An Austrian client of mine was the first person to test an airbag in a deliberately set off, light-powder avalanche. He survived and was very enthusiastic about them. That was over ten years ago so why don’t I ski with one? Well I thought about the acquaintances that had died in avalanches and realised that the airbag would have been about as useful as wearing a cycle helmet when run over by a truck.
One was on a ridge when the snow he was on avalanched. A very small avalanche but a very long fall – a parachute might have helped but an airbag wouldn’t. Three others were in woods hit by an avalanche made up of ice, rocks, snow and trees. The cause of death was impact not burial.
So, an airbag wouldn’t have saved those but might encourage one to venture out on light powder days when it would be better to stay in the gasex area or watch TV. When I put my ARVA on I find myself thinking “if you need this then should you be going out?”
is this one of the “in” jokes, . . . i don’t get it? x