10,000 feet @ Four foot powder days will be here soon!! anyone used the inflatable avalanche packs? Any comments would be great as the packs are as much as engine mods!!! safety and power are in the balance!!
Avi pack airbags? Storys? Hp or Safety?
- Thread starter snowman-1
- Start date
check avy report, dig a pit know what slopes to be on or not. haveing knowlege of conditions and snow and being smart you wont have to worry about it. never seen any use one before but most my friends come from a ski background.
might be good if you just going to ride wherever and you taking the chance you might want the pull cord
might be good if you just going to ride wherever and you taking the chance you might want the pull cord
Thanx for the info--I was caught an buried three years ago. got lucky, two friends close and my helmet popped off marking my spot. we were in a meadow 600 yards away from the slope, big event. with our high hp sleds and turbos its easy to get in trouble. It looks like the bags work well if you get in a bad spot, you never know for sure.............
i have an ABS, and i believe it will help, but only to a point. If a slide sweeps you over a cliff or through trees, its not gonna help....And to justify the cost, i just cut my riding days down a few, didnt go out to dinner afterwards, and waited on a new can for my sled...
cool, I am getting a airbag pack for sure just to add to my arsenel I take with me already @ always ride with a pack anyway, just wanting to see what types are out there and how they fit! as far as riding on big snow days I am a lot more careful now, I also watch the gullys and steep leading into them, the avis come out at the bottom just as far as the ridge is up, plus some. thanx for the feedback...snowman-1
The ABS Airbags have definitely proven themselves. Here are some actual statistics about the success rate of the ABS Airbags. PM me with any questions you have.
![Picture%20044[1].JPG](https://www.snowest.com/forum/data/attachments/27/27197-d7af2a014297c0cd2604b3b021ae4309.jpg?hash=168qAUKXwM "Picture%20044[1].JPG")
![Picture%20045[1].JPG](https://www.snowest.com/forum/data/attachments/27/27206-fe04be27173b25dab38386518c09725d.jpg?hash=_gS-Jxc7Jd "Picture%20045[1].JPG")
Picture of a large avalanche in Cooke last winter....A picture of my buddies sled and airbag where he was laying, still alive and well. Do they work? Sure! Will they save your life from avalanches? Not always...1 of 3 people caught in avalanches are killed by trauma. Beacons, probes, shovels, packs and abs bags are all good insurance, but education can mean a lot more.
Thanx for Info!
Thanx for the specs and pics! winter should be here soon, it always comes, at least the last 2 weeks without storms i,ve be working and making $ to pay for the season. I will fire up my old computer and post avalanche pics.
Thanx for the specs and pics! winter should be here soon, it always comes, at least the last 2 weeks without storms i,ve be working and making $ to pay for the season. I will fire up my old computer and post avalanche pics.
G
Gone Sleddin
Active member
i don't have any scientific proof but i would think if the bag keeps you toward the surface the chance of trauma would also be reduced
I ride with my three kids, two of which ride quite well, and will pass my level this season or at most next season, and the third will in 3 or four years. I think the abs bags are the ticket, but I can't figure out how to spend three grand now or four grand soon, to put them all in air bags. How can I justify spending the money on just one? and who wears it, currently I am more likely to be involved, but in no time, they'll be right there with me. I am very cautious when the kids are with me, and pretty cautious when out with adults. Can it make any sense to swap out the pack as we high mark a bowl? Currently just not buying an abs pack to not have the quandry, But that seems a little like avoidance.
Any one with a similar situation, and any suggestions?
Any one with a similar situation, and any suggestions?
this year I bought the kids beacons,probes and shovels(already had my own).I also bought 1 abs bag..we will share it when we ride..1 rider on the hill at a time ..and that rider wears the pack..later this season I will get another , same with next year till we all have them..and we will continue to share till then..am gonna do the same when I ride with friends as well...it is hard to make your friends buy the right gear..have 2 close friends who have resisted buying beacons,probes,and shovels..so I bought them both beacons probes and shovels for X-mas presents.....
G
Gone Sleddin
Active member
i like the idea of the abs bag because it is something you are buying to help yourself in the case of a slide. beacon, probe, and shovel, you are carrying to dig out a friend or depending on a friend to have the right equipment to get to you. i think i will have to make an investment this year
Another statistic out there is that back-country avy savvy experts who are prepared make up the majority of deaths. Don't let down your guard and start doing stuff your common sense told you was dangerous before you became an "expert".
I think most people realize that a beacon, probe and shovel are good to have, but it probably doesn't affect the way they rode that much. If it does your a fool! Hopefully these air bags don't make people start hi-marking irresponsibly and endangering the people below just poking around at the base of the hill. I can see the headlines now..."Air-bag saves rider, while 5 friends at the edge of the trees below are smashed to bits". Like said earlier, avy runout goes a long ways downhill and can affect people a long ways away.
I think most people realize that a beacon, probe and shovel are good to have, but it probably doesn't affect the way they rode that much. If it does your a fool! Hopefully these air bags don't make people start hi-marking irresponsibly and endangering the people below just poking around at the base of the hill. I can see the headlines now..."Air-bag saves rider, while 5 friends at the edge of the trees below are smashed to bits". Like said earlier, avy runout goes a long ways downhill and can affect people a long ways away.
Thumbs Up for ABS
ABS saved me from being buried north of Golden last spring dropped over NW aspect whole slope turned to cottage cheese pulled the bag hit the throttle slamed into 3 foot wave got knocked out thrown in front of slide woke up with legs sucked under but the avy would not ingulf me it just pushed on the bags and I went down the slope. My advice do not hesitate pull the bag and hope you can ride out of it. This will be my 5th year wearing ABS.
When you look at what Mountain Riding Costs the PACK is CHEAP!
Have a save WINTER!
ABS saved me from being buried north of Golden last spring dropped over NW aspect whole slope turned to cottage cheese pulled the bag hit the throttle slamed into 3 foot wave got knocked out thrown in front of slide woke up with legs sucked under but the avy would not ingulf me it just pushed on the bags and I went down the slope. My advice do not hesitate pull the bag and hope you can ride out of it. This will be my 5th year wearing ABS.
When you look at what Mountain Riding Costs the PACK is CHEAP!
Have a save WINTER!
good discussion
Great comments, the basic deal is that once you have been involved with a major avalanche the experience stays with you, just like you know when your truck starts to slide when you hit an icy patch you know not to slam on the brakes and make it worse, (example) its all experience. look at the slope, snow depth, wind load, all the stuff we should know. another sign is to ck the terrain around where you are riding, are the trees all knocked down from previous avis, etc. so, I bought a pack, might as well get everthing I can, just in case!
Great comments, the basic deal is that once you have been involved with a major avalanche the experience stays with you, just like you know when your truck starts to slide when you hit an icy patch you know not to slam on the brakes and make it worse, (example) its all experience. look at the slope, snow depth, wind load, all the stuff we should know. another sign is to ck the terrain around where you are riding, are the trees all knocked down from previous avis, etc. so, I bought a pack, might as well get everthing I can, just in case!
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