A distributor's point of view on Snowpulse and ABS
Hello All,
Being a distributor for Snowpulse avalanche airbags (a new airbag coming on to the market for next winter), having been a dealer of ABS packs in the past, and being a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and a course instructor, I thought i might be able to provide some insight into this matter.
First of all, currently the market is very small and we all know that things work on a scale of economy. At this time there are very few people using airbag backpacks although that is changing and i expect the price to drop slightly in the coming years due to this fact. There are more products coming on to the market and the public is getting much more aware of avalanche airbag backpacks. I know Klim (the US distributor for ABS) sold 500 ABS packs in all of the US last year, they sold out fairly quickly but that is all they sold.
A lot of the cost comes from R&D, liability insurance, as well as the materials. Setting off avalanches, testing, filming, helicopter time, materials, that stuff costs a lot and it needs to be recovered at some point.
As for the costs of the Snowpulse; a Snowpulse cylinder has to hold a pressure of 3000psi, as well as the fact it comes with a guage and has Transport Canada and DOT approval. The bag itself is also not cheap to manufacture, you do not want it coming apart in an avalanche. I am told that the airbag material makes up a large portion of the cost of the airbag. This is a special, very high strength, puncture resistant material which is used. The Snowpulse backpack is also stitched in such a manner that it creates a harness around the user and uses material found in climbing harnesses. As a final note the buckle which is used with the Snowpulse is rated and tested and is not cheap. And then there is an import duty which countries apply for items manufactured outside of North America (Snowpulse and ABS).
So as a distributor I end up paying a lot for these packs from the manufacturer. Then i need to make something otherwise no one would want to distribute, having said that my margins are significantly lower than most distributors. And then it needs to be attractive for the retailer to sell, because they need to make money, whether this device will save your life or not. If a retailer makes no money the majority of them will not stock the product and then no one uses it and no one wins. The mark-up on a Snowpulse pack is at the low end of average and I know that within Canada the mark-up on ABS is very small which is a big reason why they are not widespread. No one gives tire shops a hard time for making money off winter tires and so retailers should not be given a hard time for making money off of safety gear. If you want to play safe you need to pay.
If you want to learn more about Snowpulse check out www.snowpulse.com or my website (being redone soon) www.avalanchesafety.ca. You can learn more about ABS from several websites. As an avalanche educator and having being involved in recovery operations of avalanche victims i encourage everyone to get a bit of basic knowledge and use the safety gear available. Then get out there and rip.
Hello All,
Being a distributor for Snowpulse avalanche airbags (a new airbag coming on to the market for next winter), having been a dealer of ABS packs in the past, and being a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and a course instructor, I thought i might be able to provide some insight into this matter.
First of all, currently the market is very small and we all know that things work on a scale of economy. At this time there are very few people using airbag backpacks although that is changing and i expect the price to drop slightly in the coming years due to this fact. There are more products coming on to the market and the public is getting much more aware of avalanche airbag backpacks. I know Klim (the US distributor for ABS) sold 500 ABS packs in all of the US last year, they sold out fairly quickly but that is all they sold.
A lot of the cost comes from R&D, liability insurance, as well as the materials. Setting off avalanches, testing, filming, helicopter time, materials, that stuff costs a lot and it needs to be recovered at some point.
As for the costs of the Snowpulse; a Snowpulse cylinder has to hold a pressure of 3000psi, as well as the fact it comes with a guage and has Transport Canada and DOT approval. The bag itself is also not cheap to manufacture, you do not want it coming apart in an avalanche. I am told that the airbag material makes up a large portion of the cost of the airbag. This is a special, very high strength, puncture resistant material which is used. The Snowpulse backpack is also stitched in such a manner that it creates a harness around the user and uses material found in climbing harnesses. As a final note the buckle which is used with the Snowpulse is rated and tested and is not cheap. And then there is an import duty which countries apply for items manufactured outside of North America (Snowpulse and ABS).
So as a distributor I end up paying a lot for these packs from the manufacturer. Then i need to make something otherwise no one would want to distribute, having said that my margins are significantly lower than most distributors. And then it needs to be attractive for the retailer to sell, because they need to make money, whether this device will save your life or not. If a retailer makes no money the majority of them will not stock the product and then no one uses it and no one wins. The mark-up on a Snowpulse pack is at the low end of average and I know that within Canada the mark-up on ABS is very small which is a big reason why they are not widespread. No one gives tire shops a hard time for making money off winter tires and so retailers should not be given a hard time for making money off of safety gear. If you want to play safe you need to pay.
If you want to learn more about Snowpulse check out www.snowpulse.com or my website (being redone soon) www.avalanchesafety.ca. You can learn more about ABS from several websites. As an avalanche educator and having being involved in recovery operations of avalanche victims i encourage everyone to get a bit of basic knowledge and use the safety gear available. Then get out there and rip.
