Researchers say tool could improve chances of surviving an avalanche

rknight111

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This does not take into account the trauma from impacts from objects and from the activity the victim/s have gone through during the avalanche. I’ve personally been involved in an avalanche that when locating the victim, his avy bag was totally deflated, it appeared to be deployed but was deflated at the time of the rescue which was within 10 minutes of the avalanche. I think this would be just one more tool however, honestly it’s tough enough to pull your avy bag when your in this situation. I’ve been there. So is this in conjunction with the avy bag that blows up or is this what they are referring to.
 
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FernieHawk

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This does not take into account the trauma from impacts from objects and from the activity the victim/s have gone through during the avalanche. I’ve personally been involved in an avalanche that when locating the victim, his avy bag was totally deflated, it appeared to be deployed but was deflated at the time of the rescue which was within 10 minutes of the avalanche. I think this would be just one more tool however, honestly it’s tough enough to pull your avy bag when your in this situation. I’ve been there. So is this in conjunction with the avy bag that blows up or is this what they are referring to.

I believe the whole article is in reference the the regular Jet Force bag. They were designed to deflate 3 minutes after deployment...thus creating the airspace around your head.
 

Bnorth

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This was posted recently on another forum I frequent, I thought it was pretty interesting regarding opening pressure when the bag doesn't have time to inflate fully before your are in the slide.



OK, first off, full transparency - I am a snow safety rep for Arva, here in the US. I was also the second dedicated airbag rep in north america (for ABS), a number of years back. We've seen quite progression in avalanche airbags during this time, with the expansion of companies selling such product, and more recently, different designs on how airbags inflate. All good for those of us traveling in the winter, backcountry mountains.


What brand, and model, a person chooses is dependent upon what characteristics they place at the top of their list. If flying within the US, and/or to far away places, an "electrically powered" airbag will make logistics easier. On the other hand, if power of inflation, redundancy, and "lift" - or in other words, safety - are on the top of your list, then two airbag companies stand out: Arva and ABS. In Europe, testing has been proceeding on the fill power of the various airbag systems. Arva has at the strongest fill power on the market, at 4300psi, followed by ABS. These are factory sealed cylinders that require trading them in (which on average, runs $45) for fresh units. Arva also makes a refillable cylinder, that tops out at 3200psi, Empties are filled by an authorized Arva refill dealer. The refill charge is anywhere from $0-$20. The remaining refillable canister systems out on the market generally have a fill power between 2600 to 3000 psi. Why does this matter? In a late pull, where you are already engulfed by the avalanche, the bigger the inflation power, the greater chance your airbag will inflate, and aid in your being on top of the slide when it comes to a stop. Unfortunately, the electrically powered airbags have not tested well in area of importance. My take away, if you owned a fan or capacitor system, don't wait second guessing if you need to pull your handle.


As mentioned above, redundancy is also, I believe, an important consideration. All of the companies are using strong material for their airbags, but can they be ruptured - yes. ABS was the first company to have "twin airbags". Arva, in their development, incorporated a tough, yet flexible baffle in what appears to be a mono bag, making it a "twin". With either design, should one "bag" take a puncturing hit, the other stays inflated - redundancy.


Lift refers to the shape of the airbag, and how it functions to get the most of your body out of the snow when things settle. Bags that come down further on the body (such as Arva and ABS), lift more of you out of the snow than those that concentrate their inflation from your upper back and above head. This improves your odds against suffering lower body trauma as the slide comes to a stop.


Needless to say there are numerous other considerations on which airbag set up is best for anyone person. Besides airbag function, like any pack, brands fit differently (different torso lengths and/or adjustability), size of waist they will go down to / up to, load distribution, storage compartments, etc.. Your riding buddy may swear by his/her choice, but are you the same body type, level of fitness, carry the same amount of gear on your back, and share the same priorities of characteristics / features?


Through the years I've witnessed the change in snow safety consideration in the snowmobile community. The hands on education that is now available is tremendous. As the avalanche centers say, "get the tools, get the education, get the report". They all work together. An avy airbag is a worthwhile tool to have with you if you're chasing pow (or out too late on a warm spring day) in mountainous terrain, but it is not a silver bullet.


Couple of quick final notes:

  • BCA owners - make sure you have your cable hooked up correctly. Incorrect connections have lead to packs not firing.
  • Cylinders with gauges - periodically weigh your cylinder! All companies with gauges have had recalls in their history (some more than once). Weight is the most accurate means of knowing if your can has a leak.
  • All airbag owners -
Dry your packs out during the winter! I've seen packs where mildew took hold, and in older packs, constantly wet, creased, airbags did not hold air as designed.
Practice reaching / pulling your handle. Get it committed to muscle memory. If the worst case scenario happens, your pull movement has to be automatic, and it sure as hell won't be easy if you're on the throttle.

  • Lastly, as many know, ABS removed itself from north America a few years back, making fresh activation units hard to come by. IMHO, their behavior was inexcusable. They are, however, open for business again. If you have an ABS pack, you can either go to your previous ABS dealer and have them order you an exchange activation unit, and/or contact the ABS distributor in Quebec to arrange for new units.


 

Rbrduk

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Ok, so they buried the guy in 2 feet of snow. So how does this equate to a real 2 foot burial with hard packed snow? I would have to assume they did not pack the snow on the test subject.
 
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