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The Avalanche Airbag

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Risk

Known Documented Cases of Avalanche Accidents with the ABS-Avalanche Air Bag System
Date	Place	No. of People in avalanche	Avalanche Size	Location at beginning of avalanche	Actions bypeople	Performance of air bag	Burial information	Results

February, 1991	Gudauri (Caucasus)	1 Person (with ABS)	unknown	unknown	ABS activated	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	not or only partially buried	Accident survived

end of February, 1992	Disentis	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 50 cm Width: ca. 50 m Length: ca. 200 m	caught in start zone	ABS activated	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	buried for a time during the avalanche but not buried when it stopped (lying on the avalanche debris)	Accident uninjured survived

March 26, 1993	Davos Totalphorn-Wolfgangpass (Amtmanntobel)	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 90 cm Width: ca. 8 m Length: ca. 600 m	caught in start zone	ABS activated	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	buried for a time during the avalanche but only partially buried when it stopped (up to shoulder depth)	injured (thigh bruise) survived

December 23, 1993	San Bernardino Piz Rotond	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 60 cm Width: ca. 80 m Length: ca. 120 m	unknown (edge of Avalanche)	ABS was first activated during the Avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	buried for a time during the avalanche and completely buried when it stopped (head in the snow); dug out within ca. 1 minute by the guide	Accident uninjured survived

January 8, 1994	Langwies Weissfluh-Haupteralp	4 People (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 30 cm Width: ca. 100 m Length: ca. 250 m	caught in start zone (upper third of slope)	3 Persons' ABS activated, 1 Person's ABS not activated	2 on the surface (visible); 1 Air Bag not inflated (defect); 1 ABS not activated	2 persons (with functioning ABS-System): 1 partially buried, 1 completely buried (head under the snow). 1 person Failure in ABS) partially buried (to the neck). 1 person (ABS not activated) completely buried. Found by the guide using beacon.	all persons slightly injured survived

February 17, 1994	Davos Rossboden-R�edisch T�lli	3 People (2 persons with ABS; 1 person without ABS)	Crown: ca. 80 cm Width: ca. 100 m Length: ca. 750 m	caught in the upper third of slope (ca. 100 m vertically below the start)	Guide activated ABS; 1 Client's ABS first activated after guide shouted; 1 Client without ABS	Air Bags on Surface (visible)	1 person (guide) not burried 1 person (with ABS) completely burried (head under the snow) dug out within about 3 Min. dby the guide 1 person without ABS) not burried (only caught on edge of slide)	2 persons (with ABS): uninjured; 1 person (without ABS): back injury survived

February 28, 1995	Klosters Gotschnagrat, Drostobel	1 Person (with ABS)	unknown	caught in start zone	ABS was first activated during Avalanche	Air Bag only inflated to ca. 3/4 volume, on surface	1 person (guide) carried about 50 m, not burried	Accident uninjured survived. Lost 1 ski.

February, 1996	Chamonix Le Tour	3 People (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 30 cm Width: ca. 15 m Length: ca. 200 m	caught in start zone	Everyone's ABS were activated during Avalanche	all Air Bags on surface (visible)	No one burried; in the upper portion of the deposition zone	all persons: Accident survived uninjured

March 11, 1996	Dombai/Kaukasus	2 People (1 person with / 1 person without ABS)	Crown:ca 3 m Width: ca. 150 m Length: ca. 350 m	both People were caught in start zone	ABS was activated during the Avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	both persons not burried (with / without ABS) in lower portion of the deposition zone	both persons: survived accident uninjured

February 21, 1997	Flims/Laax Crappa Spessa	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 50 cm Width: ca. 70 m Length: ca. 80 m	on the lower portion of slope at start of avalanche	ABS activated at start of avalanche	Air Bag only 1/3 visible on surface	1 person (guide) carried into a depression; completely burried (head approx. 30 cm); dug out in about 2 min after burial by clients; found by visible Air Bag; depth of the avalanche debris in gully was about 3-4 m	Accident: uninjured survived

