No this isn’t a medical instrument – it’s the latest piece of avalanche safety gear we’ve just received from Ortovox to review. It’s called the ‘checkandride’, and is a tube about 15cm long, on which you set the avalanche report details for the day; the danger level, wind direction, critical elevations and aspects. A compass on the end enables you to measure the slope aspect, and a clever inclinometer for the angle. As the Ortovox team say the crucial information is ‘secured and put in your pocket’, which is essential as in 75% of all avalanche accidents people haven’t taken account of the ‘extra’ information on the avalanche report, just the 1 to 5 scale danger level. A great bit of kit!