Snowmobile avalanche air bag system

[WARY]

Here's pics of the first ever production run of an avalanche air bag system built into the seat of a snowmobile. The air bag is about 13 cubic feet, several times the size of a human avalanche air bag (like our AviVest avy air bag system).

The air bag is triggered by pulling a rip cord on the front of the seat, and the air bag emerges from the rear of the seat.

We've done several live avalanche tests and the system will float a snowmobile to the surface of a moving avalanche. This keeps the snowmobile from rolling over you during the slide, and also provides you with a means out of the mountains after you've survived.

The device also works for snowmobiles that have broken through the ice. Each year 40 to 60 people drown in North America when their ATVs and snowmobiles go through the ice. The device supports up to 4 people above the waterline, and the tethered submerged ATV or snowmobile.

 

[milehighassassin]

Nice work. Few questions.


Production time? When will we see this?

How much weight does it add?

Is there additional seat reinforcement required?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WARY]

50 Ski Doo style seat units will be available this summer.

The cost is $800 US.

The air bag tether must be attached to the snowmobile tunnel.

 

[milehighassassin]

Weight?

Any additional bracing or brackets on the seats?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[The Fourth Wolf]

What happens if it misfires with the rider on the sled? In say, technical terrain or upon landing a jump or drop.

Not dumping on your concept but I'd rather keep paying for full coverage.

 

[WARY]

The weight is about an additional 15 pounds.

The air bag needs a pull on the rip cord in order to deploy. Unlike human avalanche air bags, this system uses welded shut CO2 cylinders. Human air bags use oxygen cylinders sealed with O-rings. The only way to trigger the device is to give a strong pull on the rip cord which then uses a lever with a bayonet to pierce the sealed cylinders. Landing hard after a jump will not accidentally trigger the device.

Yes, you can buy full replacement coverage for your sled, but that won't stop it from hurting or killing you as it tumbles down the mountain next to you inside the avalanche.

 

[newmy1]

How does this keep a sled from rolling over you?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WARY]

The snowmobile immediately straightens out behind the air bag and travels down the mountain in a straight line, rather than rolling and cartwheeling downhill.

 

[milehighassassin]

Just thinking out loud but if the sled stays on top could it be more likely to be damaged or pick up greater speed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WARY]

The sled stays on top and at least in our tests the snowmobiles traveled in a straight line backwards down the avalanche.

We tethered the air bags to the rear end of the snowmobiles, and the air bags lead the snowmobiles downhill. Keep in mind that this is a huge air bag, three or four times the size of a human avalanche air bag, so there's a lot of pull there when the avalanche is forcing the air bag to move.

Our tests involved snowmobiles with air bags and snowmobiles without air bags. The machines without air bags were buried, as we knew would happen, but we felt like we needed "control" machines without air bags in order to prove that the sleds with airbags floated to the top of the avalanches because of the air bags. If that makes any sense.

When your snowmobile gets involved in an avalanche it usually starts to roll and spin inside the slide, which can be dangerous if you're near it. With the air bag inflated the sled never gets a chance to start rolling, as the air bag immediately starts to pull it down the mountain on top of the avalanche.

One test we conducted in Nevada involved a monster class 2 slide, possibly even a class 3 avalanche. It took the snowmobiles for a half mile ride down the mountain, and we could see the bright red air bag about 75% of the time. As the avalanche began to slow down at the bottom, the snowmobile that was being pulled by the air bag slowly began to emerge from the snow, shedding off the snow it had accumulated coming down the hill. It looked like a gopher tunneling out of a yard and left a track of shed snow as it emerged, sitting pretty as you please, fully exposed on top of the debris field, in working order.

 

[milehighassassin]

Any video? Interesting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[up-high]

Who's going to have time to pull the handle on your avy pack and then the tether on the sled?

 

[skibreeze]

I'm not gonna worry about the sled, I'm gonna worry about myself. As far as getting back out of the mountains, that's why I ride in a group. Strength in numbers.

 

[Scrappy]

While I admire the engineering and work that went into this, I'm curious if you did any market research? Are there really enough people interested in these to bring it to market? While I own an avalanche bag, I just don't see the need for one of these. A snowmobile is replaceable (especially with full insurance coverage), while a life is not.

Not trying to be overly critical. It's a really cool product, just curious if there's really a market for it.<O</O

 

[newmy1]

Test video sounds abundant?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zalez]

Can I ride the sled down the slide with the bag deployed?

All joking aside, I would love to see some video of this thing in action.

 

[pelon]

The weight is about an additional 15 pounds.

The air bag needs a pull on the rip cord in order to deploy. Unlike human avalanche air bags, this system uses welded shut CO2 cylinders. Human air bags use oxygen cylinders sealed with O-rings. The only way to trigger the device is to give a strong pull on the rip cord which then uses a lever with a bayonet to pierce the sealed cylinders. Landing hard after a jump will not accidentally trigger the device.

Yes, you can buy full replacement coverage for your sled, but that won't stop it from hurting or killing you as it tumbles down the mountain next to you inside the avalanche.

Not comparing weight vs. lifesaving, but you might be hard pressed to sell it considering it weighs 15lbs. Thats huge on a sled. However, your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Thinking outside of the box---thanks.

 

[m8magicandmystery]

will people make a choice..??..figure they won;t need a back pack bag if the sled has one..??...i think it introduces what could be considered an option,which i don;t think it is or what you intend it to be.. a person still has to try and stay on that sled if its the only bag...

If im ever caught in a big avy i think my sledding days would be over and the sled i don;t care about..i like the water aspect of it..thats neat..but when a person spends thousands reducing weight on a sled its hard to spend big bucks adding weight.i know its often not the right way to look at it but its a reality,the poduct is intended for the mountain segment and the mountain segment is fanatical about weight..

Good luck on it though and thanx ..!!!