Pieps and Black Diamond Recall Avalanche Transceivers
The recall comes after years of customer complaints and product issues
Black Diamond Equipment has initiated a fast track voluntary product recall with the U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) for Pieps avalanche transceivers in North America. Additional details will become available in the next few weeks, once CPSC approves Black Diamond’s recall. Read a statement from Black Diamond here.
Austrian-based Pieps issued a voluntary recall of its DSP Pro, DSP Pro Ice and DSP Sport avalanche transceivers. It was announced on March 3, 2021 for beacons distributed in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and South America. The recalls come after concern that Pieps DSP models may be able to switch from send to search or be turned off without the user’s knowledge.
In October 2020, we shared a story about a skier who died after his Pieps beacon likely turned off. You can read the trip report by top B.C. skier Christina Lustenberger here. After she started to share her story, she said, “I was surprised to see my email flooded with similar accounts, even dating back to 2017. The problem being it can switch modes easily without the user’s knowledge. Due to poor design the button wears out and no longer provides resistance allowing it to slide out of send mode.”
Pieps issued a statement in October offering an upgrade to their latest generation of avalanche transceivers for those owning a DSP Sport or Pro transceiver. This recall formalizes the process for beacon replacement.