Reviews You Can Rely On

Pieps DSP Pro Ice Review

Not recommended due to serious concerns about the safety of the switch design
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pieps dsp pro ice avalanche beacon review
Credit: Pieps
Price:  $450 List
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Manufacturer:   Pieps
By Ian Nicholson ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Mar 30, 2018
92
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Range - 15% 9.0
  • Speed - 20% 9.0
  • Single victim search - 20% 9.0
  • Fine search - 15% 9.0
  • Multiple burials - 15% 9.0
  • Features - 15% 10.0

Our Verdict

The Pieps DSP Ice is the latest evolution of DSP beacons from Pieps and proved to be one of our favorite overall models. The only thing of note over previous models is the DSP Ice appears to be nearly identical (save for its clear plastic housing) to our Top Pick Award Winner, the Pieps DSP Pro. This is fine, as our entire review team liked the DSP Pro, except the DSP Ice is $30 more which seems like a lot just to get a clear plastic body. Small differences and whether you think $30 is worth the clear body aside, there are plenty of reasons to buy the DSP Ice over other models on the market. Its very intuitive, easy-to-use and proved far above average at the fine search/bracketing stage, which is where most people struggle during a rescue. It is also among the most capable for multiple burials and is stacked with some additional functions and features for pros and more experienced users alike.
REASONS TO BUY
Easy-to-use
Lots of features
Good range
Fast processor
Great battery life
Excellent multiple burial and flagging features
REASONS TO AVOID
Very concerning safety risks have been cited about the switch design
Not Recommended — update 10/2020

The Pieps DSP Pro Ice is a product we do not recommend that our readers buy, and we also recommend our readers who already own it do not use it in the backcountry. Numerous safety concerns have been raised about this product in articles such as this detailed analysis by Lou Dawson of WildSnow, this extensive article in Outside Online, and also in social media posts.

These reports cite issues with the slider lock mechanism on the three models of Pieps beacons including the Pieps DSP Sport, the Pieps DSP Pro Ice and the Pieps DSP Pro. After the complete burial of a top backcountry skier in an avalanche, the skier reported that his beacon had turned off on its own during the avalanche or sometime earlier that day. Once this information was released, other Pieps users reported similar issues where the beacon's harness released the lock on the slider mechanism that controls the beacon's SEND - SEARCH - OFF positions. This YouTube video from 2017 is a good example of someone raising the flag on this issue years ago. Some Pieps users report that their beacon had unintentionally turned off in a similar manner.

While we have not confirmed these reported issues ourselves, we find them deeply concerning and they appear to be quite credible. As a result, we do not recommend a friend buy or use Pieps products incorporating this switch design. We have respect for Pieps as a company, and we hope they will consider a complete recall of all of these products and either replace them with a new design or offer a full refund. It is our opinion that due to these serious and potentially life-threatening concerns about customer safety, that Pieps should not merely try to produce an updated version of the Sport, but rather discontinue the model completely, and issue a new design, incorporating an obviously different look under a new name, that addresses these concerns.

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Pieps DSP Pro Ice is a beacon that we do not recommend due to numerous and concerning reports that have emerged in 2020 about safety issues related to the switch design cited above.

Pieps has issued this statement:
We know that confidence in your equipment is key. If you have any concerns about your DSP Pro/Sport, please contact us. We will offer you an upgrade to the latest generation of our avalanche transceivers.

If you are in the US or Canada, contact us at: dsp@pieps.com

Below is our review from 2018. At the time, we were not aware of the switch design issues that became widely shared publicly in 2020.

