Arva will release a new avalanche transceiver for winter 19/20 – the Evo 5. This replaces the Evo 4, which was first released in 2015.
The new Arva Evo 5 has a 50 metre search width, marking function, group check and U-turn indication. It also comes with interference management to help it deal with interference from other devices such as smart phones.
The Evo 5 will also have, automatic revert-to-transmit periods. The times for these can be configured in the transceiver’s settings menu. It can automatically switch to send/transmit after a certain period or can use the internal motion detector to sense a period of inactivity, such as being caught in a secondary avalanche.
The Evo 5 is an ultra-compact transceiver and should therefore be more comfortable to ski with than some of the bulkier alternatives. The Evo 5 measures just 11cm x 7cm, weighing only 170g, inlcuding the wrist stap and battery. It will only use 1 AA battery (like the Ortovox 3+), helping to keep weight low. The Evo 5 should retail for £220; around €250.
It will come with a basic belt harness and tether leash / wrist leash. A holster will be available to buy as an option.
A basic harness may be all that’s required because this transceiver’s been designed as compact as possible in order for it to be easily carried in the pocket of your ski pants. Some skiers will like this idea while others won’t – comment below to let us know what you think.
The Neo+ and Axio perform really well and have among the largest pick-up range of any digital transceivers I’ve tested, so it will be interesting to see how the new Evo 5 performs (I’ve not had a chance to play with it yet, but will report here as soon as I’ve tested it).
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