The Alyeska Protection Airbag Vest is based on Snowpulse technology, which is used in all Mammut airbag backpacks. Of the two available airbag variants RAS (Removable Airbag System) and PAS (Protective Airbag System), the PAS system has been installed. In this system, the airbag is shaped like a neck brace and offers protection for the head, neck/neck and upper body in addition to its actual function as a flotation device in an avalanche. A back protector is also integrated into the vest and a large flap on the back allows the obligatory avalanche shovel and probe safety equipment to be stowed in a compartment. Additional small items can be stowed in two small pockets on the front and a small pocket in the main compartment.
First impression
The vest is well made and it is easy to put on and adjust to your body size using two diagonal straps (comparable to the shoulder straps of a backpack) and two horizontal straps on the side. When closing the zipper at the front, however, you notice that the vest is not exactly baggy. This is intentional. Both the back protector and the airbag must fit snugly against the body or, in the case of the airbag, not be able to be pulled away from the body under any circumstances in order to guarantee their full function. The tight fit also means that the usual strap between the legs on airbag backpacks can be dispensed with (this is to prevent the backpack from being pulled off the rider by the avalanche). Once you get used to the fit, you soon realize that the freedom of movement advertised by the manufacturer is really noticeably better than with a conventional airbag backpack. In particular, the shoulder straps on Mammut's PAS backpacks are quite wide (the part of the airbag that protects the upper body when inflated is stowed in these shoulder straps), but unlike some PAS backpacks, they hardly get in the way.
Access to the main compartment is via a large flap on the side of the vest facing the back. At first glance, the compartment itself appears larger than you would expect. Once you have stowed your shovel and probe in the compartment, very little of the 4 liter packing volume remains. However, there is still some space left. You can find out below what else fits in here and, above all, what doesn't. The cartridge attached to the side makes the distribution in the compartment somewhat asymmetrical, as it fills the entire thickness of the vest, but the probe and shovel usually don't.
