Anyone who regularly skis powder has run into this problem before. You wipe out, your ski comes off, and you can’t find it in the deep snow. I’m been on a heli-skiing trip where our guide spent 45 minutes searching for his ski — we could have done one more run!
Leave it to the Austrians to come up with a solution. The Find-me! system includes a set of small pouches that are wrapped around each leg above your ski boot and hook into your back binding. Inside each pouch is a 10-meter-long, bright red strap that pulls out should your skis become detached. If you should fall and your skis have disappeared into deep snow, all you have to do is pull on the straps and follow to where your skis are buried. No more breaking out a sweat or wasting time digging around for your skis.
For safety reasons, a Velcro seal acts as a break point in case your ski gets wedged somewhere and you keep falling. The broken seal leaves two meters attached to your boot and eight meters still attached to the ski to better help you find it.
A simple toggle connecter enables you to easily hook into and unhook from the piece on your binding. If you do lose a ski and the Find-me! is activated, simply fold the strap back up into the small pouch to use again.
You can also think of Find-me! as one more tool in your avalanche safety arsenal to go along with your shovel, probe, and transceiver. The red strap might help someone locate you faster should you become buried. Printed on the strap are direction arrows and distance to the person, international emergency numbers, and SOS signal guide.
The Find–me! ski rescue system retails for €59 and is available now.