The Danger of Avalanche Airbags

The Danger of Avalanche Airbags and the changing of mindset

Have you ever been on the top of a mountain and decided to go first because you are the person with an Avalanche Airbag? I know I have and this is the big issue. In this post I will review the truth and the Danger of Avalanche Airbags and survival statistics.

Now before I start I should mention that I am not anti airbag at all. I see it as a tool that if used efficiently can help, but it is not a Golden Pass to ride whatever you like.

What are avalanche airbag and the concept?

AKA how does it work

An avalanche airbag is a backpack that has a triggering mechanism which when fired off creates a balloon of air. The concept is that when engaged the extra flotation will bring you to the surface and out of harms way. There are numerous companies selling them these days with different mechanism as well as statistics.

How do avalanche airbags work?

At this moment there are two different systems and these are the Canister activation and the Fan System.

The Canister System

It is pretty self explanatory but you have a canister of gas that allows for a single deployment. Once it has been used you must go to a Scuba or Paintball shop to refill it. These are a bit cheaper than the fan system and work well but they have issues. The first issue is you can not fly with a filled canister adding an additional task when you get off a plane. Secondly if you are going to Japan they cannot fill up the canister and you will have to rent a new one. At this moment BCA, Mammut, Wary and ARVA all have their own system. While there layout may be different the concept is the same.

The Fan system

Both Arc’teryx and Black Diamond have battery operated systems that use a high speed fan to deploy. The benefits of this system is that it allows for multiple deployments and is easier to travel with. But it is more expensive and if you get caught in multiple avalanches in a day you probably shouldn’t be in the backcountry.

In my opinion the canister system is fine unless you travel then the Fan System would be the way to go. The best avalanche airbag is the one you have. Different situations, different gear.

How effective are avalanche airbags?

We keep on hearing the term 97% survival rate but this is a bit misleading as around 80% of people caught in avalanches are fine with or without an airbag. According to research it seems more like 64% would have otherwise been a fatality. But we are not taking into account terrain and the size of an avalanche. From my research when people are involved in a class 2 or higher the numbers are without an airbag the mortality rate is 22.2%, while with inflated airbag 11.1%.. Yeah it is a difference for sure but it’s still a number.

Asphyxiation versus Trauma in Avalanche Fatalities

Now that you have an airbag you have no worries…..Not at all. According to many reviews Trauma causes 1 in every 4 deaths. An airbag won’t help much if at all in these situations. Sure it can somewhat protect your neck and vitals but if you slam into a tree at 50 mph it really won’t matter. I’ve personally been in a few slides and getting buried was a second though. People just don’t think about trauma and this is a huge and dangerous mistake.

How Avalanche Airbags affect your mindset

If you haven’t heard the seat belt analogy it fits perfect here. Once the auto industry introduced them they saw a decrease in fatalities at first. But soon enough they saw more high speed wrecks causing fatalities. Basically people start to become more reckless when they have an additional safety feature leveling out the statistics.

You may find yourself on the top of a line and think the worst that could happen is I have to deploy my airbag or I’ll drop in first because I have an airbag.

An example that could have cost my life

I was fortunate to go down to the Wasatch Splitboard festival for a few years and it was a highlight of my season. I had just been setup with a BCA airbag system and was asked to do some testing of the feel and layout.

For the next week I went on some amazing tours and there was a running joke “Let the dude with the airbag go first”. We call this the avi poodle and I was the avi poodle for nearly 80% of the runs. “It has the potential to slide send him first”. Now in the end all was good but the next part was a bit scary. When I went to the airport I had to set off the canister only to find it was connected wrong and didn’t work. I was super fortunate that nothing happened but I felt like an idiot.

In conclusion

An avalanche airbag wont save you from going over a cliff, being dragged into a crevasse, slamming into a tree or being buried in an avalanche. For the first three it is of no help at all while in the last it does reduce the number a bit. But the big thing is to not let it get to your head and start upping your terrain choice because of it. Think of an Avalanche Airbag like you would a beacon, sure it helps the situation but it is just a tool and don’t let it help you make decisions.

If you wouldn’t ski or snowboard something without an airbag than still don’t ride it just because you have one. This is the trap that we are seeing these days and with new safety technology people always push harder and it is only a matter of time before the mountains push back. This is the danger of Avalanche airbags.

Thank you very much for reading this and please share it. The backcountry is getting crazy these days.