Snowpulse Airbag vs ABS????

[Dobir]

Does anyone know anything about the Snowpulse airbag. I saw one perform at Ghostrider in Fernie. Re-fillable bottles are a nice touch. Does anyone have any thoughts...I am assuming the dealer will be at the sled show...

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[NosRX1]

After checking it out I think I would go with the Snowpulse, Nice pack and I like the way it inflates.

 

[xtremegriz]

I like the way it inflates as well, but the rip cord is to large and exposed. Easy to catch on braches, handlebars..etc.

 

[Cartel]

Yeah I like the way they designed the inflation of the airbag too, the bottle is nice and small which is an added bonus because I am always short on space to begin with.

 

[Dobir]

The slick part is being able to refill at your local volunteer fire dept..vs a couple hundred for an abs canister...price sems about the same....

 

[winterulez]

Just checked the two out at the sled show here in P.G. i liked the snowpulse better for sure. Everything was better i thought. And for the handle i wouldn't worry about it, it's all good. They are very nice, will be buying a snowpulse one for sure.

 

[Summiteer]

The slick part is being able to refill at your local volunteer fire dept..vs a couple hundred for an abs canister...price sems about the same....

All you gas plant dudes can fill up at the cascade........"no,no, just checkin' the Scott packs":d:d:d or just use nitrogen, it's dry.....

 

[woodies]

i'll chip in my 2 cents.check them out a bit more.heard some negs.air regular freeze,limited visability and head movement,as for the air versus nitrogen to breathe issue,whats air made up of?nitrogen at around 80%!also tree hugger owned!!!a bird told me this,so take it for what it worth,i'm strapping a abs to my azz this fall!

 

[Cartel]

i'll chip in my 2 cents.check them out a bit more.heard some negs.air regular freeze,limited visability and head movement,as for the air versus nitrogen to breathe issue,whats air made up of?nitrogen at around 80%!also tree hugger owned!!!a bird told me this,so take it for what it worth,i'm strapping a abs to my azz this fall!

Good points woody expescially about the freeze up, but if you have a tank of nitrogen it will be 100% nitrogen would it not, so if thats the case I would want air in the tank instead.

 

[Summiteer]

i'll chip in my 2 cents.check them out a bit more.heard some negs.air regular freeze,limited visability and head movement,as for the air versus nitrogen to breathe issue,whats air made up of?nitrogen at around 80%!also tree hugger owned!!!a bird told me this,so take it for what it worth,i'm strapping a abs to my azz this fall!

air regs only freeze if the air going through them contains moisture, the compressed air we used to fill the SCBA at the plant was dried, can't have scott packs freezing up in the cold either. I just said Nitrogen because there are usually dozens of tanks of compressed nitrogen on the tank docks at a gas plant and it is dry.

 

[Adrenaline Addiction]

Thinking about buying one of the Snowpulse, think its a good idea using breathing air to oxygenate the snow around you when deployed. They dont hold the pressure do they?

 

[avalanchesafety]

First off, i am the distributor of Snowpulse, having said that i will try to be unbiased. I wore and sold ABS packs for the previous last 3 years, so i have a very good understanding of both products. I also instruct avalanche courses for a living to sledders and skiers (if you call skiing treehugging then yes, sign me up) and am a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. The main advantages i see in the Snowpulse (which is why i switched allegiances) are as follows: a refillable, cheap to fill cylinder (filled with compressed air), it is at least a pound lighter for the comparible model, and the shape of the airbag provides trauma protection (which is extremely important to me) and it is much more conducive to having me end up with my head up instead of face down with the bags folded behind me (which is what tends to happen with the ABS). I also prefer the backpack design itself. To see a side by side comparison (which i did as fairly as possible) you can visit . At the bottom of the page is an explanation of each point.

In distributing Snowpulse I have approached several dealers who did sell ABS and all but one (who has personal ties to ABS) has switched to selling Snowpulse this year. I realize me being on the market has probably pissed off some ABS fans but overall i think the more manufacturers there are the better (to a point anyways) as it help legitimize airbags and gets more people using them. I am sure ABS sales will continue to do well.

In terms of freezing up, the Snowpulse must be filled with dry compressed air, such as is put in the Scott packs and Scuba tanks. There is absolutely no risk of it freezing if it is filled with dry air as there is no moisture in the air. It also must be filled with air, not nitrogen, CO2, or anything else. The reason for this is that the Snowpulse is designed to deflate slowly, providing 150L of AIR, should an avalanche victim be buried for whatever reason (no airbag is full proof).

