Avalanche
Last week, we published a video of a freeskier getting trapped in a large avalanche. The whole video was an ABS avalanche airbag backpack advertisement, literally.
The video shows Aymar Navarro getting caught in a huge avalanche in the Spanish Pyrenees. It’s certainly a large scary avalanche and Aymar is lucky to have survived.
Powder Magazine’s Matt Hansen calls “Bullshit” on the video stating that its attempting to make us think that avalanche airbag backpacks will save us from everything:
by Matt Hansen
“There is another video where Aymar describes the incident, saying that the sun broke through after a week of storms and 12 feet of new snow, with another foot of fresh overnight. He says they evaluated three slopes and tried to minimize the risk yet didn’t expect what happened. That tiny bit of avalanche awareness (and that’s being generous) is followed by a much larger plug for his airbag.
Of course, airbags are a useful tool when traveling in the backcountry and they have saved lives. But there is no guarantee. To throw this caution to the wind is irresponsible and dangerous to anyone who explores the backcountry, especially to young skiers who are full of bravado but short on experience.
Aside from promoting a false sense of security, this “ad” also perpetuates the ski industry’s serious problem of having a lack of accountability. Sales of backcountry equipment have soared in recent years as more people ski beyond the gates. So while the industry enjoys these profits, their customers head into hazardous terrain believing that their equipment alone will save them. It’s beyond time that we hold up our end of the deal by recognizing that avalanches are very real, very dangerous, and that avoiding them requires more than just gear.” – Matt Hansen/Powder Magazine
Read the full article here:
by Matt Hansen
Looks like a lame ad ploy. Next time try it above a section of trees or cliffs and see how easily your bag gets shredded! Or maybe a wet slide in a tight UT canyon that sets up like concrete and leaves you buried deep without air. Looks like another pusher that will be RIP in the near future.
Yeah, they’re kinda saying “ok, go right out there and get in an avy, no worries with our product, it’s fun!”