Avalung question???

**paul1987** · 07-11-2008, 06:03 AM

So ive been reading tons of reviews of the avalung and a main criticism is that the rider must get the tube in his/her mouth before they start tumbling etc.... If you forgive my ignorance (I have never been in an avalanche), why cant that person get the tube in their mouth after the avalanche. Surely moving your mouth 3 inches left is possible even under an avi??? Maybe not. Anyone have an answer?

**jerr** · 07-11-2008, 06:16 AM

Dude... If you're rolling in a slide you have no control over anything. Think irresistible force moving every ounce of your body in a different direction and you can control none of it. Then couple it with suddenness and multiply it by terror. Even if you're sitting on top...once things begin that tubes either in, or it's out for the duration.

CG · 07-11-2008, 07:46 AM

^^^
in addition to that, once the snow stops moving it locks up like concrete, unless your lucky you couldn't move your head 3cm. That said I do have an avalung and wear it in the bc at all times.

**murph** · 07-11-2008, 08:05 AM

The tube is quite flexible. After a tumble I could imagine the mouthpiece being a foot or more away from your mouth, easily.

**awake1563** · 07-12-2008, 07:44 AM

this post just goes to show that you're taking the idiots approach to avalanche safety. Looking at all the gizmos, probably wasting alot of money on them, yet not even educating yourself on the basics of avalanche knowledge. If you had read any one of numerous avy handbooks, you would already know the answer to your question. I'm betting this is not the only gap in your essential knowledge database. Whatever you do, don't go into the backcountry, and start reading like your life depends on it. Because it does.

Smokey McPole · 07-12-2008, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by awake1563

this post just goes to show that you're taking the idiots approach to avalanche safety. Looking at all the gizmos, probably wasting alot of money on them, yet not even educating yourself on the basics of avalanche knowledge. If you had read any one of numerous avy handbooks, you would already know the answer to your question. I'm betting this is not the only gap in your essential knowledge database. Whatever you do, don't go into the backcountry, and start reading like your life depends on it. Because it does.

Yeah! Plus - after you do read one of them avalanche handbooks you can go on tha interwebz and call people idiots because they don't have all the reading experience that you do!

x2 what everybody else besides the above dipshit said. Slides are unbelievably violent. There's a chance the whole Avalung unit could be completely ripped off of you when it all comes to a halt.

**Core Shot** · 07-12-2008, 08:20 AM

AQUAlung is the new gizmo to use. Take a scuba tank, and ski with the regulator in your mouth the whole way down.

If its a really sketchy run, I ductape the regulator to my mouth.

Smokey McPole · 07-12-2008, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by Core Shot

AQUAlung is the new gizmo to use. Take a scuba tank, and ski with the regulator in your mouth the whole way down.

If its a really sketchy run, I ductape the regulator to my mouth.

I got that beat - I fill the tank with nitrous oxide.

**flyby** · 07-12-2008, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by Jerzilla!!!

I got that beat - I fill the tank with nitrous oxide.

wait, isn't that, like, party gas?

Smokey McPole · 07-12-2008, 12:46 PM

**awake1563** · 07-12-2008, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by Jerzilla!!!

Yeah! Plus - after you do read one of them avalanche handbooks you can go on tha interwebz and call people idiots because they don't have all the reading experience that you do!

x2 what everybody else besides the above dipshit said. Slides are unbelievably violent. There's a chance the whole Avalung unit could be completely ripped off of you when it all comes to a halt.

ooohh jerzilla's still got the moves... crushing it there buddy!!

although I'm betting the avalung would get ripped off before you came to a halt...

I'm sorry Jer, maybe we should have an official policy to tell people to go ski 45 degree slopes during and immediately after 2 foot dumps to further their avalanche knowledge. Books are dumb. Thankyou for the enlightenment.

**paul1987** · 07-13-2008, 09:36 AM

awake1563- You are totally useless. These forums are a way of helping each other out and improving the avalanche education you seem to preach on. My lack of avi experience is exactly why im asking these questions. You assume im a fucking idiot who spends all the money without thinking bout what im doing. Im currently reading 2 books on the backcountry- i apologise for not coming to the avalung section yet. Your reply is just irriatating and pretty unhelpful.

Smokey McPole · 07-13-2008, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by awake1563

Books are dumb.

Actually, books are cool. What's dumb is when some JONG reads one and then thinks he's qualified to call other people idiots when they ask a simple question about a piece of gear (ASSuming, of course, that they don't possess the same high level of avalanche education that he does).

Gizmos are cool. Do they make you safer? No. Do they make you invincable? No. Could they save your life? Possibly. I'm sure even a supa-core bro-brah BC god such as yourself indulges in gizmos. What's that beepy thing strapped to your JONGy torso? What's that tent-pole thingy in your pack? What's that little shovel deal? What's that clinometer thing? What's that digital thermometer?

