New avalanche airbag systems from Scott and Black Diamond

The supply of avalanche backpacks has exploded in recent winters. A veritable boom in purchasable safety (even if such promises cannot always be kept) in mountain sports has been a well-known phenomenon for some time, and in the winter of 2012/2013 avalanche airbags literally pushed 'normal' freeride and touring backpacks off the shelves. In Europe, the systems from Mammut/Snowpulse, ABS and BCA were mainly on show - we are deliberately ignoring the North American systems from Wary and Mystery Ranch, which do not play a major role on the European market. A complete overview of avalanche backpacks for the 2012/2013 season can be found here. We will update this market overview for you soon (after Ispo 2014).

In winter 2014/15, two more systems will be available that use innovative technology to address the problem of air travel, which is made more difficult by the strict safety regulations. The Jetforce system from Black Diamond uses an electrically powered turbine imported from space research to inflate the balloon.

The Alpride system, which is installed in Scott backpacks, also uses compressed gas from a cartridge, but this is filled with less pressure and a different gas mixture and can therefore meet all IATA (International Air Transport Association) requirements for carrying on an aircraft.

The battery-powered fan inflates a 200 L airbag in 3.5 seconds - that's about the time it takes a conventional airbag, but the balloon is 50 L larger than most. The airbag was developed using a tear-resistant material from the automotive industry and in the event that a hole is torn in the balloon, the programming (developed by Pieps) is set so that air is refilled every 20 seconds. This ensures that the airbag reaches its full volume for a period of three minutes, even if there is a significant opening. After this period, the ventilation is then reversed and all the air is sucked out of the balloon. This is intended to create a spacious breathing cavity in the event of a burial. It could also make rescue or excavation easier. In principle, the system can of course be triggered and recharged as often as required - this should be possible within eight hours.

The system should meet all IATA requirements for taking it on board the aircraft. The design and size of the battery should be similar to that of laptops and it only needs to be screened at check-in - as is the case with laptops. To our knowledge, however, it has not yet been fully clarified whether the IATA regulations will be met. At the market launch in fall 2014, Black Diamond will offer three different backpack sizes: Pilot (11 L), Halo (28 L) and Saga (40 L). There will be two different backpacks from Pieps (Tour Rider 24 L and Tour Pro 34 L) and one from Poc (Thorax 11 L). Weight specifications are not yet published by the manufacturers as they are still being worked on. Anyone who had the backpacks in their hands at the Alpinmesse in Innsbruck will understand why. The next time the backpacks will be on display for the trade public will be at ISPO in Munich (from January 26 to 29, 2014).

Advantages of the Jetforce system:

- Travel-friendly
- Multiple deployment/exercise
- Large (200 L) and stable airbag
- Automatic refilling and emptying of the airbag

Scott Alpride - From life jacket to avalanche airbag

For Scott, the development of a lightweight avalanche airbag was a priority, as ski mountaineering and ski touring are popular and conventional airbag systems are too heavy, especially for multi-day tours with full equipment (rope, harness, safety equipment, etc.). The company Alpride (founded in 2009) had the same ideas and so over the last four years they have been working on a technology that meets the high quality and weight requirements. The complexity of carrying the cartridges when traveling also played a major role. Interestingly, the idea originated from a life-saving item that is on board every airplane: the self-inflating life jacket. In the Alpride system, the two cartridges (two cartridges are required) are filled with a mixture of argon and carbon dioxide, albeit at a lower pressure (180 bar) than conventional avalanche airbags (usually 300 bar). Nevertheless, the buoyancy chamber (150 L) is inflated in less than three seconds.

A system that is significantly lighter was developed on the basis of the life jacket. Scott states the weight of the complete system at 1.2 kg - and which is less expensive than previous systems. The complete system should be available for less than 400 euros. The cartridges should also only cost 35 euros and should be easier to obtain. As with the other cartridge-based systems, these have to be replaced after being released and can therefore only be used once.

Scott and Alpride will be launching four different backpacks on the market, with a backpack for ski touring competitions even being realized due to the low weight of the system. The Scott Air Mnt AP 20 is said to weigh only 2.1 kg (including the Alpride system!) and still has all the essential functions of a backpack for ski mountaineering! The Scott Air Free AP 22 (2.5 kg) and AP 30 (2.6 kg) have been equipped with functions that are mainly needed for freeriding. The flagship in the Scott Air range is the Mnt AP 40, for enough space and with all the functionalities for a multi-day stay in the mountains. The Scott backpacks will also be presented to the trade public at ISPO. PowderGuide will soon have the pleasure of taking a close look at the new Alpride system in a test.

Advantages of the Scott Alpride system:
- travel-friendly
- very light (only 1.2 kg)
- quick inflation of the airbag (150 L in under three seconds)
- low price: (presumably) from 390 euros
- good weight distribution (system at the bottom of the backpack)