Just got back from the first show up in PG and people were stoked on it. I will be attending all of the shows this fall.

 

[avalanchesafety]

i'll chip in my 2 cents.check them out a bit more.heard some negs.air regular freeze,limited visability and head movement,as for the air versus nitrogen to breathe issue,whats air made up of?nitrogen at around 80%!also tree hugger owned!!!a bird told me this,so take it for what it worth,i'm strapping a abs to my azz this fall!

Snowpulse distributer here again. As i stated in my last post (which i hope shows up soon) there i absolutely no risk of air freeze up if it is filled with dry air, which is what it is supposed to be filled with. As for restricting head movement and vision, YES when it is inflated it does restrict your head movement and some lateral vision. However you still have plenty of forward vision, and you can still keep your hands on the bars. I would say that holding your head is a good thing.

 

[avalanchesafety]

i'll chip in my 2 cents.check them out a bit more.heard some negs.air regular freeze,limited visability and head movement,as for the air versus nitrogen to breathe issue,whats air made up of?nitrogen at around 80%!also tree hugger owned!!!a bird told me this,so take it for what it worth,i'm strapping a abs to my azz this fall!

I explained in my last e-mail about the freeze up and tree hugging. Adressing the issue of limited head movement and visibility, YES the airbag does limit your head movement (quite a lot in fact) but i do not think this is a bad thing if your are being ragdolled down the mountainside. It also does restrict some lateral vision, however you still have good forward vision and your arms are free to move around and hang on to the bars for dear life.

 

[avalanchesafety]

Thinking about buying one of the Snowpulse, think its a good idea using breathing air to oxygenate the snow around you when deployed. They dont hold the pressure do they?

The Snowpulse airbag is designed to deflate slowly so that if an avalanche victim is buried (no airbags are full proof) then they have 150L of air around them to slowly leak out, hopefully oxygenating the space around you. Also if you were partially buried or buried and then a section of the airbag was reveiled you could slice the airbag with a knife instantly giving the avalanche victim space and air.

 

[Haggis]

They look interesting. I agree more products on the market (that have been properly tested and approved) the better. More people using this type of technology, more avalanche awareness and more lives saved.

Question from the pics above - couldn't help but wonder what happens to your head with a person wearing a big helmet - is your head pushed down towards your chin - anyone else think this looks like a birth????

 

[Haggis]

I explained in my last e-mail about the freeze up and tree hugging. Adressing the issue of limited head movement and visibility, YES the airbag does limit your head movement (quite a lot in fact) but i do not think this is a bad thing if your are being ragdolled down the mountainside. It also does restrict some lateral vision, however you still have good forward vision and your arms are free to move around and hang on to the bars for dear life.

Like the idea of slicing with a knife for extra airspace. - but is that not a bit far fetched??? Remember from my avalanche course that most slides set up like concrete withing a few seconds of slide comin to a stop - if you are buried good look trying to free your knife out of your inside jacket pocket. How londg do they take to slowly deflate. Are they CSA approved??

Just to clarify - With a sledding helmet on if your head is pushed down and helmet likely rolled forward a little - you have no vision. Am I missing something here???

 

[avalanchesafety]

Like the idea of slicing with a knife for extra airspace. - but is that not a bit far fetched??? Remember from my avalanche course that most slides set up like concrete withing a few seco.nds of slide comin to a stop - if you are buried good look trying to free your knife out of your inside jacket pocket. How londg do they take to slowly deflate. Are they CSA approved??

Just to clarify - With a sledding helmet on if your head is pushed down and helmet likely rolled forward a little - you have no vision. Am I missing something here???

In terms of cutting the airbag with a knife, i meant that this is possible for the rescue party if you are partially or fully buried. As you stated avalanche debris sets up rock hard very quickly.

The Snowpulse is not CSA approved. There is currently no certification process for airbags in North America. They are CE approved as personal protective equipment, which is the European certification.

With a sled helmet on, the release of the airbag definitely does push your head down slightly. I just released one again with a helmet on to remind myself how much. It pushes your head down slightly but you are still able to see straight ahead, if that makes sense.

 

[northstar23]

Any chance of injury to your neck or head when the snow pushes up from the back side of the air bag.

 

[avalanchesafety]

Any chance of injury to your neck or head when the snow pushes up from the back side of the air bag.

I am sure that it is possible, some avalanches are extremely violent. However my personal opinion is that the risk is no greater than not having an airbag around your head. It also stops your head being pushed backwards and hurting your neck that way.