Snowpulse Avalanche Flotation Backpack

[avalanchesafety.ca]

Hello all,

My company, avalanchesafety.ca, will be importing and distributing a new avalanche flotation backpack, called Snowpulse, which will be widely available in the fall. I have been showing this pack around BC and Alberta for the last couple of months and people are really stoked.

It has got a bunch of advantages to the ABS including a refillable, legal canister filled with air, trauma protection, it's a pound lighter, and a bunch more. No way Rene had it out this weekend in Reve (check out the photo of the chute climb on a nearby thread) and told me that at one point he thought he had forgotten his camera, the pack felt so light and comforatble.

Anyways this being my first thread don't want to be the annoying advertiser, just thought you guys would be interested in what is coming out next year. You can learn more at orhttp://www.snowpulse.com

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

Hello all,

My company, avalanchesafety.ca, will be importing and distributing a new avalanche flotation backpack, called Snowpulse, which will be widely available in the fall. I have been showing this pack around BC and Alberta for the last couple of months and people are really stoked.

It has got a bunch of advantages to the ABS including a refillable, legal canister filled with air, trauma protection, it's a pound lighter, and a bunch more. No way Rene had it out this weekend in Reve (check out the photo of the chute climb on a nearby thread) and told me that at one point he thought he had forgotten his camera, the pack felt so light and comforatble.

Anyways this being my first thread don't want to be the annoying advertiser, just thought you guys would be interested in what is coming out next year. You can learn more at orhttp://www.snowpulse.com

Am curious about price for individual as well as buying 3 at a time..also how expensive is it to restore it after a use?

 

[avalanchesafety.ca]

Am curious about price for individual as well as buying 3 at a time..also how expensive is it to restore it after a use?

Although not finalized the price will be between 1000 and 1150. The cost to refill a cylinder will depend on who does the refilling but should be around $30.00. If you own a scuba or scba tank then you can buy an adapter which we will be selling to that you can refill your own.

 

[pinnedunderdoo#3]

1000 to 1150 wow i might get bashed for saying this but why so much i know its your life on the line but ive seen abs for 700 or 800 now what makes this pack better to me a pound isnt that notice able

 

[MTdream]

welcome and always good to ahve others...what is volume comparison to the standard avy bags?

 

[snow_knight]

I lookd on the website.. and didnt see it..

What kinda storage space does it have?..

 

[Motley Doo]

I do like the ideal of it inflating around the head/neck, keep your head above the slide, like a life jacket!

 

[avalanchesafety.ca]

Answers to Questions:

Why does it cost more than the ABS, what is better about it?

It may cost slightly more in the short term, but will be less expensive in the long term because the canisters are dirt cheap to refill. Besides that here is a list of further reasons:
1. The canister is Transport Canada approved (TC) which means that it is legal to transport in your vehicle. It is technically ILLEGAL to transport an ABS canister by ground in Canada as the canister is not TC approved. If there was ever an accident your in big ****.
2. It is over a pound lighter than the comparable ABS model.
3. The canister is easily refilled with air, making testing and demonstration with the Snowpulse much cheaper.
4. The airbag provides trauma protection to the user protecting the head and chest area.
5. Avalanche airbag victims wearing the ABS pack tend to end up face down with the bags folded up behind them, avalanche victims wearing the Snowpulse end up head up on their back. There head is out of the snow.
6. If an avalanche victim is buried wearing a Snowpulse pack the airbag slowly deflates creating an airspace, as well a rescuer could puncture the pack with a probe, creating a 150L airspace around the victims head and make shovelling easier.
7. The buckle is more user friendly.
8. The trigger does not have to be replaced or removed, and cannot be lost..
9. Because there are two attachment points on the canister it cannot become unscrewed, this has been an issue for some people using the ABS.
10. It is more comfortable as well as being a lot lower profile due to the positioning of the bag.

The ABS is a really good pack, i have used one myself for the last 3 years and was a retailer of them. This is just a far better product and you pay for innovation. It also comes with a 3 year warranty.


Next Question, pack sizes?
For 08-09 it will come in a 15L, 30L, and 45L pack. This is the internal capacity without the airbags. For each pack size it will also come in a short and long version depending on your height. I expect the 30L will be by far the most popular. It has a separate storage compartment for your probe and shovel and compression straps if you are not using the space.

 

[ibdoon]

Great info, looks like an excellent product, refills especially, definitely peaks my interest. keep us informed, thanx.

