Ski safety equipment recalled after malfunctions resulted in a death and a broken arm
No matter how cool it does or doesn’t look, skiers wear avalanche transceivers for life and death safety, not a fashion statement. That’s why Black Diamond recalled 78,600 PIEPS DSP Avalanche Transceivers in the United States and Canada.
The exact problem, as stated in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice: “The transceiver can switch modes unexpectedly when not locked or installed in the harness. When this occurs, it will prevent the transceiver from transmitting a signal and can make it difficult to locate a skier in an avalanche, which can result in severe bodily harm or death.”
And the death part isn’t overstatement. The notice says of the 65 reports to Black Diamond, one caused the death of a skier in an avalanche and another skier “suffered a broken arm and minor injuries.” Both instances were in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
This covers DSP Sport Avalanche Transceiver, model No. PP1128040000ALL1; DSP Pro Avalanche Transceiver, model No. PP1127710000ALL1; and PIEPS DSP Pro Ice Avalanche Transceiver, model No. PP1127700000ALL1.
Black Diamond is offering a replacement harness to take care of the problem. To get that harness, either register via the Black Diamond website or contact Black Diamond by emailing dsprecall@bdel.com or calling 866-306-0865, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, Eastern time.
