Snowpulse 45 Avalanche Airbag Pack Review

[LeeLau]

Ripz - from what I heard the Snowpulse can be refilled at scuba shops which have a high-pressure valve. Am I wrong?

[flip]

All of the above is very interesting, but this new tech raises some questions... over and over you hear that beacons and avalungs are no excuse to go trapsing around recklessly. However, with all this gear, beacons, avulung, air packs, almost makes it pretty safe to go get avalanched??

To me it's kind of like sky-diving. Standing above, let alone skiing through, avy-prone terrain is so fucking terrifying I think it would take several safe and painless rides in one to not have that fear. And unlike skydiving, I don't think there is such thing as a safe and painless ride even with all the equip.

[Ripzalot]

By the way,J : Were that you that were talking about the differencies in the canisters that the US canister was openable?
I mean,you could discard the pressure,remove the valve for security inspection (that the canister is depressurized) and refill it in the destination?


Or are all bottles openable?

yep, that was me. IIRC, they are openable and inspectable.

Ripz - from what I heard the Snowpulse can be refilled at scuba shops which have a high-pressure valve. Am I wrong?

i think scuba or paintball shops work - but not many scuba shops near me!

there's a paintball shop in geneva, and probably a ski shop dealer in verbier that i could probably go to. but neither are local or that convenient. i would have to dedicate a half day and a special trip.

[Ripzalot]

To me it's kind of like sky-diving. Standing above, let alone skiing through, avy-prone terrain is so fucking terrifying I think it would take several safe and painless rides in one to not have that fear. And unlike skydiving, I don't think there is such thing as a safe and painless ride even with all the equip.

also, keep in mind that getting buried is only part of your worries in an avalanche. rag-dolling down/over rocks doesn't sound like fun even with a snowpulse.

[jackass]

I posted this also on an older thread about Snowpulse:

So here I am, flying from Amsterdam to Jackson Hole with my Snowpulse 30 liter pack (WITHOUT the American 3000 psi cylinder) as carry on and the pressurized cylinder in my checked luggage. Afterwards I found out that is somewhat legal (or somewhat illegal) because I was technically on a rescue mission. The good news was that whoever is in charge of checked luggage safety in Amsterdam airport never blew the whistle on the cylinder, neither at any checkpoints (for checked luggage) in Chicago and Denver, my stops and plane changes on the way to the sickest ski mountain south of Valdez.

Going back was a different story. Seeing the big screening tunnels for checked bagage, I'd figured it would be wise to tell the airline I was on a rescue mission. The station manager of UA came over and said: I don't give a damn if you're on a rescue mission or if somebody will die or not, but this cylinder can only fly on my airplane if you empty it. After some - I stayed fairly nice, because the UA station manager is still alive - discussion, I pulled the handle and inflated the Snowpulse airbag right in the check-in area. Gave the folks some air for their refusal of listening to my rescue mission BS story.

Then about every (in JH airport there are about 60 TSA officers, so it seemed) TSA person started to make comments about the EMPTY cylinder. Finally the big TSA chief (he with the nicest character......) himself came over and explained the rule that they must look inside the cylinder and the valve housing must come off. I drove into town (in a blinding snowstorm), run into Hoback Sports (coolest Sport shop in the lower 48's), ran to their vise, got hold of their largest wrench and unscrewed the valve housing. Did some illegal fast driving back to the JH airport, only to find out my flight was cancelled because of weather conditions.

This is what I arranged with the Snowpulse manufacturer once I got back to Europe:

1. I took the somewhat official Snowpulse online course for filling the cylinder myself.
2. After I graduated this course with honours, I had Snowpulse send me a refill kit (O-rings, grease, etc)
3. I bought for about 50 bucks a SCUBA-paintball adapter. Note there is also SCUBA DIN-paintball adapter, but these go to 300 bar which is way too much).
4. I bought an adapter for SCBA (that is the stuff the fire department uses) to SCUBA.

Now I can travel around the world with my empty cylinder, with the valve housing on the cylinder (this time without loctite ;-) when I fly towards Uncle Sam and with the valve housing unscrewed when I depart from a country with a high density of TSA people. When I have to fill the cylinder, I have three choices: A paintball area, club or shop, a diving shop or club, or a fire department. And no, you cannot fill the cylinder in a gasstation. In a gasstation you can get gas, candies, drinks, newspapers, rubbers, air for your tires up to about 100 psi, but no 3000 psi air...............

Hope this helps from this - slightly bona fide because of low post count - pow addict.

[Ripzalot]

^^^excellent info, thanks for posting that.

[Glomstulen]

Anyone know how air travel is with the ABS pack? Sounds like quite a lot of hassel with the snowpulse.

[Meathelmet]

Anyone know how air travel is with the ABS pack? Sounds like quite a lot of hassel with the snowpulse.

seaaarch. lot of threads in techtalk and slidezone.

[Glomstulen]

Have read through several threads about abs and snowpuls, but haven't seen too much about experiences with travelling to/from the US with ABS.

Just interested to hear if anyone have had similar experiences /trouble like jackass while travelling with the abs?

Read the following on telemarktalk, can anyone verify if this is true?


"ps Up until this season the Snowpulse was available as a standard pack with zip-on extensions ranging from 15L, 30L and 45L. Due to what I believe to be litigation problems with ABS, this 'vario' system has been discontinued. This season they have been selling the packs in the different sizes with the 'vario' zip system sewed up, and the extensions are no longer available. Next season the 'vario' zip system will be removed altogether. Of course, if you were to remove the extra stitching to reveal the zip, and google for one of the old zip-on extensions..."

