Travelling in remote locations away from cell phone signal is a part of the wilderness experience that many of us look for when ski touring. In an age of ubiquitous smart phones constantly keeping us connected, stepping off the grid can give us a sense of freedom, with no one to call and bother us about work, business or picking up groceries on the way home. But things can go sideways in the backcountry and the old school method of telling next-of-kin your departure point and expected to return, while still a good idea, will only let Search and Rescue extrapolate your location in the event of a catastrophe. Thankfully technology has got us covered.
Over the last few weeks we have had the pleasure of testing the Delorme inReach two-way satellite communicator. This boxy little device comes in two versions, one for pairing with Android phones and one for pairing with the Delorme PN-60w GPS unit. Our testing was done on the PN-60w version (review on the comprehensive PN-60w GPS unit coming soon). The inReach can be used a standalone device, however its functionality is limited.
Read the full review here.
