Length in centimetres, and how fast it assembles

Avalanche probes, compared

A probe is a tube in segments on a cable that becomes a rigid pole, and it is the tool that turns a transceiver's reading into a place to dig. The figure that defines it is the deployed length, in centimetres: the probes here are 240, 260 and 305 cm. A 240 covers most burials and packs small; a 320 reaches deeper debris and weighs and costs more. Shorter than 240 is a compromise this page will not recommend for anything but a day pack. The material divides the shelf on price and behaviour: aluminium is cheaper, heavier and bends before it breaks, carbon is lighter and stiffer and transmits the feel of a strike better, and it costs three times as much — 25 € for a 260 cm aluminium probe here against 82 € for a 240 cm carbon one. The weight follows from that, and it is the figure a tourer weighs against the carbon premium. The tensioning system is what makes a probe usable with cold hands: a pull-tight cable with a quick lock assembles in a couple of seconds, a screw collar takes longer, and the difference is measured in a situation where seconds are the whole point. The last thing is the depth markings printed along the tube, which let a searcher report how deep the strike was — a small detail that changes how a party digs. We compare deployed length, material, packed length, tensioning, depth markings, case included and weight.

Every accessory here, figure by figure

1. 

   SkinStar Light Alu, 260 cm

   The cheapest probe here and one of the best specified: alloy, diameter, weight and packed length all given.

   Deployed length

   260 cm

   Material

   High-strength aluminium, alloy 7075-T6, Ø 10 mm

   Packed length

   47 cm

   Tensioning

   Not published; six sections, foldable, stated deployable in seconds

   Depth markings

   Not published

   Case included

   Yes — a nylon bag

   Weight

   189 g

   Amazon reference

   B09M8S9WPM (one reference across 4 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4064091053341

   • Four figures published — alloy, diameter, weight, packed length — at the lowest price on the shelf
   • 260 cm rather than the 240 cm most of this shelf offers, for the same money
   • No depth markings mentioned, which is what turns a strike into a digging depth

   Best for: A first probe, and the deepest reach on this shelf under 80 €

   ≈ €25

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2. 

   LACD Avalanche Probe Express 2.0, 240

   A Kevlar cord and cones on every segment — the only probe here that describes what makes assembly go wrong.

   Deployed length

   240 cm, in six segments

   Material

   Aluminium, on a hard-wearing Kevlar cord

   Packed length

   49 cm

   Tensioning

   Kevlar cord; small plastic cones on each segment stated to prevent snagging and jamming

   Depth markings

   Every 5 cm

   Case included

   Not published

   Weight

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B00T3N21VG (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260109253097

   • Names the cord material — Kevlar — which no other probe here does
   • Plastic cones on each segment, stated to stop the sections catching during assembly
   • No weight published

   Best for: Someone who has fought with a probe that jammed halfway

   ≈ €28

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3. 

   Salewa Lightning 240

   The only probe here whose last segment is coloured, so a searcher knows when the probe is running out.

   Deployed length

   240 cm, in six sections

   Material

   Light alloy

   Packed length

   Not published

   Tensioning

   Pull handle, with automatic locking

   Depth markings

   Every 5 cm; the last segment is red for target recognition and warning

   Case included

   Not published

   Weight

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B00OUZFKWE (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4053865268203

   • The red final segment, which tells a searcher the probe is nearly at full depth without reading a number
   • Automatic locking on a pull handle — the fastest tensioning described on this shelf
   • No weight and no packed length published

   Best for: A searcher who wants the fastest assembly and a visual depth warning

   ≈ £34 / €29

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4. 

   Ferrino 78368HCU

   Four lines, and one of them gives the segment length rather than the packed length.

   Deployed length

   240 cm

   Material

   Not published

   Packed length

   Not published; the six elements are 40 cm each

   Tensioning

   Quick assembly with a pull cord

   Depth markings

   Not published

   Case included

   Yes

   Weight

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B07JVF1X5K (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   8014044956157

   • The segment length is published — six elements of 40 cm — which no other listing here gives
   • A bag is included and stated
   • No material published, on a shelf where two probes name their alloy

   Best for: A buyer in Italy, where 31.99 € puts it 13 € under its own German price

   ≈ £40 / €32

   Check price on Amazon
5. 

   TerraWest Core 240

   The only probe here tensioned by a coated steel cable, and the only one that publishes all four of its figures.

   Deployed length

   240 cm, in six segments

   Material

   Aluminium 7075-T6, stated light and stiff

   Packed length

   40 cm closed

   Tensioning

   Quick-lock on a coated steel cable, stated to have limited stretch

   Depth markings

   Not published

   Case included

   Yes — a quick-release bag

   Weight

   299 g

   Amazon reference

   B07ZG422ZH (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0745114270399

   • Publishes four figures together: length, packed length, weight and diameter
   • A coated steel cable rather than a cord, stated for limited stretch and high stiffness
   • 299 g is the heaviest published weight on this shelf — 110 g more than the 260 cm SkinStar

   Best for: A tourer who wants the stiffest pole on the shelf and will carry the extra grams

   ≈ $36 / £30 / €45

   Check price on Amazon
6. 

   PIEPS Carbon 240 Race

   The lightest probe here by a wide margin, and the listing publishes its weight and a list of sports.

   Deployed length

   240 cm, from the model name

   Material

   Carbon, from the model name

   Packed length

   Not published

   Tensioning

   Not published

   Depth markings

   Not published

   Case included

   Not published

   Weight

   120 g

   Amazon reference

   B0BP859LM2 (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   9120029060258

   • 120 g — 69 g lighter than the next lightest probe on this shelf, and 179 g lighter than the heaviest
   • Carbon, which is stiffer than aluminium for the same weight and transmits a strike more clearly
   • Two bullet points, and the other one is a list of four activities

   Best for: A ski mountaineer counting grams, who already knows how a race probe assembles

   ≈ €82

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7. 

   SnowBigDeal American 2.0, 305 cm

   The longest probe here, with markings painted on rather than etched in — which is the only reason markings work in flat light.

   Deployed length

   305 cm

   Material

   Anodised aluminium alloy, stated for strength and corrosion resistance

   Packed length

   Not published; stated to fold small enough for an avalanche pack

   Tensioning

   Quick-assembly design, stated to lock together in seconds

   Depth markings

   Painted, high-contrast, stated far easier to read than etched lines

   Case included

   Not published

   Weight

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B0G23FCTSP (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0850042148273

   • 305 cm — 45 cm more reach than anything else on this shelf
   • Painted contrast markings rather than etched lines, which is the difference in flat light or a storm
   • No weight published, on the longest probe here, where the weight is the trade

   Best for: Deep snowpack, a snowmobiler, or anyone who has probed to the end of a 240 and found nothing

   ≈ $75 / £79 / €91

   Check price on Amazon