Every winter the allure of skiing on deep, untracked mountain snow attracts skiers to backcountry areas. Yet the thrill of skiing in an off-the-beaten-path bowl with waist-deep powder comes with a risk of being caught in a dangerous, potentially life-threatening avalanche.
Most experienced skiers pay close attention to avalanche safety and carry specialized equipment such as avalanche beacons, shovels and probes that can help in location and rescue. This season a new device has been added to the tool kit: an “avalanche air bag” equipped with inflatable bladders that fill instantly in the event of a snowpack slide. When an avalanche strikes, skiers can be carried along in a thunderous mass of snow moving up to 100 kilometers per hour down the mountainside. Death is usually caused by suffocation.
To read the original article: How to Survive an Avalanche: Skier’s Air Bag: Scientific American
