Avalanche Air Bags tested in Nevada (with PICS)

[WARY]

Hello everyone,

As some of you know we have been testing and developing an avalanche air bag system since 2002 and posting our results here.

We just got back from the Ruby Mountains just a few miles south of Elko, Nevada where we tested our latest version of our AviVest. We were able to produce only two class 2 avalanches (there is not the same amount of snow in Nevada as British Columbia where we usually test), but the results were great and the air bags floated the life sized crash test dummies to the surface of both slides. We will post pics and videos as we get done studying them.

Thanks..........

Here is a PIC of one of the dummies being longlined into place for the testing.......

 

[WARY]

Control dummy with no avalanche air bag.....

 

[WARY]

Placing the control dummy on the hill.....

 

[WARY]

Dummy with AviVest being longlined into place.....

 

[WARY]

Here's a shot of all three dummies, 2 dummies with avalanche air bags and one control dummy without, placed on the hill and waiting for the avalanche.....

 

[MXRacer58]

Sweet!

 

[WatchThis!!!]

I used to live in Elko and ride the Rubys, you picked a great spot to test because it is very very steep and deep!

 

[milehighassassin]

So lets see the video

 

[WARY]

Don't know if we got any decent video, the filming conditions were bad, and we could not get as close as usual to the avalanches due to the hazardous avalanche conditions in the area.

Here is the first avalanche hitting the upper and middle dummies.....

 

[WARY]

Here the first avalanche misses the second dummy with an air bag as it carries the upper dummy downhill. You can see the dummy appear and disappear within the avalanche.....

 

[WARY]

..........

 

[WARY]

@@@@@

 

[WARY]

$$$$$$$

 

[iamchappy]

Good work guys..i'll keep watching for more.

 

[eludnu]

Great photos. Just wondering if you ever test with the bag UNDER the dummy at the start?

 

[WARY]

Here the second slide finally catches the other dummies......

Red air bag in center....

 

[WARY]

............

 

[WARY]

^^^^^^^^

Red air bag bottom center.....

 

[WARY]

*********

Red air bag in center of pic.....

Center.......

 

[WARY]

--------