Lawinenairbag

Ortovox reminds you in a press release that the carbon cartridges of the AVABAG airbag backpacks must be weighed regularly. Occasionally there may be a loss of pressure, which is reflected in a deviation in the weight of the cartridge.

The Mammut Light Short Removable Airbag 3.0 backpack is the ideal companion for ski touring and freeriding. There is more than enough storage space for one-day ski tours and it is also suitable for multi-day ski tours. For a quick run, the backpack can be compressed using the side straps and is easy on the back muscles thanks to its very low weight. So there's no excuse to leave your avalanche backpack at home!

BCA and ARVA will each be launching a new avalanche transceiver next season, although these are more likely to be overhauled versions of familiar models than fundamentally new inventions. The various airbag systems remain unchanged and are merely packaged in new colors. The only completely new feature appears to be a microwave scanner that records "snow profiles".

The Arva Reactor Ultralight 25L is, as the name suggests, the lightweight model in the now tried and tested Reactor series and, in addition to its low weight, impresses above all with its high carrying comfort and individual customisation options.

All customers who are in possession of a Generation 3.0 avalanche airbag (neon-colored release handle) from the Winter 16/17, Winter 17/18 or Winter 18/19 seasons are requested to check the fixation of the balloon using the following instructions or to contact Mammut Customer Service. Avalanche airbags from earlier seasons (red release handle) are not affected.

The big PowderGuide photo competition with the photos of the week has been over for a while and now the PowderGuide editorial team has also managed to vote on the overall winners!

On paper, the ARVA R24 promises everything you would expect from an avalanche backpack: Safety, light weight, carrying comfort and enough storage space for a day tour including a snack (Znüni = Schwyzerdütsch for a snack after breakfast and before lunch). Of course, it must also be possible to attach the snowboard or skis and there should also be room for an ice axe.

In the field of avalanche safety, ISPO 2019 was rather restrained in terms of major innovations. Some manufacturers revised existing products, changed minor details or added individual models to the existing product range. Spectacular innovations were largely absent (again this year).

The pressure to innovate and the high demand in the avalanche backpack sector have led to constant improvements, expansions and innovations over the years: lighter, cheaper, more user-friendly, more stylish - the numerous manufacturers are working hard and delivering ever more sophisticated systems. In close collaboration with Alpride, Scott developed the E1 Patrol AP 30, which raises the bar in the field of electronic airbags.

With the Integrated Avalanche System from Advenate, another innovative product in the avalanche backpack sector is coming onto the market for the 2018/2019 winter season. The principle behind the Advenate system: In addition to an airbag function, the IAS also has a breathing system, which is designed to increase survival time under the snowpack in the event of a burial. We have already spent some time on the mountain with the Surface IAS 32 and had a first look at it.

Okay, now we can no longer deny it: Winter has arrived, in the southern parts of the Alps there is already between 1 and 2 meters of snow (Airolo, Simplon, Engadin, see SNOWGRID). So it's time to evaluate last season's prediction game and start the next one.

PowderGuide was born out of the desire to combine the fun of off-piste skiing with informed and professional risk management in order to ideally be able to spend a lifetime "off-piste". A few years ago, Jeremy Jones summed up this principle in the catchy phrase "live to ride another day".