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A very common question snowsafe gets asked is, “Is the Alpride and Jetforce airbag technology the same?”
In terms of keeping you safe in the mountains, Yes they are excellent Airbag systems, however they are NOT the same when it comes to airbag technology,
Snowsafe breakdown the difference between the Alpride Supercapacitor E1 technology vs the Jetforce Jet-fan Technology:
Alpride Activation
Jetforce Activation
| Alpride E1 | Jetforce Technology | |
| Activation Type | Radial Compressor | Jet-Fan |
| Power Type | SuperCapacitor | Lithum Battery |
| Charge Time: | 20 minutes with USB | 40 Minutes with AA Battery | 8 Hours |
| Charge Type: | Micro USB / 2 x AA battery | Plug Charger |
| Deployment Time | 4 Seconds | 3.5 Seconds |
| Weight: | 1280 g | 2800 g |
| Airbag Volume: | 150 Litres | 200 Litres |
Alpride E1 Technology
The Alpride E1 is a fully electronic avalanche airbag, its supercapacitor technology replaces the traditional Li-ion battery that the Jetforce uses and results in the lightest electronic device on the market.
Supercapacitors store electrical energy without any chemical reaction (unlike lithium-ion or lithium-poly batteries)
Supercapacitors are not sensitive to lower temperatures, meaning you get the same performance from -30°C to +40°C.
Jetforce Jet-fan Technology
The Jet Force is the first Avalanche Safety technology to use Jet-fan inflation. This is a breakthrough system that draws air from the unlimited source of the atmosphere.
The battery-powered jet-fan inflates the Airbag in 3.5 seconds, and then the 200L Airbag automatically deflates after 3 minutes to create an air pocket to aid in extraction.
Alpride
The Alpride supercapacitor airbag system is a chargeable unit, The E1 unit can be recharged with two AA batteries in just 40 minutes, the easiest solution in the mountains, far away from electrical outlets and civilisation.
The E1 can also be recharged using a micro-USB port in 20 minutes (with a standard charger or any USB-compatible energy source: powerbank, solar, etc.).
Jetforce
The jetforce is a rechargable fan based electronic system, simply plug in the charger and charge the lithium battery until full, charge time will take around 8 hours.
Once the battery is charged you will get up to 4 deployments on a single charge, meaning you can test deploy your bag before heading up the mountain.
Alpride Activation
In the event of an avalanche, pull hard on the activation trigger. The airbag will inflate in 3-4 seconds.
The Compressor will operate for six seconds then stop.
The airbag will remain inflated for a maximum of three minutes and then slowly deflate.
Once inflation is complete, The SuperCapacitors will automatically recharge thanks to the AA batteries if installed.
Jetforce Activation
The system cycles through multiple phases throughout the deployment. Each phase is specifically tuned to optimize safety and battery life.
0 – 9 seconds – Mandatory Fill: During the first 3.5 seconds, the airbag fills 100%. For the next 5.5 seconds, the system continues to run at full speed for safety redundancy.
10 – 60 seconds – Active Performance: The system pulses between full speed and 50% speed. Since this is the most likely time to be carried by the avalanche, it is most critical to maintain full volume and recover from any possible tears.
61 – 180 seconds – Volume Maintenance: The system has 20s stand-by intervals between 3s full speed refilling pulses. The goal is to maintain the volume to aid in visibility and meet CE timing requirements.
181 seconds – Active Deflation: After 3 total minutes, the bag will automatically deflate. If partially or completely buried, this has the potential to create a large volume of air for breathing and/or extraction. If unburied, this simply helps repack the airbag quicker.
The Jetforce firmware is also updatable via an app, so when there is an update for the technology, you simply log into the Pieps app and upgrade your system.
Alpride
The full system weight of an Alpride airbag unit is just 1280 g, they done this by using supercapacitors, this replaces the traditional Li-ion battery. This makes it the lightest electronical airbag on the market to date.
Jetforce
For many years customers have always been conerned with the weight of the jetforce, however for season 20/21 the weight has been reduced and the unit weighs around 2800 g including the 10 litre bag.
Alpride
As the Alpride E1 Technology grows, the more the big brands love it, you can now find the Alpride E1 airbag in the following bags:
The Alpride E1 airbag is removable, this means you can move it from a smaller Backpack to a larger Backpack and vice versa.
Jetforce
The Jetforce Airbag is not removable however the bags are still versatile, you can unzip the booster from the front of your pack and add on a smaller or larger one depending on the trip you have that day.
It’s important to stay safe and have the correct training when skiing or snowboarding off-piste please check out further blogs below:
If you would like to feature a blog about your organisation or experience in the snow please feel free to contact us on info@snowsafe.co.uk or 01273 737676. We are happy to take guest blogs linking back to your website.
