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Why have avalanche airbags not been popular in North America to this point?

The Snowpulse Lifebag is the first avalanche airbag which can be legally transported in Canada. Until this point ABS was the only option, and because they are illegal to transport the majority of retailers do not wish to carry the product. The ABS is also a heavier product and is not designed to protect an avalanche victim from trauma.

Once I have purchased an Snowpulse Lifebag do I still need a transceiver?

Yes, we highly recommend that you continue using an avalanche transceiver. There are no guarantees and we encourage you to do anything that you can do to increase your chances of survival if you are caught in an avalanche.
 

Do I need and Extra Cylinder?

Whether you need an extra cylinder depends on the length of your trips and the easiness of refilling the Snowpulse in your area. A full Snowpulse cylinder is only good for one deployment, having a second on hand in case the Snowpulse is deployed by accident or on purpose is a good idea.

What is the volume of the Snowpulse Lifebag airbag and what is it filled with?

The Snowpulse Lifebag airbag is 150L and is filled with dry compressed air.

How is the snowpulse Lifebag deployed? Do you think everyone is capable of doing so in an avalanche situation?

The Snowpulse Lifebag is a mechanical system which requires the wearer to pull the rip cord in order to deploy the airbag. The ripcord handle sits on the left shoulder strap. During transport it is tucked away to avoid accidental deployment. When in avalanche terrain the ripcord handle must be exposed from its protective pocket. The ripcord should be pulled as soon as the wearer is caught in an avalanche, or suspects he will be caught. To pull it requires 10 pounds of force in a downward motion. A 10 year old child would still be able to pull on it hard enough to deploy the airbag.

There may be situations where an individual wearing a Snowpulse would be unable to pull the trigger and initiate the airbag deployment. Such as: the handle was not exposed, or the wearer waited too long (trying to ride out the slide) before getting to the handle.

 

Is the Snowpulse Lifebag reusable once the airbag has been deployed?

Yes the Lifebag is reusable. The Lifebag takes 5-15 minutes to repack, the cylinder then needs to be refilled before the Lifebag can be reused.

Does the airbag work in wet and heavy snow conditions?

Yes, the Snwopulse Lifebag work in heavy snow conditions.

How does the Snowpulse Lifebag work?

The Snowpulse Lifebag contains a compressed air cylinder which, when deployed by the wearer, inflates a large airbag contained within the backpack arount the head and thorax of the avalanche victim. This airbag essentially acts like a massive lifejacket in a sea of snow. there are two reasons this works. 1) The inflated airbag makes you bigger. In an avalanche, bigger particles end up on the surface and smaller particles on the bottom. The second reason is because an airabag greatly reduces your overall density making you lighter than the surrounding snow mass; therefore, you essentially float to the surface.

Does the Snowpulse Lifebag work? Is there any proof?

Yes, in fact ICAR (International Commission of Alpine Rescue) has called an avalanche airbag "the device of choice". The following information is provided from Time is Life DVD, edited and approved by the International Commission of Alpine Rescue. ICAR – MEDCOM, CISA-IKAR Avalanche Commission. SWISS Stats. 2005

Examined 2000 Avalanche incidents and found the following:

Overall 22% mortality rate.
 Only 4.4% of people who were not buried, or only partially buried died!
 51.3% chance of death for people who were completely buried.
 Likely that partial burials go unreported lowering the 4.4%.

Now for the Airbag statistics:
1991-2004:  77 reports of airbag inflation.
           76 Survived, 1 Died
           10 completely buried but airbags were visible on the surface.
 
The same avalanches caught  25 people who were not wearing airbags. Of these 12 were completely buried, 9 were found dead.

Airbags lowered the probability of a complete burial from 47.1% to 13% and the mortality rate 35.3% to 1.3%!

ICAR conclusion : Statistical evidence for airbags is good to very good. “It is the device of choice”.

Point of Interest: Same study revealed transceivers reduced the median burial time 170-20 minutes, but the mortality rate only 79% to 50%!

Avalanche airbags are the only way to help reduce the chance of being buried and greatly increase an avalanche victims chance of survival.
 

What is it exactly that the Snowpulse Lifebag is able to do?

The Snowpulse Lifebag helps to keep an avalanche victim on the surface as well as protecting them from trauma therefore greatly increasing their chance of survival.

Avalanche Safety Solutions offers a range of Avalanche Safety Gear including Snowpulse avalanche airbags, avalanche transceivers, avalanche probes, and avalanche shovels. We currently sell brands such as Mammut, BCA, Pieps, and Snowpulse. In fact we are the world’s largest dealer of the Snowpulse avalanche airbag. In the near future we also expect to sell Ortovox, ABS avalanche airbags, and the Avivest when it becomes available. Based in Golden, BC, Canada, we sell top of the line avalanche safety equipment; gear such as the Mammut Barryvox Pulse avalanche transceiver, the Pieps DSP transceiver, the Snowpulse Lifebag avalanche airbag, and the inexpensive BCA Tracker. We are experts in the field and can offer you advice on which product best suits your needs. We also offer avalanche skills training courses (AST Courses) for snowmobilers and skiers. These avalanche courses are based in Golden, BC and focus on avalanche terrain identification, avalanche rescue, interpreting the Canadian Avalanche Association’s avalanche bulletin, and safe backcountry travel techniques. We want all of our customers to come home after a great day in the mountains and we believe the products that we sell help people do just that. Have a safe winter.