Performance Comparison


pieps dsp pro ice avalanche beacon review - the dsp ice is one of the more capable beacons in our review and...
The DSP Ice is one of the more capable beacons in our review and easily among our favorites. We think its clear housing is cool, but as far as we can tell that is the biggest difference between it and the Pieps DSP Pro, which is $30 less expensive.
Credit: Lyra Pierotti

Range


While a beacon's maximum range isn't a big deal and most people will likely use 40-meter search strip widths (as this is what is taught in Level 1 avalanche courses across the county), it's still nice that the Pieps DSP Ice has a longer range. We thought that the DSP Ice had a more or less identical maximum range to the DPS Pro, but offered about 0-5 meters more than the DSP Sport.

pieps dsp pro ice avalanche beacon review - the dsp ice excelled at finding a single burial and was one of the...
The DSP Ice excelled at finding a single burial and was one of the more intuitive beacons we tested. It was fast and its five directional arrows (which occasionally used two in combination) did a fantastic job at helping the user close in directly on top of the buried beacon.
Credit: Lyra Pierotti

Ease of Finding a Single Victim and Speed


This beacon's interface is well-designed and among the easiest to use while searching for a single signal. Five arrows are used by the DSP Ice; you can use these pairs to stay on the flux-line. The DSP Ice also has one of the fastest processors of any of the products we tested, allowing us to move slightly more quickly than most beacons and we found this advantage grew if there were several buried beacons nearby. For pure speed at finding a single victim, the Backcountry Access Tracker2 and Tracker3 were the only models that were faster.

Another design aspect that this model and the rest of the Pieps beacons include is that they keep their directional arrows during the coarse and fine search all the way down to 2 meters instead of only down to 3 meters like models from Mammut and Arva (BCA also looses their arrows at 2m meters). We observed that this was less of a big deal with experienced users; for less practiced individuals, we consistently noticed that they would come in directly over their buried beacon (a good thing) more frequently, as keeping the directional arrows a little longer during the search simply gave the rescuer longer to error correct before beginning the bracketing stage and becoming forced to keep the beacon in the same orientation. Overall, this model performed well above average at finding a single victim and proved quite comparable to our Editors' Choice winner, the Mammut Barryvox S, even scoring a little better in the hands of more novice or less practiced users.

Ease of Use in Fine Search


The fine search is where the rescuer should keep their beacon in the same orientation to figure out where the beacon is not and find the low point in their numbers. We also opted to include the final five meters before bracketing begins as part of this category of comparison, as the two sections of the search are directly tied together. The difference in processing speed becomes apparent during a fine search; in finding one victim, we loved the processor's speed during a fine search. It was also relatively easy to understand.

One feature that the DSP Ice did not have that several other higher-end models did is a feature that tells you to turn around if you weren't paying close enough attention to the numbers and went too far. While we think the turn-around arrow is cool, all of our testers agreed that this is a minimal feature and is not a big deal.

pieps dsp pro ice avalanche beacon review - the pieps dsp ice was among the most capable beacons for in multiple...
The Pieps DSP Ice was among the most capable beacons for in multiple burial situations. Its flagging/marking function proved among the most reliable, its scan function helps give the rescuer a nice overview of the situation prior to entering it, and the ability to un-mark all help this beacon deal with complex rescue scenarios and professional level beacon drills.
Credit: Lyra Pierotti

Ease Of Use In Multiple Burial Situations


The DSP Ice scored high when it came to multiple burial situations. This model is designed with solidSignal Lock (i.e., it doesn't want to "jump" from one signal to another very easily). This feature is especially helpful for pro-level courses and examinations or complex real-world multi-signal burials. Overall, we found the DSP Ice to have a stronger signal lock than the Arva Axio, but it still wasn't as strong as the Mammut Barryvox S.

The Ice's flagging/marking function and is among the hardest to confuse and you can "unmark" the last buried beacon that was marked by holding the mark button for three seconds. One of the unique features of the DSP Ice (and the DSP Pro) is its Scan function. To activate this beacon's scan function simply press the scan button and the screen will display the number of signals it sees within 5, 20, and 50 meters. All of our testers found the Scan function very useful for any multiple burial scenarios, and unlike many features, the Scan function became even more helpful the more complex the rescue. It can help prepare you by informing you at very early stages of the rescue if you are going to be dealing with two beacons nearby.

