Avalanche Airbags & Backpacks

What is an avalanche airbag backpack?

An avalanche airbag backpack is designed to protect you in the event of an avalanche (or at least to increase your chances of survival in such a situation). Even if you have informed yourself beforehand about the avalanche risks, and they were low, off-piste skiing always carries a degree of uncertainty! To fully enjoy your freeride sessions in incredible powder, an avalanche airbag is thus required to minimize the consequences in the event of an avalanche. But how does an avalanche airbag backpack look and how do you carry it during your off-piste sessions? An avalanche airbag backpack typically resembles a traditional backpack, with a main compartment for storing your ski gear and personal belongings. An internal compartment is also available for your safety equipment (shovel, probe, and transceiver). An additional compartment contains the famous airbag folded in on itself along with a gas cartridge or a battery. This compartment can be located either at the top of the backpack, on the side, or in the straps. Thus, in the event of an avalanche, you need to pull the handle located on the strap of your avalanche airbag backpack, which is actually a trigger system for your airbag. Once the handle is pulled, the gas cartridge empties to inflate one or more airbags depending on the design of your backpack. It is also possible that your airbag system is equipped not with a gas cartridge but with a battery. In this case, once the trigger handle is pulled, the battery activates a fan that inflates your airbag in just a few seconds. Regardless of the system you have chosen, the trigger system of your avalanche airbag remains the same. The operation of an avalanche airbag backpack is clear to you now, but one question lingers: is an avalanche airbag really useful in the face of an avalanche? The rest of the article will answer that for you!

Usage of the avalanche airbag backpack

While it is not mandatory, the avalanche airbag backpack is highly recommended. And for good reason: the avalanche cases are numerous and varied, and should not be taken lightly! Instability of the snowpack, steep slopes, external forces triggering the event: the risks are very real in off-piste skiing! An avalanche presents significant mortality risks. Indeed, the rapidly moving snow can carry with it many more or less dangerous debris. The power of the snow itself can also be enough to injure a person. In such cases, an avalanche airbag can greatly increase your chances of survival. How? By inflating, the avalanche airbag increases the volume of the victim, which helps to lift them towards the surface. Thus, when an avalanche occurs, only the larger elements rise to the surface of the snow: this is precisely the goal of an avalanche airbag backpack, which should allow the skier to rise as much as possible to the surface while waiting for rescue. Additionally, an avalanche airbag provides protection for the back and neck, which is particularly useful in such situations. The avalanche airbag backpack thus offers many advantages! However, it is not a foolproof solution, and risks in the event of an avalanche are present regardless of your safety equipment. Furthermore, triggering the avalanche airbag also assumes that you have had time to react and pull the handle, which is not always the case in such situations. Finally, even if your avalanche airbag backpack manages to bring you to the surface of the avalanche, the risks of injury from the elements carried by the avalanche are still largely unavoidable. It is therefore crucial to research the area where you wish to ski off-piste beforehand and to remain vigilant during your adventures off the beaten path.

If the usefulness of the avalanche airbag is no longer in doubt for you, it is time to turn to the pinnacle of this article: how to choose your avalanche airbag?