I've got an Avalung. I don't know if it will ever save my life, but it only cost about $100 and it weighs about as much as a single glove so the plusses outweigh the single minus of possibly being looked down upon by super hard-core freshman year dishwashers like awake1563.

**jerr** · 07-13-2008, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by paul1987

So ive been reading tons of reviews of the avalung and a main criticism is that the rider must get the tube in his/her mouth before they start tumbling etc.... If you forgive my ignorance (I have never been in an avalanche), why cant that person get the tube in their mouth after the avalanche. Surely moving your mouth 3 inches left is possible even under an avi??? Maybe not. Anyone have an answer?

This may be an uninformed question but it is actually a warranted one.

**The Reverend Floater** · 07-15-2008, 05:03 PM

Flaming someone for asking about anything avy-related is a bit bonerish, don't you think? And it wasn't even a dumb question...in our avy class, we get much, much dumber questions by the boatload.

To the OP--I ski with an avalung. I had to buy a bigger BC pack, anyhow, so why not buy an extra "layer" of protection? There is absolutely a substantial risk that the regulator will be ripped from your mouth, if you are even lucky enough to get it there. BUT--they have saved lives, no doubt about it. I'm sure those folks would advocate their use pretty strongly.

On top of all this, the packs are killer...great fit, good distribution and BD quality.

**paul1987** · 07-16-2008, 12:22 PM

Ye im totally with you reverand. I needed a new pack and for £30 more (im from the uk) it seemed totally worth getting the pack with an avalung.

**Shreder** · 07-18-2008, 06:11 AM

Probli not possible. Just to be on the safe side don;t get off the couch

**neck beard** · 07-18-2008, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by paul1987

If you forgive my ignorance (I have never been in an avalanche), why cant that person get the tube in their mouth after the avalanche. Surely moving your mouth 3 inches left is possible even under an avi??? Maybe not. Anyone have an answer?

Have you even seen video footage of an avalanche?

Less sarcastic, think about the violence involved.

**hutash** · 07-18-2008, 09:13 AM

Just an PSA, but BD has 20% of avalung packs through there email newsletter.

**skifishbum** · 07-18-2008, 09:26 AM

Iv'e made a few ski cuts with it already in my mouth.
I think trackhead summed it up with something to the effect of if that's the case you may want to requestion you terrain choices.
I think the older non pack contained one sat better in a near mouth position.
Although the pack is nice as you don't have to remove it when skinning/ changing layers.

**jm2e** · 07-18-2008, 09:27 AM

Back to original question for clarification:
I think paul1987 is just asking what loads of people are thinking and have been embarassed to ask for fear of looking like a Jong. But you can spend a lot of time in the BC without ever encountering people with avalungs, therefore remaining ignorant to their use.
It may sound stupid, redundant, ignorant and jongy for me to repeat, BUT I have never seen a single picture of a person skiing with the snorkle in their mouth. I have seen loads of pics of the snorkle floping around on peoples shoulders.

So, do you guys have the avalung in your mouth all the way down on every run, and sometimes on the way up?

**volklpowdermaniac** · 07-18-2008, 09:40 AM

I'm gonna newb and jong it up all at one time....so forgive me

slight hijack

a beacon. is there two different modes, transmit recieve....if you begin a slide/fall/tumble....there will be precious little time to mess with a beacon....

to answer my own question perhaps, does everyone set it to transmit, and only a potential rescurer flip it to a different mode

ok jong on

Hugh Conway · 07-18-2008, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by volklpowdermaniac

I'm gonna newb and jong it up all at one time....so forgive me

slight hijack

a beacon. is there two different modes, transmit recieve....if you begin a slide/fall/tumble....there will be precious little time to mess with a beacon....

to answer my own question perhaps, does everyone set it to transmit, and only a potential rescurer flip it to a different mode

ok jong on

:eeK: :eeK:

**volklpowdermaniac** · 07-18-2008, 09:55 AM

yeah i know, bring on the fury.

**ronco** · 07-18-2008, 09:55 AM

The other thing I think an avalung is useful for is a bad fall into a tree well in very deep new snow.

For a discussion of NARSID (Non-Avalanche Related Snow Immersion Death) see: http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/...99/cadman.htm.

And for a quick discussion of tree well accident prevention see:http://www.stevenspass.com/Stevens/s...-deepsnow.aspx

I think it could keep you from suffocating until you can get your skis off and turned around or til your buddy can pull you out. I wear mine even resort skiing if it is a deep deep day and I'm skiing the trees.

ronco