ABS compared to SNOWPULSE

AVALANCHE PROTECTION: ABS VS SNOWPULSE

A study published by the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research revealed that 53% of people buried in an avalanche die, whereas the death rate among those not buried was only 4%. Staying near the surface during an avalanche is the key to survival. The good news is that a number of available backpack airbag devices greatly increase survival rates in avalanches by keeping you nearer the surface. The two main producers are ABS and Snowpulse. Below you'll find an extensive review of the differences between the products of the two companies.

ABS AND SNOWPULSE BASICS

All backpack airbag systems have a few things in common, including the following:

• The backpack has a handle attached to one of the shoulder straps for activating the airbags.
• Pulling the handle activates the pack to inflate the bags.
• Spent canisters are either refilled or replaced.
• Both hip and crotch/leg belts have strong metal buckles to prevent the pack from being torn off during an avalanche.

DIFFERENCES IN INFLATION METHODS AND REFILLS

The biggest difference between ABS and Snowpulse is what's inside the pack to inflate the bags and how the inflation devices are replaced. Here are the key differences:

• ABS packs use gas cartridges filled with compressed liquid nitrogen.
• Snowpulse packs (along with new manufacturers like Backcountry Access, Mystery Ranch and Mammut) use cylinders filled with dry compressed air.
• ABS packs come with two cartridges. You send a spent cartridge back to the company for refilling, for a charge, or just buy a new cartridge.
• Snowpulse compressed air cylynders are slightly lighter than the ABS gas cartridges.
• Shipping ABS cartidges back to the company for refilling involves a turnaround time that can take up to a week or two, which some enthusiasts find unacceptable.
• Snowpulse cylinders are refilled at any number of places that work with dry compressed air, most easily at paintball shops, but also fire departments if you have a paintball-to-SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Aparatus) adaptor and diving shops if you have a paintball-to-SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) adaptor. If your local fire department is friendly, they may even fill it for free, so give a little money for their time as a goodwill gesture.

NOTE: Refilling Snowpulse cylinders is not a small do-it-yourself project, so be sure to follow all directions very carefully because your life might depend on it!

DIFFERENCES IN TRAUMA PROTECTION

Another major difference that some people feel strongly about is the difference in trauma protection. Here are the key differences:

• Snowpulse bags inflate in such a way as to specifically protect your head, neck and chest from the tremendous buffeting forces of an avalanche.
• ABS bags do not offer trauma protection.
• Snowpulise bags also keep your head pointing skyward.
• ABS bags serve to keep you nearer the surface of an avalanche, but you're more likely to land upside down, which is very disconcerting and disorienting.
• ABS fans say the Snowpulse bags push your head too far forward and limit your lateral vision.
• Snowpulse devotees admit that deployed bags do limit the head's range of motion, but also note that you can still see the most important area of all (what's directly in front of you) if your bag is deployed and you're trying to outrun the avalanche.
• If you end up buried in an avalanche (nothing, after all, is foolproof), Snowpulse bags deflate slowly, freeing up breathing space and providing an air supply that could prevent asphyxiation, which is the most common cause of death in an avalanche.

OTHER DIFFERENCES

An important development in ABS systems is the addition of wireless activation devices. This means that when skiing in a group, people can activate each other's airbags in a variety of configurations. Everyone can always activate their own airbag with the handle. Snowpulse does not offer a wireless activation device.

Regarding price, comparable products from the two companies are roughly equal, though Snowpulse often comes in slightly under ABS. However, one of the newer manufacturers, Backcountry Access, offers systems at nearly half the price of ABS and Snowpulse.

Reading product reviews, customer comments and lively debates on the Internet will introduce you to a world of opinions about which systems best accommodate the still-needed avalanche shovel, which ones have the most comfortable straps, which offer the greatest amount of back support and tips for traveling with airbag systems since metal cylinders of any type are alarming to airport staff.

CONCLUSION

Avalanche airbags are still relatively new products in many ways, and each year brings new models with various improvements. In the end, the final decision on which company's product you should buy is made by the most important person in the equation.