TECHNOLOGY

In an emergency situation, deployment of the airbag needs to be fast and intuitive. Studies have shown that in an extreme situation, many users are over-challenged and do not manage to activate the airbag.

Snowpulse’s deployment handle is intuitive to operate and is height-adjustable to allow it to be adapted to the wearer’s body height. The deployment handle is a bright orange colour to make it as visible as possible.

The tried-and-tested “T” shape deployment handle has been an unchanged design feature since Snowpulse’s inception. The handle can be folded to allow compact storage in the shoulder strap. As with all Highmark by Snowpulse packs, the handle is located on the RIGHT SHOULDER—this allows snowmobilers to keep their hand on the throttle while deploying the pack.

The Inflation System 3.0 describes the component used to deploy the airbag. The system activates the deployment mechanism which opens the pressure cartridge with a pin and fills the airbag. The integrated air volume amplifier also sends ambient air to the airbag in addition to the compressed dry air stored in the pressure cartridge.

One of Snowpulse’s objectives for this inflation system was to bring the air volume amplifier and deployment mechanism together in a single housing in order to save space and weight. The inflation system is reliable, low-maintenance and extremely user-friendly: just screw the cartridge in and you’re ready to go! No batteries to charge, no firmware to test and just a single connection point – it’s easiest and most reliable system on the market.

The Snowpulse 3.0 is their lightest airbag system of all time and weighs less than 1 liter of water. At less than 1kg, this is one of the lightest systems on the market today.

The new Airbag 3.0 generation is NOT compatible with previous seasons of backpack models from generations 1.0 and 2.0.

The Airbag 3.0 backpacks are also NOT compatible with the Protection Airbag / Removable Airbag systems from generation 2.0 (From 2011/2012 up to and including 2015/2016).

The new Airbag 3.0 systems can be installed only in 3.0 backpacks from season 2016/2017 onwards! However, the 2.0 cartridges remain unchanged and can be used with both the new 3.0 system and the older system.

Always ready in an emergency: any condition ready. The avalanche airbag is a piece of safety equipment that needs to work with 100% certainty and reliability in an emergency – irrespective of weather, temperature and external pressure.

Only pressure cartridges offer precisely the reliability of a dependable energy store over a period of years. This technology also guarantees a very high initial pressure to unfold the airbag reliably even in situations of external loading. Our focus in the latest development was on making the system even more user-friendly and further reducing maintenance.

The R.A.S. system is a square 150L airbag that is contained in and deploys from the top of the pack. It is extremely lightweight and has a low packing volume, taking up less space in your pack.

The P.A.S. system is a collar-shaped airbag that is contained in and deploys from the shoulder harness of the pack, and is focused on providing maximum protection from burial as well as trauma protection. You’ll notice that it takes up less room than the R.A.S. within the actual pack, but adds volume to the shoulders of the pack, as much of it is stored there.

Up to 38% of avalanche fatalities are due to trauma to the avalanche victim. Highmark by Snowpulse is the only manufacturer to offer an airbag to snowmobilers capable of providing trauma protection.

In an emergency, only the Protection Airbag System unfolds protectively around the head, neck and chest area, increasing your chances of survival in two respects: offering the best possible protection from burial and from life-threatening trauma injuries.

The effect of the avalanche airbag is based on the principle of inverse segregation. This means that in an equally moving mass of particles the smaller particles gravitate to the bottom while the larger ones rise to the surface. The airbag considerably increases this effect, expanding the wearer’s volume and thus helping to prevent his or her complete burial. It also helps to keep the wearer’s head on the surface of the snow and its bright color makes it faster to locate.

The airbag works by pulling the handle to deploy the pressure cartridge. The gas from the pressure cartridge and the integrated Venturi valve inflate an airbag volume of 150 liters in three seconds.

A deployed avalanche airbag also allows rescuers to find the victim more easily due to the size and bright colour of the airbag.