 Black Diamond Ion Headlamp crosses the species barrier. |
The Ortovox beacon recall got me thinking about battery connections in the different electronic devices we use for backcountry skiing. Alkaline batteries have are dense and heavy — when subjected to shock loads they move with significant force(presumably that’s at least part of the reason for the Ortovox problems).
I’ve had 2-way radios quit after a day of jiggling bent the battery contacts, and have also had the problem with many flashlights and headlamps. Our favorite smaller headlamp is the Black Diamond Ion. One iteration of the Ion headlamp had this problem as well — and was quietly fixed by Black Diamond. Props to BD for an effective and subtle redesign! Details in photo below.
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| Internals of Ion headlamp to left show new battery holder design, with a nice spring to absorb shock and fatigue. Headlamp to right is older design, the small metal tabs in the battery compartment would fatigue and compress, and had to be modified by gently bending them back out and placing small chunks of cardboard behind them. |
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
