New Kind Of Avalanche Pack — A hyper-strong fan in a module on the side of the Halo 28 Jetforce from Black Diamond Equipment can suck in air to inflate 200-liter lift balloons in an avalanche. The big red bags can protect a skier in a slide and help him or her float near the top of the snow.
While most avalanche packs require a compressed-gas cylinder, this one runs on a rechargeable module. The fan mechanism spins at 60,000 RPM . We tried it out indoors (not in an avalanche) and were impressed with the system — you can pre-check that it is powered up and ready, and at the initiation of the inflation process the bags blow up fast and stay filled for a few minutes.
They then deflate after three minutes to ostensibly create an air pocket for a buried skier awaiting rescue. $1,100; available in fall 2014