If we knew we had the potential to be faced with or tested in multiple complex burials and/or situations involving close proximity burials, this would be one of the three beacons we consider along with the Arva Axio and Mammut Barryvox (and the nearly identical seaming Pieps DSP Pro).

Features


Group Check Mode

The strong signal lock makes it more challenging to do function checks a larger group. Activating the Group Check mode reduces the beacon's range down to about a meter and only displays distances in that range. It also will display an Error code if it senses anything wrong with another beacon's signal.

Smart Transmitter Technology

The DSP Ice uses Pieps Smart Transmitter Technology, which helps reduce signal overlap in multiple burial situations. If the beacon is motionless for more than two minutes (as in, you just got buried), it will search for other beacons that are sending closeby and adjust it's cadence so that the two don't overlap. This makes it easier to search for both.

Inclinometer

While our testers never broke it out, the DSP Ice a features an inclinometer. We think this is kind of cool, but also whipping out your beacon to measure slopes to see if they are avalanche terrain doesn't seem like the best idea.

Battery Life

When in Send mode, the DSP Ice has a battery life of 400 hours. When placed in Search mode, it had more than 100. Compared to other models in our fleet, it's more than any other contender, and almost twice as much as the DSP Sport.

The battery life is shown in thirds, which we disliked as it was not as accurate a representation as a percentage. For example, with the 1/3 power bar displayed this beacon has anywhere from 100 hours to 20 hours left (20 hours is lower than is recommended by several avalanche educational bodies to start an average day tour). The DSP Ice also has a relatively specific feature where it can search for a specially designed dog transmitter. If you want to use this model, you can press the scan and flag button for three seconds while searching. It will then search for a TX600 Dog Transmitter.

pieps dsp pro ice avalanche beacon review - the dsp ice has a clear case which we think is pretty cool and a...
The DSP Ice has a clear case which we think is pretty cool and a nice design for avalanche educators. However, as we mentioned this seems to be the only difference between it and the DSP Pro, save for its more expensive price tag.
Credit: Lyra Pierotti

Revert-to-Send Mode

While not an automatic feature, the DSP Ice can switch back from Search to Send if you are caught in an avalanche while searching. This has to be set up beforehand though by connecting the beacon with a data cable that plugs into the headphone jack. Pieps doesn't recommend using this feature, because if you are caught in an avalanche while searching the beacon will most likely be in your hands, and the chances of it staying there while you take a ride are slim to none.

Comfort to Carry

The DSP Ice has a great harness that was comfortable and easy to use. The small issue we had with its harness is that for taller users (or even mid-sized users), its lanyard is pretty short even when stretched-out out all the way. This beacon was a little chunky for carrying in your pocket though.

pieps dsp pro ice avalanche beacon review - this beacon is slightly larger volume than average. while not a big...
This beacon is slightly larger volume than average. While not a big deal, it felt a little bulkier for those users who like to carry their beacon in their pocket.
Credit: Lyra Pierotti

Best Applications


The DSP Ice is an incredibly capable beacon that is still relatively easy to operate compared to other high-end models. It is stacked with features, and while it works fine for a novice or less experienced user, it is best appreciated by guides and trip leaders. Because this model has lots of features that many backcountry enthusiasts will never use, the DSP Sport may be better-suited to some user's needs.

Value


The DSP Ice is a solid beacon, and at $450 is in-line with other top-performing models like the Mammut Barryvox S ($490), Ortovox S1+ ($500) or Arva Axio ($470). However, it is nearly identical to the Pieps DSP Pro ($420) but is $30 more for basically just a clear housing.

Conclusion


The Pieps DSP Pro Ice is a great beacon - but we're just not sure what the point of this additional product is given it's close resemblance to the DSP Pro.

Ian Nicholson