Lawinenairbag

Anyone who thinks that innovations in winter only take place amongst electrical airbag systems will be proven wrong by Mammut: weighing in at 1.5 kg (including cartridge), this airbag backpack is one of the lightest on the market and impresses with its modern, minimalistic design.

We from PowderGuide were at the TouringPreview 2025 in Hochfügen - an exclusive event where specialist retailers and experts can discover the latest freetouring and freeride highlights for the 2025/26 season. In a relaxed atmosphere, we tested skis, bindings, avalanche equipment and more, gaining exciting insights into the innovations of the coming winter.

The danger of avalanches accompanies us winter sports enthusiasts, but modern equipment such as avalanche airbag backpacks can significantly improve the chances of survival in an emergency. Various scientific studies have investigated how effective avalanche airbags actually are. In a study on the effectiveness of avalanche airbags by Haegeli et al. (2014)[1], it was found that an inflated airbag can prevent around half of all fatalities in avalanche victims caught in an avalanche of size 2 or larger. The non-deployment rate found is 20% and is therefore the limiting factor of the airbag.

Whether skis, snowboard or touring equipment: your equipment is your most important companion on the mountain. It determines fun and comfort, but also safety and, in an emergency, life and death. In this article, in collaboration with our partner Sport Conrad, we present the average lifespan of your equipement,, how you can recognise when it's time to replace it and which tips will help you to better assess the condition of your equipment. This article covers the categories; ski/snowboard, touring equipment, alpine touring equipment and safety equipment and provides tips on the lifespan and maintenance of your equipment.

A very light and convincingly well-fitting backpack made of robust material, which is rather spartanly equipped. The EL2 system encourages practising, as it is easy to use and the backpack can be folded up and loaded again effortlessly after deployment. With a well thought-out packing strategy, the pack volume offers sufficient space for all one-day adventures.

The Mammut Free 22 is one of the lightest airbag backpacks on the market and also impresses in the practical test in Japan. With a little Tetris, it is even suitable for day tours.

Thanks to its modular design, the Arva Airbag Ride 18 Switch promises to be the ideal solution for all types of freeriding: its modular design ensures compactness when travelling in the ski area, while additional attachments enable expansion for tours of all kinds. With a focus on functionality and high safety standards, the avalanche backpack from Arva is designed to be a versatile and reliable companion for freeriding.

The electronic LiTRIC airbag relies on supercapacitors to inflate the airbag, which enables a very lightweight electronic airbag system. Of course, the system also offers all the familiar advantages of an electronically operated airbag, such as being very easy to carry on the aircraft, problem-free test deployments and, last but not least, no need to dispose of and procure cartridges.

The final preparations have started and the anticipation is growing steadily. In the last article, I told you how I came up with the idea of going to Japan and what you need to consider when planning a winter season in Japan. Now it's time to get down to business and I find myself surrounded by a pile of winter sports gear and other equipment and am asking myself: WHAT DO I NEED?

The PowderGuide team arrived back home after two exciting and long days and have now had time to process their first impressions. The trend that has developed in the outdoor scene over the last few years continued this year. The absence of ski and snowboard manufacturers was apparent. Nevertheless, one or two were represented, which we naturally visited and were able to discover a few new products. In the outdoor textile sector, things looked a little different and virtually no brand missed the presentation at ISPO. As in previous years, there were three platforms on which the new products, trends and innovations were presented: ISPO Awards, ISPO Textrends and ISPO Brandnew.

In 2022, the Ortovox Avabag LiTRIC system was one of the innovations at the ISPO fare. At just 1100 grams, it is lightweight, technically sophisticated and reliable and enables at least two releases with just one charge. Ortovox even won the ISPO Award and the Red Dot Design Award for it.

With the Dimension Avalanche Backpack, POC now also has an airbag backpack in its programme. The well-known Alpride E2 system with supercapacitors is used, which in this case comes in a POC backpack. We took a closer look at the combination.