Lawinenairbag

For safety reasons, Mammut asks all customers who own a Generation 3.0 avalanche airbag to check the route of the deployment cable. The proper functioning of the avalanche airbag can only be guaranteed if the cable is properly installed.

In contrast to many large manufacturers of skis, ski boots and bindings, the avalanche transceiver and airbag manufacturers were all represented at ISPO. When it comes to avalanche transceivers, there are small to medium improvements rather than huge innovations, and with the exception of Scott/Alpride, hardly anything significant has changed in terms of airbags.

I've just been on a summer getaway in Croatia and was shocked to discover that it's already snowing there too. So, there's no denying it: it's winter and the season of skiing, powder, PowderAlert and snow depth prediction games has begun!

With the Voltair series, the Canadians from Arc'teryx entered the booming market for avalanche airbag backpacks last season. The "small" Voltair tested here with a capacity of 20 l is not only characterized by the battery-operated airbag system, but also offers freeriders numerous other advantages.

Ullr on a surfing trip at the beach = winter over = prediction game over = final results and overall winner! firsttrack won with an average deviation of less than 5%, followed by chevchelios with a deviation of 7% and skimale1982 with 8%. Congratulations!

Another mixed winter season comes to an end. After a late start, there was another good load of fresh snow in April - probably more than the entire winter. And at the weekend there's more to come. We are pleased that our visitor numbers don't fluctuate as much as the amount of powder in recent winters. We have also grown this winter and this encourages us to keep putting more and more energy into the PowderGuide project. But now it's time to call it a day for the 2016/2017 season.

In the current 2016/17 winter season, Mammut is revamping the lightest member of its avalanche backpack line, the "Ultralight Removable Airbag 3.0". The suffix "3.0". The revised Removable Airbag System (RAS), which is housed in this lightweight backpack, has further improved the backpack's weight and space. With a total weight of just 1.5 kg including the carbon cartridge and airbag unit, the backpack turns out to be a fully-fledged minimalist among airbag backpacks. The fact that the compact and lightweight airbag unit can be interchanged between various compatible Mammut backpack models makes this specialist interesting for ski tourers who want to be light, fast and safe or just want to go downhill.

Since the ABS patent on airbag backpacks expired, new models of avalanche airbag systems have been springing up like mushrooms. Ortovox has also turned its back on ABS and developed its own system. This system has been installed in various new backpacks. PowderGuide had the opportunity to test this new system in the Free Rider 22 Avabag.

The successful avalanche backpacks with the "Removable Airbag System" (RAS) from Mammut have been widely used for several years. With the "Short" versions, Mammut has developed backpacks that are designed for the female anatomy or athletes with a short upper body. "Short" versions of the Ride or Pro RAS backpack are available. I tested the Pro RAS version.

BCA and Alpride now have similarly lightweight and small airbag systems as the other manufacturers. Some companies that previously bought in airbag systems for their own backpacks are taking them out of the range completely after winters with low sales. Mammut has completely redesigned Barryvox avalanche transceivers - one in the mid-price segment and one high-end device.

With the Jetforce airbag system, the two companies Black Diamond and Pieps have developed the first avalanche airbag system that is inflated by a nozzle instead of compressed air or gas. This is powered by a rechargeable electronic system, which has a number of advantages.

Airbag backpacks are now a dime a dozen, from all-round backpacks to touring backpacks, the market is well served. Scott has also been offering backpacks with integrated airbag systems for several years. After switching from the Snowpulse to the Alpride system, the range of different backpacks has been greatly expanded. We tested the AirFree AP12 Pro: A very lightweight, compact model with an integrated back protector and a focus on carrying comfort.