 

[MTdream]

Sorry, my question on volume was for the airbag when inflated not volume of the packs...

 

[woodies]

ask a few questions like does it work in cold weather,and speed of inflation?any diver will tell the truth about cold on air delivery.plus you need to look at who is manufactering the units,maybe tree huggers?just a few things i heard about it when i looked into!my 1 cent

 

[avalanchesafety.ca]

more answers

the airbag volume is 150L, the same as the ABS. It is one large bag which inflates in a horshoe shape around the users head and chest. the idea with one large bag is that it will dissipate the force of an impact over a larger surface area thus reducing the chance of a pucture.

Inflation time is about 2-3 seconds, similar to the ABS. Avalanches are not instant so this is plenty of time.

Yes it works in cold weather. A cylinder filled at 20C (sorry not to good with farenheit) will work to temperatures to -30C. If you are going sledding below -30 you are going to freeze your *** off and should "top up" the cylinder after leaving it outside. this may not always be practical, but then sledding below -30 is not really either.

I strongly encourage anyone who is thinking about purchasing an airbag backpack to take a good look at both models. I have an ABS and will be bringing it with me to shows to let everyone make their own call. Of course i won't be blowing it off becuase it's 160 buck everytime, not free. The Snowpulse is designed with safety as its top priority, and in that it succeeds far greater than any other airbag.

It is manufactured by Snowpulse which is a Swiss company. The two main inventors are Pierre Yves and Yan Berchten. They are both Swiss trained engineers who do not Snowmobile, yet. However they have done the research, it is a good product and they are keen, as I, to get as much feedback as possible to make this a great product. The snowmobile shops i have shown it to have been really impressed and many of them are dropping ABS. The bag is comfortable, has a separate pocket for your probe and shovel (with the 30L model), becomes really low profile with the compression straps if you want it to, and a bunch of other features sledders will enjoy. I used it sledding and skiing this winter and though it was great.

As a note the ABS is manufactured in Germany and has been around for 20 years and still hasn't taken the time to get a Transport Canada approved cylinder, they got a DOT one last year.

any more questions, i would be happy to do my best to answer them.

 

[GODEEP]

PM me when you get them in. I want the 30L or 45L pack!

 

[I Dare Ya Rene!]

I wore the 30L SnowPulse Avalache bag last weekend riding with Davidoff and Gardiner. It fits really well and had lots room for all my stuff, and I carry tons of goodies. I like the idea that it carries air that will saturate the snow with breathable air if I am buried, also like that I can refill them myself. I will be selling them and wearing one next year! Cheers, Rene.

 

[Ex-Member]

Looks like a lot of the things I was worried about with the abs have been addressed with the snowpulse... breatheable air, field-refillable, and head protection/support. Hopefully the competition should drop prices a bit too.

I carry a camelbak/radio that both have stuff up the shoulders of my current pack... abs could be made to work with both radio mic and camelbak tube, but i'm not sure about the snowpulse :\

 

[Supplicate]

It has a separate storage compartment for your probe and shovel and compression straps if you are not using the space.

External shovel storage? Ability to strap a shovel to it with handle still atached without too much trouble and still be able to clear the helmet? There are days when the biggest headache is getting the shovel out of the pack every 15-20 minutes.

How about hydration? Do you have a system to route hydration tubes so they don't get torn/stretched/whatever when the over the shoulder portion of the bag is inflated?

I'm interested in a 30 or 40 liter, keep us posted

 

[SNOW JW]

What was the Avy pack that was being tested and the guy came on SW said you could use a standard pack and use avy system with it??? Was $500 or something just curious.

 

[avalanchesafety.ca]

External shovel storage? Ability to strap a shovel to it with handle still atached without too much trouble and still be able to clear the helmet? There are days when the biggest headache is getting the shovel out of the pack every 15-20 minutes.

How about hydration? Do you have a system to route hydration tubes so they don't get torn/stretched/whatever when the over the shoulder portion of the bag is inflated?

I'm interested in a 30 or 40 liter, keep us posted

There are two compressions straps which go across the front of the packs which could be used to hold a shovel, however the pack is designed to carry the probe and shovel internally in a separate pocket than the main pouch. Next years model will have the ability to have a hydration system although i have not personally seen it so i cannot comment on the functionality. I am sure that it has been designed not to impede the inflation of the airbags, which is after all the pack's primary funtion.