Get Your SPOT Tested

Posted on by Backcountry Fever

We are becoming so reliant on electronic devices these days that I hope we maintain some basic level of skills, survival or otherwise, if [or when] these gadgets fail. The SPOT Messenger is one of those devices I’ve taken with me on all my hiking, snowmobiling and off-roading adventures since 2011! My wife gave it to me for her peace of mind as I spend so much time in the backcountry.

The idea is that I would be able to quickly activate help if I ever found myself in that kind of predicament. I use preset messages all the time to check-in with cryptic “I’m OK” status updates while on my adventures, but have yet to press that emergency SOS button!

Following a recent story about an injured snowmobiler up in the Mt. Baker Wilderness, he did need to press that SOS button and… IT DIDN’T WORK! What are the odds? That situation really makes me think about how much trust I put in any electronic device that would be used in critical circumstances – including a GPS.

The good news is that SPOT has hundreds of thousands of subscribers and fully committed to providing a reliable service we all can depend on. However, if you still want a SPOT device tested for your own peace of mind, you can make that request by using this GEOS* form in either Word or PDF format.

*GEOS provides emergency rescue coordination and SPOT SOS/911 monitoring through the dedicated International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC). Click to learn more about “the power behind the button”.

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It`s been a minute since I`ve had anything other than ski boots or hockey skates on my feet this winter. Gotta switch gears before the mountaineering season melts away here in Utah!

#mountaineering #kesslerpeak #westridge #wasatchfront #timetoclimb

📷 @wasatchwidescreen

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Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18073878845639559
It's been a minute since I've had anything other than ski boots or hockey skates on my feet this winter. Gotta switch gears before the mountaineering season melts away here in Utah! #mountaineering #kesslerpeak #westridge #wasatchfront #timetoclimb 📷 @wasatchwidescreen

Winter is my favorite season, and cold weather camping is one of my favorite winter activities.

#coldweathercamping #wintercamping #tenting #lovewinter #lovecamping

19 0
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18088708565160118
Winter is my favorite season, and cold weather camping is one of my favorite winter activities. #coldweathercamping #wintercamping #tenting #lovewinter #lovecamping

Scoping out snow levels for my annual winter campout this weekend. Yep, there`s enough to still make it fun!

#wintercamping #coldweathercamping #winterhike #sunset #weekendwarrior

19 2
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18093303244798082
Scoping out snow levels for my annual winter campout this weekend. Yep, there's enough to still make it fun! #wintercamping #coldweathercamping #winterhike #sunset #weekendwarrior

Yeah, you read that right — 5,000,000 vertical feet. That’s a million feet of vert every year for five straight years. Who does that? Well… these two average hikers from Utah have been stacking numbers like this since 2021 — quietly, but well beyond “average”.

The numbers speak for themselves. Get a summary and breakdown by month from the link in the bio ☝️

Think about that: we’re talking about an average of 50 miles and 20,000 feet of gain every single week.

It’s hard to wrap my head around that level of commitment. What they’re doing every month is roughly what I log in a year, all while holding down full-time jobs. That’s one serious fitness program.

In talking with Andee about what comes next, they took the week off after Christmas, then jumped right into the new year on a local favorite—Mount Olympus—with plans to log another million in 2026.

#goatworthy #biggoals #millionverticalfeet #hikerlife #hikemoreworryless

24 5
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17966367422867268
Yeah, you read that right — 5,000,000 vertical feet. That’s a million feet of vert every year for five straight years. Who does that? Well… these two average hikers from Utah have been stacking numbers like this since 2021 — quietly, but well beyond “average”. The numbers speak for themselves. Get a summary and breakdown by month from the link in the bio ☝️ Think about that: we’re talking about an average of 50 miles and 20,000 feet of gain every single week. It’s hard to wrap my head around that level of commitment. What they’re doing every month is roughly what I log in a year, all while holding down full-time jobs. That’s one serious fitness program. In talking with Andee about what comes next, they took the week off after Christmas, then jumped right into the new year on a local favorite—Mount Olympus—with plans to log another million in 2026. #goatworthy #biggoals #millionverticalfeet #hikerlife #hikemoreworryless