International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: On the Effectiveness of Avalanche Balloon Packs

• • Title: On the Effectiveness of Avalanche Balloon Packs

    Proceedings: Proceedings, 2012 International Snow Science Workshop, Anchorage, Alaska

    Authors:

    • Pascal Haegeli  [ School for Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada ]  [ Avisualanche Consulting, Vancouver, BC, Canada ]
    • Benjamin Zweifel  [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF , Davos , Switzerland ]
    • Frédéric Jarry  [ National Association for Snow and Avalanc he Studies (ANENA) , Grenoble, France ]
    • Spencer Logan  [ Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Boulder, CO, USA ]
    • Hanno Bilek  [ Öster r eichisches Kuratorium für Alpine Sicherheit, Innsbruck, Austria ]
    • Marek Biskupič  [ Avalanche Prevention Center, Jasna, Slovakia ]
    • Hermann Brugger  [ Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, European Academy, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy ]
    • Markus Falk  [ Inova Q Inc., Bruneck/Brunico, Italy ]

    Date: 2012

    Abstract: Even though avalanche balloon packs have been promoted in Europe since the early 1990s, they have only truly established themselves as an accepted avalanche safety device over the last five to ten years. This particularly applies to North America, where a stream of regulatory hurdles delayed the introduction of the new technology. The goal of the present study is to provide an independent, up-todate perspective on the effectiveness of avalanche balloon packs to reduce the likelihood of critical burials and to improve avalanche survival. The dataset used for the analysis consists of well-documented avalanche accident records from Austria, Canada, France, Switzerland and the United States. To ensure a most appropriate dataset for the evaluation of avalanche balloon packs, the dataset was limited to only include avalanche involvement records that had the potential to result in complete burial. For the main analysis, the dataset was further reduced to include only accidents that involved both users and nonusers of avalanche balloon packs to minimize the effect of a likely reporting bias. Using a multivariate approach to control for other factors contributing to avalanche survival, the present analysis offers a more comprehensive perspective and more accurately isolates the true impact of avalanche balloon packs than previous studies.

    Object ID: issw-2012-324-328.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s): unknown

    Keywords: avalanche accidents, avalanche safety equipment, avalanche balloon packs, avalanche airbags, avalanche survival

    Page Number(s): 324-328

    Subjects: avalanche safety avalanche balloons avalanche survival

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