March, 1997	Wengen Berner Oberland	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 80 cm Width: unknown Length: min. 400 m Powder Avalanche (!)	Triggered by 2 Snowboarders; Skiers were in the lower portion of the start zone	ABS was activated during the Avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	1 person (ski instructor) carried about 400 m; not burried, face down, headed downhill, skis und poles still there, able to ski on	Accident: uninjured survived

Winter 1996/97	Gudauri (Caucasus)	1 Person (with ABS)	unknown	unknown	ABS activated	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	not at all or only partially burried	Accident survived

December 10, 1997	Obertauern Salzburg	2 People (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 70 cm Width: ca. 15 m Length: ca. 300 m	both People were caught in start zone	ABS activated at start of avalanche	Air Bags on Surface (visible)	both people were in the upper third of the slope when avalanche stopped; 1 person not burried; 1 person partially burried; accident occurred during avalanche control work (Lawinenkommission)	both persons: Accident: uninjured survived

January 21, 1998	Disentis	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 40 cm Width: ca. 40 m Length: ca. 50 m	caught in start zone	ABS activated at start of avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	partially burried; able to free self	Accident: uninjured survived

March, 1998	France	1 Person (with ABS)	unknown	unknown	had major problems triggering ABS	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	unknown; probably partially burried	survived, probably uninjured

November 21, 1998	M�nchner Haus Zugspitze Garmisch	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: ca. 30 cm Width: ca. 50 m Length: ca. 300 m	caught in start zone	ABS was activated during the Avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	after it stopped, in the upper portion of the depostion zone; not burried	Accident: uninjured survived

December 8, 1998	Kapall St. Anton a. Arlberg	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: ca.80 cm Width: 20 - 60 m Length: ca. 300 m	caught in start zone	ABS activated at start of avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	after it stopped, in the lower portion of the depostion zone; partially burried; rescue by rest of party	Accident: uninjured survived

January 16, 1999	Gemsstock Andermatt	7 Personen (with ABS)	Crown: ca 150 cm Width: 60 - 80 m Length: ca. 150 m	unknown	5 People activated ABS, 2 People did not trigger ABS	Air Bags on surface (visible)	all 7 persons not or only partially burried	2 persons slightly injured (rocks); other 5 persons uninjured survived

January 28, 1999	Decker Glacier Alberta Canada	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: 30 - 60 cm Width: ca. 50 m Length: ca. 300 m	caught in start zone	ABS activated at start of avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	on skitour; descent on foot (skis carried). was able to turn onto back during the avalanche; not burried	Accident uninjured survived

end of January 1999	Val d'Is�re France	2 People (with ABS)	unknown	unknown	2 persons' ABS not activated	ABS not activated	unknown; offpiste	survived

January 31, 1999	Val d'Is�re France	1 Person (with ABS)	unknown	unknown	ABS not activated	ABS not activated	unknown; offpiste	Accident with injuries survived

March 24, 1999	Erlispitze, Valluga St. Anton a. Arlberg	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: 20 - 50 cm Width: 60 m Length: 150 m	caught in start zone	ABS activated during the Avalanche	Double Air Bags Failure: only 1 Air Bag inflated	partially burried, 1 Air Bag visible	Accident uninjured survived

January 29, 2000	Hoher Riffler Gampernunalpe, Flirsch Tirol	2 People (1 person with / 1 person without ABS)	Crown: 60 cm Width: 50 m Length: ca. 200 m	in middle of slope at start of avalanche	ABS activated at start of avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	Person with ABS not burried, mid-slope Person without ABS partially burried in lower portion of the deposition zone (carried from the start zone)	both persons: Accident uninjured survived

February 16, 2000	Davos Rinerhorn, Sertig	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: 15 - 70 cm Width: 30 m Length: 50 - 70 m	caught in start zone	ABS activated at start of avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible)	stopped in the upper portion of the deposition zone; partially burried	Accident uninjured survived