[Glomstulen]

One more thing, anyone know if there have been any more recent studies of abs vs snowpulse than this one from 2001? http://www.snowpulse.ch/v3/medias/essai_davos_en.pdf

[Gorilla]

Read the following on telemarktalk, can anyone verify if this is true?


"ps Up until this season the Snowpulse was available as a standard pack with zip-on extensions ranging from 15L, 30L and 45L. Due to what I believe to be litigation problems with ABS, this 'vario' system has been discontinued. This season they have been selling the packs in the different sizes with the 'vario' zip system sewed up, and the extensions are no longer available. Next season the 'vario' zip system will be removed altogether. Of course, if you were to remove the extra stitching to reveal the zip, and google for one of the old zip-on extensions..."

ABS patented the zip on, zip off bag idea. Not only have Snowpulse had to discontinue this but, it is also supposedly responsible for some of the more popular models being harder to obtain than is desirable. Info comes from chatting to store staff in Verb (where Snowpulse are based) while purchasing an airbag.

While I understand ABS actions, this is a pain in the balls. Aspects of the Snowpulse design seem superior - I'm agnostic about the mechanics of the airbag/deployment but the bag itself appears to be better thought through e.g. ski carry.

[Sun Valley]

yep, that was me. IIRC, they are openable and inspectable.


i think scuba or paintball shops work - but not many scuba shops near me!

there's a paintball shop in geneva, and probably a ski shop dealer in verbier that i could probably go to. but neither are local or that convenient. i would have to dedicate a half day and a special trip.

Where is (or what is the address/name) of the paintball shop in Geneva? I am going from Geneva to Verbier, and I will have an empty US (.36L) tank. I cant just do the exchange since the canisters are different so will need to get mine filled. I sent you an email as well, would much appreciate your reply!

Dirk

[YB]

Anybody know a place near Aspen to get a canister filled?

[BGW_9]

I am having trouble figuring out what size Snowpulse I should purchase. Since one must buy them online could anyone give me some advise. I am 180lbs and 5'11". I am thinking the Large 30 Liter. Also is the Snowpulse the best avalanche bag on the market?

[Kai]

I've got a 30 and a 45. I use both, but I use the 30 more often, as it's about the right size for what I take with me on a day trip.

It looks like Snowpulse may have a modular system similar to that of the ABS, so you could buy one base pack, and then switch out between 30 and 45 as needed. [Edit: Looks like the modular snowpulse is no longer available due to a patent suit by ABS.]

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_l...&search=Search

As for which is better, I prefer the Snowpulse because of the way that the airbag protects your head and neck when inflated. Particularly in the US, where a lot of touring is near or below treeline, it's good to have some protection from trauma.

[Meathelmet]

It looks like Snowpulse may have a modular system similar to that of the ABS, so you could buy one base pack, and then switch out between 30 and 45 as needed.

Nope. Snowpulse had to remove that possibility because it was patented by ABS. The 09-10s have their zippers sewn up and afaik,the 10-11 have lost this possibility.

As for which is better, I prefer the Snowpulse because of the way that the airbag protects your head and neck when inflated. Particularly in the US, where a lot of touring is near or below treeline, it's good to have some protection from trauma.

The newer ABS (08-?) have a bit more taller deployment bags similar to snowpulses "wrap arounds",but not nearly as big as Snowpulse. So a big plus on that side to snowpulse.


The dealbraker for me (have a the old 05 ABS) when I am getting a new system is the zipper for having 2 different bag sizes for lift served or longer rando trips.

And the freedom of not having to fill the canister up on destination.
Tried to look up for possibilites of getting snowpulse canister to be filled up
in say italy or france,proved next to impossible. Let alone if you travel abroad to,say,japan or argentina...
Try to find a scuba/paintball shop with the necessary high bar compressors with limited time & language skills.

Let alone to try to go to a local fire station and ask for a "infillidentamado le canistre los oxygenos por moi avalangia baguepague"...

[Arno]

And the freedom of not having to fill the canister up on destination.
Tried to look up for possibilites of getting snowpulse canister to be filled up
in say italy or france,proved next to impossible. Let alone if you travel abroad to,say,japan or argentina...
Try to find a scuba/paintball shop with the necessary high bar compressors with limited time & language skills.

Let alone to try to go to a local fire station and ask for a "infillidentamado le canistre los oxygenos por moi avalangia baguepague"...

where are you travelling from? you can travel by air within europe with the canister inflated. also plenty of places will rent cylinders to you

take the point that travelling by air with the cylinder may be more difficult in north america

[Meathelmet]

where are you travelling from? you can travel by air within europe with the canister inflated. also plenty of places will rent cylinders to you

take the point that travelling by air with the cylinder may be more difficult in north america

I didn not know that you could travel with the snowpulse aircylinder here in erup?

One friend had to deflate his before the trip from munchen,his mate with abs nitrox didnt...



I personally have only had 1 confiscation (on departure) of the several dozens of flights with abs.

[Arno]

i think all the mfrs have been on a charm offensive with airport security people. took mine to heathrow with some trepidation in december and the guy from Swiss said that he had just been trained on the subject - fine to put the cylinder in the hold. this is in line with the info on the Snowpulse website

[Kai]

Airport security is inconsistent. They can have an issue with compressed air (not flammable) in an airbag pack, but they will allow a passenger to bring on board a large cannister of compressed oxygen (highly flammable) as part of their respirator aparatus.

If a suicide bomber wanted to blow up a plane, he'd just pose as a person with a respiratory problem, and bring a large oxygen cannister on board. Open up the valve, light it, and BANG.