Market overview avalanche airbags 2012/13 season

For years, there was only ABS - for some years now, the market for avalanche backpacks has been on the move, with a welcome side effect for the user: quality and price are being driven up and down by the natural forces of the market economy! However, this also means that the market is becoming more confusing and buyers want to be better informed before buying. We have taken the trouble to search for all current avalanche backpacks to give you an overview of the models currently available. In the future, we will try to update this market overview annually and hope to be able to help you make a difficult decision.

Avalanche backpacks as an additional safety margin

An article about avalanche backpacks should not be written without the following note, however: Avalanche backpacks can certainly help save lives and absolutely have their place as additional safety equipment! But an avalanche airbag cannot prevent an avalanche or rescue a fellow avalanche victim! That's why the top priority for avoiding avalanche accidents is prevention using modern avalanche awareness methods and regular practice in rescuing comrades. And if you've been paying attention, you'll figure it out right away: Only if a recognized risk strategy is applied and the usual basic avalanche equipment (avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe) is also on board can you think about the additional safety equipment of an avalanche backpack.

ABS, Mammut and Snowpulse have (so far) dominated the European market

ABS has been manufacturing and selling avalanche backpacks since the mid-1980s. The company then had a monopoly on the market for almost two decades until a few other manufacturers turned their attention to avalanche backpacks. Today, the ABS system has two separate balloons that are inflated on the sides of the backpack. At 170 liters, these balloons have the largest buoyancy volume. One function only offered by ABS to date is wireless airbag deployment. This is of considerable importance, as in the stressful situation of an avalanche, some skiers fail to trigger the airbag and are buried together with the non-deployed avalanche backpack. Just like avalanche beacons and the like, an airbag - like all safety equipment - requires intensive training in order to be able to operate it blindly and efficiently in an emergency. With ABS, you buy a basic unit (Vario or Powder) and can then choose between four or two different ABS backpack attachments. These are simply connected with a zipper. In addition, there are now also compatible attachments from Arva, Dakine, Dynastar, Evoc, Millet and Rossignol, which in some cases can also be used as stand-alone backpacks (then without the airbag system). In addition, Salewa, The North Face and Ortovox (from 2013) have developed their own backpacks, in which the ABS airbag system is integrated, through license cooperations.

Snowpulse was founded near Verbier in 2006. Since then, avalanche backpacks have been developed and the company has been part of the Mammut Sports Group since mid-2011. However, the Snowpulse company and its own products remain on the market. The Snowpulse backpacks use the Lifebag system (not interchangeable; six backpacks and a vest) and the Mammut avalanche backpacks use the interchangeable R.A.S. system (removable airbag system; nine different backpacks). Apart from this function, the biggest difference between the R.A.S. and Lifebag is the shape of the buoyancy bodies. The latter are inflated behind the head at the top of the backpack and expand to the right and left of the head up to the front of the chest. This can presumably prevent mechanical injuries to the head and upper body during an avalanche {L. Meier, S. Harvey, Field tests with avalanche emergency devices winter 2010/2011, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, 2011}. The R.A.S. system is triggered at the same point, but the balloons remain next to or behind the body. In addition to Mammut, the manufacturers Ferrino and Scott also offer backpacks with the R.A.S. system. With the R.A.S. system, you can buy different backpacks and the avalanche airbag once, as all models are compatible.

Comments on the overview tables
All information in the overview tables is manufacturer information and the weights are generally given without the cartridges. For many models, it is not clear whether the volume information is exclusive or inclusive of the airbag system. Caution: In most cases, the volume of the deployment unit is not deducted and the backpacks are ultimately much smaller! All information without guarantee.

The primary goal when an avalanche is triggered is to stay close to the surface, as this significantly increases the likelihood of survival through a quick rescue. Tests indicate that this is the case when using an avalanche backpack - it has been proven that the burial depth is reduced with triggered flotation devices {L. Meier, S. Harvey, Feldversuche mit Lawinen-Notfallgeräten Winter 2010/2011, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, 2011} and the inflated airbag generally allows rapid optical localization. This alone should be reason enough to purchase an avalanche backpack in addition to the usual avalanche equipment. But one thing is also clear: the sometimes infamous advertising with its misleading presentation of statistics also leads people to expect an unacceptable, exaggerated level of safety from an avalanche airbag. Our recommendation: Yes! But only if enough attention has been paid to prevention, rescue and basic equipment! In a follow-up article in a few weeks, individual avalanche backpacks from the overview will be presented in more detail with experience reports from the PG editorial team.

Most of the avalanche airbags presented are available from our partner Bergzeit in the shop