Breathing under the snow. The AvaLung is designed to delay death by asphyxiation, giving rescuers more time to search and dig out.
This system looks like a high-tech snorkel and is worn around the upper body or integrated into BlackDiamond backpacks. In the event of an avalanche, you only need to put the mouthpiece in your mouth. Various valves ensure that the oxygen-rich air from the snow is inhaled in the event of a burial and that the used air is not inhaled again. The aim is to enable breathing, even over a longer period of time. The AvaLung "avalanche snorkel" is now also available as a backpack. Here, as with the "old" AvaLung, the oxygen from the avalanche snow is used to prevent the buried person from suffocating in a short time. The used, CO2-enriched air is released via a valve on the victim's back. Depending on the model, the new Avalung backpacks cost between 169 and a maximum of 239 euros. As you would expect from BlackDiamond, the backpacks are high-quality and functional, with no gimmicks.
How the AvaLung works
Snow consists largely of oxygen. The problem with a burial is that most victims suffocate from their own Co2-rich exhaled air. AvaLung can help here: The used, oxygen-poor air is released at the side of the AvaLung or at the back, whereas fresh (oxygen-rich) air is drawn in at the front and thus inhaled.
