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Tag avalanche
EBM Gone Wild snow 340

Does that avalanche airbag really help?

Avalanche airbags, which were invented to prevent this “critical burial” that causes increased mortality (critical meaning impairment of airways). They do this by basically making you much larger and more buoyant by inflating a large balloon that is strapped to your back. At least, that’s the theory.
EBM Gone Wild snow 340

Wear the helmet anyway

Helmets continue to be recommended or required by multiple ski resorts worldwide. The main thinking is that prevention of traumatic causes of death will directly reduce mortality from avalanches and other alpine trauma. That being said, the authors of this…

EBM Gone Wild snow 340

Do air pockets help avalanche survival?

The theoretical is obvious. If you have an air pocket you can breathe into after an avalanche, you should survive longer than if you don’t. This study intended to ascertain if this was true, as their hypothesis was that air…

EBM Gone Wild snow 340

Afterdrop

Snow burial is often used experimentally to simulate avalanche burials. In this paper, they used snow burial to allow measurement of core temperature cooling and afterdrop. The authors were attempting to compare the afterdrop rate of patients who were immediately…