We are a dealer for Avalanche Air Bags from Snowpulse, Mammut, and Backcountry access (BCA). email mike@thebackcountry.net or call me at 530-362-0020 and I'll get you informed and wearing one!

The survival statistics for an avalanche victim wearing an avalanche airbag are over 90%, far exceeding traditional avalanche safety equipment. Avalanche airbags have been called the "rescue device of choice" by the International Commission of Alpine Rescue. This is not a product that should influence you to take more chances of course. But it's a small piece of insurance that you won't mind adding to your gear closet. The thing only adds a few pounds, and is a really comfortable and organized backpack. Split it with your friends if you can't afford your own.

*note - some avalanche airbag backpack models from these and other companies advertise a removable airbag system, to reduce weight when you are not travelling in avlanche terrain. My thought is that the more you mess with something like this, the more chance you are taking of screwing it up. Use your climbing gear for climbing, your race bike for the race course, and your airbag for avalanche terrain. Take your other backpacks into the backcountry when there is no avalanche danger and reduce the wear and tear on this expensive life saving device. Just a thought!

1st, SNOWPULSE who has offered this product for many years.
This is an impressive product you will want to buy when you see it.I bought one last year and sold a number of them to customers who ski in Canada and Alaska, as well as powder skiing around the Sierras. All packs hold skis and snowboards.

Snowpulse Airbag Backpacks come in two torso sizes and these prices are WITHOUT the cylinder.Highmark 22L $924.99 (2200 grams without cylinder)
Lifebag Guide 30L $899.99 (6.1 pounds 2600 grams without cylinder)
Lite 35 $899.99
Lifebag Tour 45L $999.99 (2800 grams without cylinder)
Snowpulse extra air cylinder $185
Snowpulse Burn Disc Kit for refill (20 in bag) $54.99
Snowpulse extra O-ring kit for refill (20) $49.99 for 2008-2010 models only
Scuba Din and Yoke Adapter for tank compatibility $150 (no gauge)
Scuba Yoke Fill Adapter $74.99

Mammut Pro 35 Airbag Backpack RAS (Removable Airbag System) Without Cylinder $729.99
Add $185 for Cylinder. Same product as above, V2 (second version for 2013).

Shane Jones getting in deep at Maggies Peak, Lake Tahoe










http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veW3XNt0 ... re=related

1. I love the pack itself. Very comfortable, lots of compartments including your hip belt, and a large avy gear exterior pocket.
2. You can refill it at home or our shop with a scuba tank. Putting the bag back into the pack after deployment is easy, as is re-filling air and re-installing the cylinder.
3. although the company recommends replacing some minor o-ring parts on the air canister after each use, you can probably inspect them yourself and decide if the seals are dry or deformed. Our rep has set his bag off many times and never replaced the seals. There is an air pressure gauge that you will obviously check before use anyway. You should buy an extra bag of o-rings and burn discs however and practice setting off and repacking the backpack at least once.
4. This airbag protects you and also helps keep you facing upward in an avalanche. Many avalanche injuries and fatalities were from trauma.
5. There have been hundreds of reported life saving airbag deployments in Europe. This product is finally approved for sale in the US, after many years of people asking us to order them.
6. If you are somehow buried, the airbag slowly deflates leaving you an air space.
7. Many guide services and heli ski operations have been using them, and more will follow. Jackson Hole just bought them for all their patrollers.
8. Our rep is a professional mountain guide and full time Jackson Ski Patroller. He got into selling these because he truly believes in the product. Just like the stuff we passionately sell at our store The Back Country. This product saved his life in a REAL AVALANCHE. He was especially amazed at how it kept his face up and out of the snow.

Here's what Snowpulse says:
The Snowpulse was first sold in Canada in the winter of 2008-09 and all dealers were sold out by early January.

All Snowpulse packs have a 150 liter airbag packed into the shoulder straps, a refillable compressed air cylinder within the pack frame, and a solid, lightweight construction. One of the unique advantages of the Snowpulse avalanche airbag backpacks is the patented airbag design which provides trauma protection by cushioning the head, spine, and thorax of the user, and also keeps the user in a 'head-on-top' orientation.
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OK, now on to Mammut offering their first airbag this year.
Mammut just bought Snowpulse, but the two brands are going to be separate for this season and also 2012/2013. The Mammut Ride R.A.S Avalanche Airbag backpack costs less than Snowpulse but more than the BCA Float Airbag. The R.A.S is $950 with the air cylinder. They advertise the bag for $700 and cylinder for $250. The Snowpulse bag is superior in shape at the moment in our opinion, but all of these airbags will keep you from getting buried most likely.

From Mammut's website:
Calling all freeriders: the innovative, removable avalanche airbag system from Snowpulse (R.A.S. Removable Airbag System) is now integrated in the successful Nirvana Ride Mammut snow backpack. The R.A.S. was developed by Snowpulse for efficient handling and reliable operation. The system can even removed by the user and integrated in another R.A.S.-compatible backpack. The lightweight and compact system allows the quick and effective inflation of the airbag as well as intuitive handling. The avalanche airbag significantly reduces the risk of being buried in an avalanche, considerably improving chances of survival. The pressure cartridge required for the system is available separately from Mammut. This functional and very comfortable backpack is perfect for all-mountain and freeriding activities. It is ideal for 1-day ski or snowboard tours.

Weight in g with airbag system 2400.0 grams
Weight in g without air cylinder 1550.0 grams



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Backcountry Access is in their second year producing Avalanche Airbag Backpacks. They come with a filled air cylinder and the accessories you see below.
pics from last year, more info soon when we see the 2012/2013 product

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Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net