Avalanche Safety vs. Avalanche Rescue Gear

Tyler Howe demonstrating why rescue gear matters… after you’ve messed up. Practice it well, use it never.

Photo: @reilly_kaczmarek

What is the difference between avalanche safety and avalanche rescue gear?

Think about car safety for a second. Airbags have been mandatory in cars since 1998. They’re amazing, when you crash. But no one’s buying a car just for the airbags. What’s really saving lives today are the tools that keep you out of crashes in the first place: lane assist, blind spot sensors, automatic braking, and all those annoying beeps when you’re about to do something dumb. Those features don’t just react to danger, they prevent it. These are safety tools, not rescue tools.

So why should the backcountry be any different? We’ve got airbags (literally), shovels, and beacons for when things go wrong: your rescue tools. But avalanche safety tools are the backcountry equivalent of lane assist, blind-spot warnings, automatic braking, and all those annoying beeps that stop you from doing something dumb.

That’s where AspectAvy comes in: it’s a safety tool designed to keep you out of avalanches before they ever start. It helps you plan smarter routes, avoid dangerous terrain, and make decisions based on actual data—not vibes, bravado, or “I swear this slope felt stable last week.” It helps keep you out of avalanches in the first place, while your rescue gear stands by if something still goes sideways.

Rescue tools react after the avalanche. Safety tools prevent the avalanche. You need both, but one of them keeps your day boring in the best possible way.

Because getting home isn’t luck. It’s good decisions made long before you hear anything go “whumpf.”

AspectAvy = safety tool.

Beacon/probe/shovel/airbag = rescue tools.

One keeps you out of avalanches. The others help dig you out after you’re already having a bad day.

Statistically speaking, what are your chances of survival if caught in an avalanche?

Short version? If you’re fully buried, you’re flipping a coin.

Here’s how the numbers shake out: for every 100 people caught in an avalanche, roughly 40 end up in what’s called a “critical burial.” Of those critically buried folks, about half don’t survive. Most deaths come from asphyxia (around 75%), with trauma making up the rest.

And the clock? It’s not your friend. Once burial hits 30 minutes, survival drops to about 30%, which, if we’re being honest, is not exactly odds you’d bet your ski season on.

TL;DR: Avoid burial in the first place. Prevention > digging.

Graphic from the Wilderness Medicine Magazine on avalanche survival statistics.

Read more: Wilderness Medicine Magazine

How does safety gear improve your chances of survival if caught in an avalanche?

Trick question: it doesn’t.

Safety gear is what keeps you out of avalanches. Rescue gear is what keeps you alive once things have already gone sideways.

In the US, the 2023–24 season saw 15 avalanche fatalities. And realistically? Almost everyone out there these days carries the standard rescue kit: beacon, shovel, probe, maybe an airbag. That’s the backcountry equivalent of airbags being standard in cars since 1998.

But airbags didn’t decrease car crashes; crash-avoidance systems did. Lane assist, automatic braking, blind-spot warnings… all the stuff that prevents the accident before it happens.

Avalanche safety works the same way. If more folks were using actual safety tools, (tools that help them avoid avalanche terrain mistakes in the first place) the fatality numbers would be lower. Maybe way lower. Maybe zero.

What does avalanche safety look like for you? What steps could you take to improve it?

Time for some self-reflection. Ask yourself:

• How do you plan your tours? (Google Earth + vibes, or something a little more structured?)

• Do you actually read the avalanche forecast, or just skim the danger rating and hope for the best?

• Do you know where the safe terrain is… and the terrain that’s connected to not-so-safe terrain?

• Are you using any decision-support tools? (And no, your buddy Chad saying “looks fine to me” does not count.)

• When was the last time you practiced rescue? (Hint: if you can’t remember, it’s been too long.)

And yes, we’re obviously biased, but if there’s a free, industry-leading safety tool designed specifically to keep you out of avalanches, it lives on your phone, and it takes 10 seconds to use, then why not add it to your kit.

You can download AspectAvy here.

Avalanche safety starts before you step into your bindings. Do future you a favor and make it a priority.