The snow drops beneath your skis with a terrifying “whoompf.” Cracks spider down the slope. The mountain is moving beneath your feet. You’re in an avalanche. What to do?
First, try to ski out of it. If that fails, pull the rip cord.
A quick yank on the handle attached to the Avalanche Air Bag System (ABS) inflates two balloons that explode from your ABS backpack. The pair of 7.5 cubic-foot balloons – filled via pressurized air canisters tucked into each of the four sizes of ABS packs – keeps you floating on the surface. Even if you are battered and partially buried, the buoyant balloons are visible to your ski partners.
Statistics show the system saves lives: In more than 100 known avalanches the past 15 years involving 106 skiers pulling their ABS rip cord, only one person was killed, and that was from a second avalanche. With the bags inflated, avalanched skiers not only stayed above the surface of the snow but traveled less distance with the moving snow.
Downsides: The packs are pricey, ranging from $800 to $900. And heavy, nearly doubling the weight of similarly sized packs.
Get it: Check ’em out at www.avalancheairbag.comor www.abssystem.com.