February 16, 2000	Portlesspitze Matsch, S�dtirol Italien	5 People (1 person with / 4 persons without ABS)	Crown: 30 - 160 cm Width: 250 m Length: 550 m	in middle of slope at start of avalanche	ABS activated at start of or during avalanche	according to witnesses, the Air Bag remined visible on the surface during the avalanche - after coming to rest, burried 170 cm deep	when it stopped all 5 persons were burried (170 cm to 300 cm) in a small depression at the base of the slope; individual with inflated Air Bags was burried 170 cm deep; all were found using beacons	3 persons without ABS: dead 1 person with ABS: dead 1 person without ABS: survived
April 2, 2000	Davos Monstein B�elenhorn	1 Person (with ABS)	Crown: 50 cm Width: 30 m Length: 500 m	caught in start zone	ABS activated during the Avalanche	Air Bag on Surface (visible) although the 150 litre Bag was ripped from the pack (seams gave way) shortly before the avalanche stopped	not burried	Accident: uninjured survived
February 5, 2001	Alte Prager H�tte, Tirol, Austria	1 person with ABS	Crown: ca. 20 cm Width: 15 m Length: 40 m	in middle of slope at start of avalanche	ABS activated during the Avalanche	Air Bag visible on avalanche deposit	person partly buried, could free himself	survived uninjured
February 10, 2001	Wetterkreuz K�htai, Tirol, Austria	3 Persons, 2 with, 1 without ABS	crown: 30-35 cm width ca. 120-150 m length ca. 100-120 m	caught in lower third of avalanche slope (deposit zone)	ABS activated at start of the avalanche	One airbag shorty covered during avalanche run, both ABS visible on deposit after avalanche standstill	both persons with ABS partly buried (up to heep)	survived uninjured
February 11, 2001	Piz Dolf, Flims Grisons, Switzerland	1 person with ABS	crown . 50 -80 cm width ca. 200 m length ca. 600m	caught in start zone	ABS activated during avalanche run	technical failure (cartridge empty...!)	head buried 50 cm by a second avalanche, dug out after 55 min by rescue service	survived uninjured (!)
29 known accidents (withABS) involving 44 Persons (with ABS) 35 Persons with filled Air Bag: 34 alive, 1 fatality. 9 Persons without or with only partially filled Air Bags :3 experienced technical failure / 6 did not pull rip cord. 35 People with inflated Air Bag: 16 not buried, 15 partially buried , 4 completely buried 34 People with inflated Air Bags survived 1 Person with inflated Air Bags died

First deadly burial with the avalanche airbag

On 02/21/2000 a group of backcountry skiers have been caught in a series of avalanches in the area of the Portler Peak (3074m, South Tirol). One of the avalanche victims, a 61 year old man from Berlin, was equipped with an avalanche airbag.

According to the only survivor, she noticed how the airbags of the person beside her filled up with air. The guide, who was not involved in the avalanche also thinks he had seen the airbags.

Therefore the airbags were available to the victim in the first phase of the avalanche. The type of snow has not been determined yet. It was definitely not a dust avalanche but a loose snow avalanche, with a weight to volume ratio of probably more than 400 g per liter.

These circumstances allow the avalanche victim equipped with an activated airbag to stay on top during the running phase of avalanche and once it comes to a halt. The physical properties will not allow the victim to sink back into the avalanche. After examining the description and observation of the previously mentioned case one can assume that this was the case here also.

Still an avalanche victim with fully activated avalanche airbags was buried 2 m under the snow. There is an explanation for this.
A second avalanche literally ran over the victim

This avalanche did not take the body, which was pressed on top of the original avalanche, with it but covered it instead. A slight depression in the terrain allowed the avalanche to gather right on top of the victim. This also explains the large depth.

The guide who, with another victim dug out the buried person after 15 minutes, explains the situation as follows:

After locating the first victim we came upon an object with our probe which we thought was a backpack. After a short time of digging we discovered it was an airbag. Shortly after that we were able to free the head of the victim. He was lying at a 45� angle on his stomach, the legs were angled down. Both airbags were fully inflated.

Directly beside lay the second victim with her head on one of the airbags. Her hands were in front of her face, she was able to breath and had an air hole. The circumstances of the burial, particularly the location - slight depression, and the assumed release of a subsequent slab point to a burial due to a second avalanche. It did not carry the victims with it but buried them instead.

As shocking as this first burial with an airbag is, we must also point out that the effectiveness of the airbags requires moving with the avalanche. Therefore, in the event of a second avalanche the ABS Airbag cannot prevent burial.


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