Avalanche Centre warns back country users about new smartphone apps
Posted Oct 24, 2013 4:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre is warning smartphone users about relying on some new apps while in the back country.
The apps include the Isis (Intelligent) Mountain Rescue System, Snog Avalanche Buddy, and SnoWhere.
The apps, made in Europe, are supposed to work anywhere, but the centre warns the frequencies just aren’t compatible with avalanche rescue.
Spokesperson Karl Klassen, says they may be inexpensive, but it could be unsafe to rely on them.
“We recommend that anyone travelling in the back country have an avalanche transceiver, a probe and a shovel, and that those be your primary tools for searching for someone and rescuing someone who’s caught and buried in an avalanche,” he says.
Klassen says smartphones can still be helpful for contacting emergency services, or finding someone who is just lost.
You can also check out the CAC Mobile app, that provides forecast information for back country users.
