Do you wear an Avalanche Air Bag in the Mountains

[Ruralcowboy]

We bought 2 Pieps Jet Force Avy bags, 10L and 24L bags. I'm super happy with them and don't regret spending more on them.

 

[summitsold]

To anyone considering the purchase of an avy bag, I would like to throw a few thoughts out. I was involved in the McBride avalanche and 3 of the 5 people that perished, had deployed their avy bags. I don't mean to insinuate that avy bags don't work, only that you had better be aware of what is below you when you pull that handle, and I don't think the manufacturers are making that clear enough. The first important point, is that before you spend a grand on that avy bag, do yourself, your sledding friends, and your family a favour, and take an AST1 course...perhaps even an AST2 course. They don't teach a lot about avy bags, but it will make you a lot wiser regarding picking your terrain, and understanding the environment. To the best of my knowledge, only 7 out of 18 people directly involved in the McBride slide, had taken an avalanche course...that has to change. Now back to the avy bags... if you think that pulling that handle is going to carry you into a warm fuzzy spot, you need to re-evaluate. The bag will keep you near the surface, which MAY make you easier to find. It MAY make you able to self extract from the snow, for the same reason. You must also consider that the top snow, in the slide, is also the fastest snow, so you might be going faster towards trees, rocks, or other terrain traps such as the creek in the McBride slide that turned the snow by 70 degrees. In the Canadian Rockies, it is not that common to have a long, smooth runout area where the avy bags would undoubtedly be the most effective...we are usually dealing with multiply obstacles that should affect your decision to deploy or not...a decision that has to occur in split seconds, because other survivors at McBride stated that once they were taken by the snow, it was virtually impossible to get their hand to the deployment handle. Your best defense, BY FAR, is to get enough education to keep yourself and your friends away from the need to make that decision.

 

[skegpro]

To anyone considering the purchase of an avy bag, I would like to throw a few thoughts out. I was involved in the McBride avalanche and 3 of the 5 people that perished, had deployed their avy bags. I don't mean to insinuate that avy bags don't work, only that you had better be aware of what is below you when you pull that handle, and I don't think the manufacturers are making that clear enough. The first important point, is that before you spend a grand on that avy bag, do yourself, your sledding friends, and your family a favour, and take an AST1 course...perhaps even an AST2 course. They don't teach a lot about avy bags, but it will make you a lot wiser regarding picking your terrain, and understanding the environment. To the best of my knowledge, only 7 out of 18 people directly involved in the McBride slide, had taken an avalanche course...that has to change. Now back to the avy bags... if you think that pulling that handle is going to carry you into a warm fuzzy spot, you need to re-evaluate. The bag will keep you near the surface, which MAY make you easier to find. It MAY make you able to self extract from the snow, for the same reason. You must also consider that the top snow, in the slide, is also the fastest snow, so you might be going faster towards trees, rocks, or other terrain traps such as the creek in the McBride slide that turned the snow by 70 degrees. In the Canadian Rockies, it is not that common to have a long, smooth runout area where the avy bags would undoubtedly be the most effective...we are usually dealing with multiply obstacles that should affect your decision to deploy or not...a decision that has to occur in split seconds, because other survivors at McBride stated that once they were taken by the snow, it was virtually impossible to get their hand to the deployment handle. Your best defense, BY FAR, is to get enough education to keep yourself and your friends away from the need to make that decision.

100%

It's not a sky hook, or a cape, but more like a hail mary.

Good to hear avalanche survivors sharing the learnings.

Mighty brave of you.

 

[0neoldfart]

To anyone considering the purchase of an avy bag, I would like to throw a few thoughts out. I was involved in the McBride avalanche and 3 of the 5 people that perished, had deployed their avy bags. I don't mean to insinuate that avy bags don't work, only that you had better be aware of what is below you when you pull that handle, and I don't think the manufacturers are making that clear enough. The first important point, is that before you spend a grand on that avy bag, do yourself, your sledding friends, and your family a favour, and take an AST1 course...perhaps even an AST2 course. They don't teach a lot about avy bags, but it will make you a lot wiser regarding picking your terrain, and understanding the environment. To the best of my knowledge, only 7 out of 18 people directly involved in the McBride slide, had taken an avalanche course...that has to change. Now back to the avy bags... if you think that pulling that handle is going to carry you into a warm fuzzy spot, you need to re-evaluate. The bag will keep you near the surface, which MAY make you easier to find. It MAY make you able to self extract from the snow, for the same reason. You must also consider that the top snow, in the slide, is also the fastest snow, so you might be going faster towards trees, rocks, or other terrain traps such as the creek in the McBride slide that turned the snow by 70 degrees. In the Canadian Rockies, it is not that common to have a long, smooth runout area where the avy bags would undoubtedly be the most effective...we are usually dealing with multiply obstacles that should affect your decision to deploy or not...a decision that has to occur in split seconds, because other survivors at McBride stated that once they were taken by the snow, it was virtually impossible to get their hand to the deployment handle. Your best defense, BY FAR, is to get enough education to keep yourself and your friends away from the need to make that decision.

Great post. Although I wear a snowpulse vest, I don't rely on it. Good decision making skills and terrain evaluation are the tools you need to return home safely. It wasn't many years ago that the sleds we had were limiting the terrain we could conquer, but most any stock 600 these days can take an experienced rider places they never dreamed of 25-30 years ago. So with EZ financing options, anyone can walk into a dealership and walk out with an 800cc sled with a 162-174" track and gear and go riding in places they have no business being. I may be old, but I'm still here and riding with SELECTIVE people that will listen to reason so they can ride another day. Play safe.

 

[1200]

Been wearing a bag about 15 years now. On my 2nd abs bag . Never had to pull the trigger let's keep it that way . There is allways some risk look around keep your head up