, patented. The dogs find it every time:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GQ_9mvO2R5k/T7716JxA-EI/AAAAAAAAFaU/w7H3arWqqec/s303/bacon.JPG?gl=US

As easy as it is to knock this product, the company does a very good job of explaining that the product isn't for backcountry use, cannot be used to find anyone and is simply a cost-efficient safety device for those who ski in expert terrain near and within ski resort boundaries.

They changed this in the last two days after an on-line shitstorm ensued.

Strikingly, my most harrowing incidents have been inbounds. Several springs ago I triggered a shallow wet slide at Baker and was nearly swept over a large cliff onto a cat track below. On opening day of this season, I put myself deep into a tree well, my board was touching the ground when my friends dug me out. I wasn't wearing a beacon either time - something which could've dramatically reduced rescue time if my friends were unable to locate me.

But you own a transceiver, yes?
I wear one almost every day just for the reasons you mention.

Had my friends not seen me go into a grove of trees and never come out on the other side, a device like what this company is offering may have made it possible for ski patrol to locate me in as little as 15-30 minutes when I didn't show-up at the chair to meet my friends.

Factor in response time.
How long is it going to take the patrol to get to the location where you were last seen, then start a coordinated search?
Your best bet is still with your friend or friends you were ridding with, pulling their own transceivers and performing a search. There's a good reason why people suggest ridding with a partner and keeping eyes on in a mountain environment, in-bounds or out.

At the cost of a day of skiing at Whistler / Squaw / Vail / etc., I think this device has its use for advanced skiers and snowboarders seeking out the most extreme terrain they can access without leaving the boundaries. Since it's an active transmitter on the 457kHz frequency, it doesn't require a special device such as a RECCO receiver than resorts only have a few of on hand at any give time. This means Patrol can empower a much larger group to search should a slide occur inbounds or a person be reported missing.

Enough of my rambling thoughts - I guess what I'm getting at is don't write it off completely, devices like these have the potential to speed rescue and recovery as more and more people get into riding in advanced, in-bounds terrain. I can already think of a few people I know who would be good customers for these...

Slippery slope time.
By lowering the bar for entry you instill a false sense of security/peace of mind.
Purchasing a transceiver has always gone hand in hand (granted at varying degrees depending on the purchaser) with some amount of education, and practice, the focus of which is to be proficient at saving another persons life.
Just the act of practicing alone helps to reinforce the fact that there are dangers and that being prepared is in the best interest of you and anyone you will be riding with. There is an awareness that goes along with this.
IMO, this product trivializes the danger by side stepping education altogether by removing this component and sets up the purchaser in a form of heuristic trap. Shame on parents for not properly educating themselves or their children if they are sending them into this environment thinking that this will make them safer.

Skiing in the mountains is and has always been a dangerous business, there is an implied risk that we all except.
There is a level of education and experience that all Winter sports participants should have that gives them the foundation for awareness. This product skirts responsibility and at best only provides a function that is already being met by the Recco system.

You guys are only thinking of BC use. We in mountain rescue use these for training. We often have up to 15 beacons we bury in different groups for teams to split up and run multiple burial practices. It is a great way to train. They are cheeper then buying a bunch of real beacons.

What a great thread. Definitions, opinions, protocol - all the makings for an animated discussion! I agree with old guy that for practice purposes only, an inexpensive 457 transmitter is an ideal product, if durable enough to take the abuse of multiple burials, probings. However, having inbound folks skiing solo around the mountain thinking their security is enhanced by carrying just a transmitter (beacon) is ridiculous. If you want security, ski with a partner and leap frog each other, keeping each other in sight - and still be prepared to take the typical risks of collisions and snow snakes, and tree wells. Otherwise, you're taking risks, its part of the game, part of the sport. Carrying only a transmitter may help patrol or others find a body; probably only occasionally a live victim. If you think the patrol will raise a search immediately, if your partner doesn't meet you at the bottom of the lift at the end of your run, is unrealistic at best. Unless someone reports an avalanche in your area, they will probably assume your missing partner fell, is trying to find their ski, going to the bathroom or missed a turn or went for a beer, and will wait for more information and time to pass before beginning a search. So, ski with a partner (who ideally is wearing his transceiver on transmit, and able to switch to receive and search) and don't boom off ahead, and know yourself how to use your transceiver. Or, ski with your transceiver on transmit, and accept the risks still inherent. Or, stay home and ski your Xbox - no risk.

You guys are only thinking of BC use.  We in mountain rescue use these for training.  We often have up to 15 beacons we bury in different groups for teams to split up and run multiple burial practices.  It is a great way to train.  They are cheeper then buying a bunch of real beacons.

The key objection to this product stems from it's original positioning and target audience which has since changed due to persistent outcry on the webz.

Instead of being marketed as a safety device to families and budget minded snow sport participants, it's now being positioned as a cost effective multi burial practice alternative to using out of date transceivers, or other systems sold by the larger transceiver manufacturers (think beacon basin set ups that BCA and others offer).

Giving credit where it's due, I think it says something that they people running the company listened to the voice of the market and made a relatively quick change to their message.

The term "beacon" should ONLY be used for devices that can't search.

Word.