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This was posted on a Mtn guide information sharing forum.
the name of the posting guide and the airbag manufacturer were omitted.
An Airbag Story
I got this story firsthand over the phone from a well known, experienced (35yrs), high performance snowmobiler. I apologize if I have made any errors, but I believe that the gist of the story is true to what I heard.
The group was riding in an alpine'ish feature last weekend. One man was near the top of a slope and blew a belt. The others assumed he had hit a rock and eventually his father rode up to help. The father had engine failure and was stuck lower on the slope. The second son rode up to help and reached his brother. A third rider went to help the father. One rider stayed behind. The slope fractured above the two brothers who were on foot at that moment and they immediately reached for their airbags.(they have worn an airbag for the past 3 winters). Both brothers (big, strong boys) pulled the airbags when the saw the crack appear and they failed to inflate. One brother also got his hand on the handle a second time during his ride and again it didn't inflate. The father was caught while on his sled and he pulled the handle on his bag and it didn't inflate.
One brother was buried with an arm out. His brother was buried to his waist, got himself out and his brother out. The father and his helper ended up on the surface lower down the slope. The rider at the bottom was not involved in the avalanche.
When they got to the parking lot they tried, again, to pull two bags. The father was unable to pull the handle with one hand. With two hands and hard yanking, he was able to get the bag to inflate. The second bag, belonging to the rider who stayed below, which had not been pulled on in the accident, inflated easily. The other two bags that failed to inflate were sent back to the manufacturer without any further fiddling.
I was told the 3 bags that didn't inflate in the accident were new this season and had been frequently and recently wet and snowy. The one that inflated easily had been dry before the day began.
What a story! I am sure glad it had a happy ending.
Anyways I posted this because I thought that it was important to remind folks and myself to test and maintain our equipment such as airbags and transceivers regularly. Perhaps check your airbag manufacturers web site to see what they recommend for maintenance as well as any updates or recalls.
I recently pulled my airbag to test it and it sure did give me peace of mind when it inflated. (I had previously gone 2 years without ever pulling it.)
Also I believe that it's important to make good sound decisions on how, when and where we ride based on avalanche conditions not on the safety equipment we use. On occasion I have found myself justifying (in my mind) riding a certain slope in uncertain conditions because I wear an airbag. Not smart.
Hope this helps.
the name of the posting guide and the airbag manufacturer were omitted.
An Airbag Story
I got this story firsthand over the phone from a well known, experienced (35yrs), high performance snowmobiler. I apologize if I have made any errors, but I believe that the gist of the story is true to what I heard.
The group was riding in an alpine'ish feature last weekend. One man was near the top of a slope and blew a belt. The others assumed he had hit a rock and eventually his father rode up to help. The father had engine failure and was stuck lower on the slope. The second son rode up to help and reached his brother. A third rider went to help the father. One rider stayed behind. The slope fractured above the two brothers who were on foot at that moment and they immediately reached for their airbags.(they have worn an airbag for the past 3 winters). Both brothers (big, strong boys) pulled the airbags when the saw the crack appear and they failed to inflate. One brother also got his hand on the handle a second time during his ride and again it didn't inflate. The father was caught while on his sled and he pulled the handle on his bag and it didn't inflate.
One brother was buried with an arm out. His brother was buried to his waist, got himself out and his brother out. The father and his helper ended up on the surface lower down the slope. The rider at the bottom was not involved in the avalanche.
When they got to the parking lot they tried, again, to pull two bags. The father was unable to pull the handle with one hand. With two hands and hard yanking, he was able to get the bag to inflate. The second bag, belonging to the rider who stayed below, which had not been pulled on in the accident, inflated easily. The other two bags that failed to inflate were sent back to the manufacturer without any further fiddling.
I was told the 3 bags that didn't inflate in the accident were new this season and had been frequently and recently wet and snowy. The one that inflated easily had been dry before the day began.
What a story! I am sure glad it had a happy ending.
Anyways I posted this because I thought that it was important to remind folks and myself to test and maintain our equipment such as airbags and transceivers regularly. Perhaps check your airbag manufacturers web site to see what they recommend for maintenance as well as any updates or recalls.
I recently pulled my airbag to test it and it sure did give me peace of mind when it inflated. (I had previously gone 2 years without ever pulling it.)
Also I believe that it's important to make good sound decisions on how, when and where we ride based on avalanche conditions not on the safety equipment we use. On occasion I have found myself justifying (in my mind) riding a certain slope in uncertain conditions because I wear an airbag. Not smart.
Hope this helps.
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