Should Airbag Backpacks Be Standard Avalanche Safety Equipment?

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Avalanche and Nonavalanche Snow Burial Accidents: 2024 Update

To provide guidance to the general public, clinicians, and avalanche professionals about best practices, the Wilderness Medical Society convened an expert panel to revise the evidence-based guidelines for the prevention, rescue, and resuscitation of avalanche and nonavalanche snow burial victims. The original panel authored the Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Avalanche and Nonavalanche Snow Burial Accidents in 2017. A second panel was convened to update these guidelines and make recommendations based on quality of supporting evidence.

Effectiveness and Use of Avalanche Airbags in Mortality Reduction among Winter-Recreationists

RATIONALE FOR REVIEW

the number of backcountry skiers and snowboarder surged in the last years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as ski resorts shut down. Inevitably, this led to an increase in avalanche-related injuries and death. As avalanche rescue device, avalanche airbags are increasingly becoming part of the standard winter mountaineering equipment. This study provides a review of available data and an updated perspective on avalanche airbags, discussing their function and efficacy to reduce mortality and their limitations.

KEY FINDINGS

causes of death in individuals caught by avalanches are multiple. Airbags seem to reduce mortality by decreasing chances of critical burial, the most determining risk factor. However, there is scarcity of reliable scientific research on the topic, and the way in which airbags reduce mortality and to what extent is still debated. Several elements seem to influence airbags efficacy, and their use still yields several limitations linked to manufacturing, proper use, users education, and risk compensation.

CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS

avalanche airbags seem to be an important tool in reducing mortality in backcountry expeditions. However, more research and standardized data collection is needed to fill the knowledge gap, mountain communities should promote adequate education of winter-recreationists on how to prevent and react to an avalanche, and on the correct use of airbags in combination with already available tools such as transceivers, probes and shovels, and manufacturing companies should ensure higher efficacy of the survival avalanche equipment for better prevention of burial, asphyxia, and trauma.

Editorial on the Research Topic the 2nd Edition of Mountain Sports Activities: Injuries and Prevention

Mountain sports are continuously gaining popularity, currently fueled by the post-pandemic period expanding travel opportunities and the desire to escape the increasingly hot environmental conditions of urban areas—ambient temperature decreases by about 6 [...]