Although avalanche beacons are an important tool to carry with you, it doesn’t always save lives. They have saved several lives my making it possible for rescue teams to find victims quickly; however, when snow traps you, your luck also plays a huge part in chances of survival. If you are too deep under the snow, the beacon cannot help rescuers much.

Besides, in some cases the victims have too many injuries to be able to move up towards the surface. Sometimes, while sliding, people lose the beacons, or the fall may damage them, and this can be very misleading for the rescuers. This is why; it is even better to try to make sure that you aren’t under an avalanche in the first place. Good decision-making and knowledge about avalanches is more important than making sure you have the right tools.