PRODUCT SUMMARY
By powderjunky

THE GOOD
1. You won't die a miserable death of asphyxiation! (The Snowpulse lifebag will prevent you from getting buried in an avalanche).

2. You won't die a painful death from trauma (The Snowpulse lifebag protects your head and vital organs).

3. At 150L, it's one of the largest airbags on the market.

4. Deployable in only 3 seconds, it will inflate quickly enough to actually save your life (compared to other models that take up to 6 precious seconds)

5. It slowly deflates so that if by some chance you are buried, you will have plenty of air to breath. Also, it is filled with breathable air instead of nitrogen.

6. There are 3 different sizes of pack compartments that are interchangeable with the lifebag frame!

7. A multitude of other thoughtful features make this avalanche airbag far superior to the competition!

THE BAD
The price seems inhibitive at first glance. However, it's important to think of the Snowpulse lifebag as an investment. Also, prices are dropping each year on this relatively new product. And with statistically more success than traditional avalanche safety education and gear, the value is hard to miss.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Snowpulse Lifebag acts more or less as a flotation device to keep a victim on the surface of an avalanche. It is different than other airbags on the market because it protects your head and vital organs from trauma!

It is the only airbag currently on the market that can be refilled after use by a regular Joe, like you or me. The pack it comes in is a standard pack with the typical features for backcountry skiing (It has a main compartment and a tool compartment). Once you inflate the bag it will slowly deflate after 5 minutes to create an air pocket in the avalanche debris.

It offers the most volume (i.e. float) and protection than any other air bag on the market.

OUR ADVICE


AVG USER ADVICE

skibama wrote on 01/30/09 at 08:38:07 am pst:

How do you compare the snowpulse life bag with the avalung for surviving an avalanche, which is better?

Their Advice

powderjunky wrote on 01/30/09 at 08:46:03 am pst:

Strictly statistically speaking, the life bag is better. Of course the best option is to avoid being caught in the first place. The avalanche airbag prevents burials and trauma. The avalung helps you to survive longer once under the snow, but does not prevent burial or trauma. I would carry both, but if I had to choose, I would choose the airbag.

Their Advice

David Belden wrote on 01/30/09 at 12:12:26 am pst:

The ABS pack is also 150L, however once deployed a new compressed nitrogen canister & handle need to be purchased. Also, while they're legal for flight in Canada, it's currently fairly difficult to get a canister of compressed nitrogen and a small explosive (in the handle) on a commercial airline in the US. Go figure. I have an ABS pack, but look forward to the stats on burials from Snowpulse. Both look pretty amazing.

Their Advice

freeheelgirl wrote on 01/31/09 at 02:06:54 am pst:

Ditto what Powderjunky said....I don't know what percentage of avalanche victims die from trauma (I seem to remember it being around 30%?), but anything that helps protect you from a head injury or snapping your neck is a good thing. If if helps keep you near the surface of a slide as well, then gosh, I'd certainly choose it over an avalung.
Of course, I'd prefer to completely avoid getting buried most of all...

Their Advice

David Belden wrote on 02/12/09 at 9:14:05 pm pst:

If you're ever getting on a plane to fly to ski or tour, I'd definitely say the snowpulse is the way to go. I just spent a week touring with an ABS Avalanche Airbag Pack and I loved it, but trying to get the nitrogen canisters and explosive handle back into the US was a bit of a nuisance. In theory you can fly with them in the US, if you send a letter to your airline 14 days in advance. I opted to just ship them home. I went with the ABS since it was a bit more tested at the time I was purchasing a pack, so I think I made the right decision at the time, but being able to fly with an empty Snowpulse canister, than fill it at any scuba or paintball shop seems pretty convenient. That said, are there paintball shops in Chamonix or Jackson that are open in the winter? I'm guessing they don't have scuba shops. That's the only question.

I noticed the weight on the first day, but after that it was a non issue. Just pack light and you won't notice it.

The only potential downside is that wearing one of these packs does give you a bit of a sense of confidence on questionable snow, which isn't good. It's like mountain biking in full body armor.... makes you want to go a little bit bigger :) I didn't ski any lines/snow that I wouldn't have normally, but I could feel the temptation to do so.

And if you're going heli or cat skiing DEFINITELY take a snowpulse or ABS pack! You won't even have to schlep it uphill!

Their Advice

Editors wrote on 04/20/09 at 1:10:26 pm pst:

Another proven success story, kindof. 3 skiers caught in avalanche. All 3 had avalanche airbags. 2 pulled the trigger, escaped unburied without harm. The third skier forgot? to pull the airbag trigger. He was buried too, but luckily rescued.

http://www.powderblog.com/skiing/2009/04/17/airbag s-in-action

Their Advice

David Belden wrote on 04/22/09 at 12:19:47 am pst:

Just got back from a few days of heli skiing in Alaska, and due to the fact that I decided to go last minute (decided Thursday, flew Friday), I was not able to get clearance from the airline to fly with my ABS cartridge, so I was left in Alaska with an ABS pack, and no cartridge. With a snowpulse, I would have been able to fly with an empty canister, then refill it in AK. HOWEVER, if you can believe it, the heli outfit we were skiing with did not let the guy who showed up with a SnowPulse fly (heli) with it because the owner of the outfit believes airbag packs are actually more dangerous to have if you get caught in an avalanche (despite what the statistics & the post above show). I heard his explanation and thought it was weak at best, and had no stats to back it up. However, due to the fact that there is no documentation to be found saying that SnowPulse packs are legal for heli flight in the US, he was able to keep the guy from wearing it.

