Black Diamond recommends safety check for avalanche beacons

Black Diamond is recommending a safety check for the following products. Photo: Black Diamond

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah-based Black Diamond released the following statement late last week:

Safety Check: Please check your avalanche transceiver / beacon and verify that the device switches from SEND to SEARCH mode properly.

We have observed a small number of PIEPS and Black Diamond Avalanche Beacons with malfunctioning electronic components that may prevent it from switching between SEND and SEARCH modes.

Our testing is ongoing, but it is important to us that we communicate this information promptly and ask that anyone in possession of the following beacons immediately perform a safety inspection to ensure your beacon is functioning properly. The following beacons are included in this safety check:
– PIEPS Micro BT Button
– PIEPS Micro BT Race
– PIEPS Micro BT Sensor
– PIEPS POWDER BT
– PIEPS PRO BT
– PIEPS DSP PRO
– PIEPS DSP SPORT
– BLACK DIAMOND RECON
– BLACK DIAMOND GUIDE

If your beacon fails the safety check, you should RETIRE IT IMMEDIATELY and return it to PIEPS / BLACK DIAMOND for repair or replacement, free of charge. If you have any questions or need help checking your beacon, please contact our customer service team.

More information

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This follows a 2021 recall for PIEPS DSP avalanche transceivers sold from January 2013 through November 2020. That was because “the transceiver can switch modes unexpectedly when not locked or installed in the harness. When this occurs, it will prevent the transceiver from transmitting a discoverable electronic signal and can make it difficult to locate a skier in an avalanche.”

“After becoming a meme in the backcountry community for the past year, this is not going to help improve their faulty standing among their clientele,” Unofficial Networks writes.