ISPO Report 2018 | Avalanche safety equipment

Airbag backpacks

Scott

The most interesting new development is probably an electric version of the Alpride system (Alpride E1), which is used exclusively in the Scott Backcountry Patrol AP 30l backpack. The Alpride E1 system is equipped with supercapacitors instead of a battery. Supercapacitors are a special type of energy storage device (if you know anything about them, please correct me) that can be charged and discharged much faster than conventional batteries and can withstand significantly more switching cycles. According to the manufacturer, the supercapacitors in the Alpride E1 system can be charged 500,000 times - so you can pull the airbag very often. The supercapacitors also function in a very wide temperature range and are less sensitive to cold than batteries. The airbag can be inflated one to two times per charging cycle.

The system is charged using 2 AA batteries or a micro USB cable, so you don't need a special charging cable and can simply insert normal batteries if required. An LED light indicates when the backpack is fully charged. According to the manufacturer, the charging time is 20 minutes via USB and 40 minutes with batteries. This is significantly faster than other electric airbag systems, which have to be charged from 0 to 100%.

The Alpride E1 system weighs 1280 grams and is therefore quite a bit lighter than the Voltair and Jetforce systems, which weigh around 2 kg. The cartridge systems, which are now all quite light, weigh around 200 grams less. The backpack as such looks suitable. The whole thing should cost €900. It will be interesting to see how the Alpride E1 system proves itself in practice and whether the low weight encourages the electrical competition to think about it.

ABS app

ABS is continuing to push the option of group deployment, or the "remote ignition" of other people's airbags by radio (P.Ride system) and now has a special app for this. The app recognizes airbag backpacks in the vicinity that have P.Ride technology and these can be declared group members. You can deploy all the airbags in your group at once (default) or select individual ones (by pressing a button on the handle). The P.Ride app uses the phone's GPS to display the LLB for the corresponding region and there is a map view.

The backpacks themselves (Zip On attachments and base unit) have also been overhauled. There is also a new, lighter series of Zip Ons (S.Light: 15L, 15L, different colors) that fit on the normal Base Unit (without P.Ride). The entire backpack weighs less than 2kg for the S.Light series. ABS has no plans to develop an electric airbag system, as the tried and tested version with cartridges is considered more reliable.

LVS devices on the next page...

Avalanche transceivers

There are no changes to the avalanche transceivers from Ortovox and Mammut compared to last year. Mammut continues to communicate the new Barryvox, which was presented last year, as a major innovation.

Arva

Arva still has the three models Evo, Neo and Axio in its range. The Neo is now available in the Neo+ variant. The hardware remains the same, but software changes have improved the range from the previously stated 60m to 70m. These values only apply to an optimum coupling position. The actual top model Axio remains unchanged and therefore still has the "old" range of 60m. There may be a revised Axio in the style of the Neo for the next season. However, it will not be possible to update existing devices, as the changes are too extensive.

BCA

The BCA Tracker 3 is getting a slightly cheaper sister model, the Tracker S. The price difference is €50 (Tracker 3: €299, Tracker S: €249). Compared to other manufacturers, BCA's approach to the issue of multiple spills is somewhat different and takes the form of a "Signal Suppression Mode". This means that the signal found is suppressed for 60 seconds and the tracker logs onto the second strongest signal. As with the Tracker 3, the "Big Picture" function can be used to get an overview of several transmitters. Unlike the Tracker 3, the Tracker S does not have a USB port for firmware updates and certain other device management options (e.g. self-test protocol). In addition, the motion-sensing auto revert function included with the Tracker 3 is not available with the Tracker S. The Auto Revert function uses a motion sensor to switch back to transmission after 60 seconds of inactivity in search mode.

The Tracker S is a relatively inexpensive option for beginners. Due to the less complex "Signal Suppression Mode" compared to the marking function of other manufacturers, the processor can concentrate on other things and the device is therefore "the fastest on the market" according to the manufacturer. Solving complex multiple burial scenarios is also possible with the "Signal Suppression Mode", but requires a little more practice.

Miscellaneous

Ortovox advertises a new shovel that is lighter and smaller than previous models. Recco installs its now very small and flexible reflectors as standard in the Powerstrap of Scarpa F1 ski touring boots, among other things. Pieps has overhauled its non-airbag backpacks.

To meet an urgent need, ATK now produces shovels and probes specifically for ski touring, where you have to carry these items but don't ever want to use them or unnecessarily weigh down your backpack. So it's only logical to make the shovel blade entirely out of carbon.

Advenate, the newly created parent company of Integrated Avalanche System, presented the prototype of the Hybrid Pro shovel, which has a probe integrated into the shaft. The shovel, probe and ski poles form the poles of a tent, which is supplied as a bivouac sack-like package. Pegs for use in the snow are also built into the shovel. The tent weighs 700g.

The probe/tent pole integrated into the shovel is 240cm long. The shovel style is 94cm long when extended and 47cm when retracted. The blade is also relatively large at 27x33cm. The shovel has a D-handle and a chopping function. Here, too, it will be interesting to see how the system proves itself in practice. The Hybrid Pro shovel has won an ISPO Gold Award - perhaps it really is particularly comfortable to bivouac on.