Ridiculous, I know. It sounds like it's time for SnowPulse & ABS to make it explicitly clear that their packs/canisters are legal for heli-ski usage in the US so that someone can't prevent you from using it on a technicality.

Their Advice

Editors wrote on 04/22/09 at 08:48:55 am pst:

@ David Belden That's crazy! Thanks for sharing the story... (And lucky you that you got to go heli skiing recently!). I'll contact Snowpulse to let them know about the issue.

Their Advice

Chuck Gorton wrote on 04/22/09 at 10:47:48 am pst:

Hello Everyone,

Chuck Gorton here, I own Avalanche Safety Solutions which distributes the Snowpulse in Canada, and in the future in the US.

Unfortunately at this time i do not have a clear understanding of the rules in the US, but will update you when i do. I can tell you the cylinder Snowpulse uses is DOT and TC approved.

In Canada there are absolutely no issues with air transport of the Snowpulse and the Snowpulse can be transported in the cabin as long as there is no more than 1 per person and the handle is secured so that it cannot accidentally deploy. There are currently two heli operations in BC outfitting all of their guides and guests with the Snowpulse, Eagle Pass heliskiing and Pantheon helisports. We expect there to be at least two more operations using the Snowpulse next year. At one of the operations a guide was caught in a nasty slide through trees and over cliffs. He deployed his Snowpulse and ended up on the surface and with quite a few injuries. The heli skiing company and the guide feel that the Snowpulse greatly helped to limit his injuries and played a large part in his survival. I have the pack in my office and it is extremely beat up, but the airbag stayed inflated.

As a professional member of the CAC and an avalanche course instructon it is my opinion that any heliski guide who believes that wearing a Snowpulse in an avalanche decreases ones chance of survival is ignorant of the facts, and in my view unprofessional.

Thanks for your comments and we will be trying to educate the Heliskiing companies. I have already been in contact with the operation where this incident occurred.

Their Advice

David Belden wrote on 04/23/09 at 11:25:20 am pst:

Thanks for the quick response Chuck! I may well be switching to a SnowPulse pack for next year so that I can hop on a plane with it on short notice. The ABS was great when I was skiing locally or flying to a destination where I could buy a canister, or ship mine in advance, but lately my trips have been very spur of the moment.

I'm glad to hear that you're in touch with the operation where the incident occurred. I was otherwise very impressed with their guiding & safety, especially given the snow-pack we were working with.

-David

Their Advice

Peak Seasons wrote on 02/08/10 at 10:20:54 am pst:

I honestly can't beleive that your reviewer states that you WON'T die in an avalanche (by asphyxiation or trauma) if you are using the Snowpulse. How recklessly irresponsible is that?! Is this a guarantee issued by the company? Are there not any tall trees in areas where you ski?

Their Advice

powderjunky wrote on 02/08/10 at 4:36:40 pm pst:

Peak Seasons, Sorry to be so reckless. Obviously there is always a chance of death, if you read the parentheses after each crazy claim it gives a little more realistic explanation. If someone reads this review and believes that you 100% won't die wearing this, then I wish them the best of luck with all their endeavors.

I can see the misunderstanding since this is your first time commenting on the site. If you read any of my other posts you will notice a trend towards sarcasm and poop jokes, which are probably way more harmful than this review.

Their Advice

ronb wrote on 04/06/10 at 12:20:07 am pst:

I'm leaning toward an air bag device the avalung, for my investment dollar. Now I'd like to see a value for function analysis between the SnowPulse and BCA Float30. Please, inspection, demonstration and test evaluations only. Baseless opinion, feelings, and guesstimation does nothing for my confidence in a product.

Their Advice

powderjunky wrote on 04/06/10 at 3:03:40 pm pst:

right on ronb, we are in the process of putting together a review just like that, it will also include the abs airbag as well as the snowpulse and bca versions

Their Advice

norwegiandan wrote on 07/03/10 at 04:25:15 am pst:

Any thoughts about use of airbags when your riding a snowboard?

Thinking that skies will get ripped off immediately in an avalanche whilst the board might stay on and hold you down or in a different position. Thoughts? Experiences?

David Belden: what was the guide's argumentation for airbags being more dangerous? If they where experienced guides I'm sure they must of had put some thinking into it..

Their Advice

powderjunky wrote on 07/21/10 at 10:29:21 am pst:

Thats a good point norwegiandan. But I think the physics works the same, increase your mass, stay on top better. We will ask the manufacturer, and get back to you.

Their Advice

enginerd wrote on 01/01/11 at 10:29:23 pm pst:

Sorry powderjunky, but I must correct you. Your mass will remain constant, and actually decrease negligibly. The air is inside the bag comes from the cylinder, so the mass of your body plus the pack does not change.

The airbag does decrease your density though, because the volume of the pack increases. I wonder if the airbag works because of a concentrated area of low density, or an overall lower density...

Their Advice

powderjunky wrote on 01/02/11 at 2:01:51 pm pst:

No worries enginerd! I was an art Major :)

Their Advice