Review: Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio and Hand Mic

Powder aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

In a nutshell

The Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio combined with the waterproof Hand Mic is a great way to have a reliable communication system in the backcountry.

Specs

Mountain Radio

• Channels: 128

• Waterproofing: IP56 (Splashproof/Snowproof, not submergible)

• Radio with leash: 224 g o

• Charge cord: USB-C

• Features; Channel lock, privacy codes, high / low power modes

• Stated Range:

Waterproof Hand Mic

• Waterproofing: IP67 (1 Meter Submersion)

• Weight: 142 g

Intro

Last winter, during Utah’s historic season, I spent a lot of long days in the backcountry. It was my first winter in Utah and I was amazed by the vastness of the mountains, the steepness of the lines, and the sheer magnitude of snow that fell. I usually skied with a group of 3-4 people. For safety reasons, we often took ski lines one at a time. Usually, I was traveling in a group that did not have radios and there were some lines where we were left hollering up at our partners to try and communicate information about the run… radios would have been nice.

Communication is key in a ski group. While you don’t need radios for a group to function well together on a ski tour, there are certainly days where radios come in handy. I was stoked to give the Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio a try early this season and have a feeling I’ll be using a lot in the coming months.

Setup

To start pairing your radios, scan for channels with the button at the top of the radio. Once you have paired, lock your radio into its channel and current settings, hold the switch on the top toward the lock icon and wait for the lock symbol to appear on the radio screen.

To toggle between high and low power mode, hold the “volume up” button for ~2 seconds. (Note that this does not work if the radio is locked).

To use a privacy code (if you’re on a really busy channel), hold the “volume down” button for ~2 seconds. These are basically subchannels that you can use if you find yourself on a crowded channel and want to keep communication just within your party.

Features

The Mountain Radio has some really handy features that are quick and easy to use once you know how. Having a lot of channels to choose from is really helpful in crowded backcountry areas like the Wasatch. While skiing one day, my partner and I found ourselves using the same channel as another group. The Mountain Radio makes it easy to switch to a new channel or even use a privacy code if you want to keep communication internal.

I also really like the option for high and low power mode. Obviously a radio needs power to be of any use so it’s important to make sure your Mountain Radio is charged for skiing and relatively efficient. The low power mode slightly reduces the range of the radio, but I didn’t have any issues with range and mostly kept mine in low power mode. When you turn your radio on, the battery percentage will flash on the screen so you can easily determine how much charge you have left before heading out.

The lock feature locks the radio settings you are using. As someone who likes to keep my radio stowed in my pack (relying on the Hand Mic for use), I like having a way to trust that settings won’t switch while the radio is moving around in my backpack.

In use

The Mountain Radio is simple and relatively easy to use once you figure it out, but it definitely took me some time to get used to. I would recommend fiddling around with the Mountain Radio in your house (or somewhere warm) before taking it outside. This helped me understand how to use all the different features and buttons on the radio. It’s also a good idea to make sure your radio works with your ski partners before heading into the backcountry.

Once I was dialed in on how to use it, the Mountain Radio was a useful addition to my backcountry days. It was definitely nice to have to be able to talk to my partner from the top or bottom of a line without shouting. It’s also a nice backup to have if you’re skiing challenging or complex terrain. For one ski tour we did, my partner and I were picking our way through a glade and it was hard to keep eyes on each other. Using the radios, we were able to make sure we regrouped in the same place.

The Mountain Radio and Hand Mic combination is pretty light so it really didn’t feel like adding much gear to my backcountry set up. You will want to play around with where you clip the radio (or Hand Mic) to your pack and where you stow the radio in your pack (if you’re using the Hand Mic). A lot of this depends on personal preference and the backcountry pack you like to use so it’s worth playing around with what works best for you.

We had no issues with the range of the radios and my partner’s voice came through clearly on the radio. I did find that, even with the volume up, it wasn’t always easy to hear my partner’s voice through the radio when I had my helmet on. So, make sure that the microphone and speaker are clipped close to your ear (I liked clipping mine pretty high up on my backpack straps, near my shoulder).

I was impressed by the battery life of the Mountain Radio. I’ve stretched it pretty long without charging and find that a full day of skiing really doesn’t deplete the battery that much. Which makes it really easy to use multiple days in a row without too much fuss.

The Mountain Radio has a waterproof rating that makes it “splashproof and snowproof” but it’s not submergible. It should be fine for most ski days, but water is something to be mindful of. You don’t want to leave your radio in a wet backpack or melting snow and it might not be the best option for skiing in the rain. This is where the Hand Mic is a handy accessory. With a higher waterproof rating, the Hand Mic is submergible so is definitely going to hold up for wet skiing.

I skied some deep powder with the Hand Mic and didn’t worry at all about it getting wet from melting snow. One challenge with the Hand Mic was that it would sometimes disconnect from the radio in the pack. While easy to fix, this disrupted communications and it was annoying to have to stop, open up your pack, re-connect the Hand Mic cord to the radio, and re-situate the radio in your pack. So if you’re using the Hand Mic, make sure the cord connecting it to the radio is secure and isn’t going to get yanked on too much.

Who should buy the Rocky Talkie?

If you’re looking for a backcountry radio, Rocky Talkie’s Mountain Radio is a good option. It’s lightweight, easy-to-use, and has a great battery life. The range of the Mountain Radio should be sufficient for most backcountry skiers in most terrain. If you anticipate spending a lot of time in deep powder or wet conditions, I would recommend getting the Hand Mic due to its more robust waterproofing.