A Timely Reminder of the Usefulness of Avalanche Airbags – Video

The exact “Oh Shiiit…” moment, as it happened Image:: YouTube

Mountainwatch | Video

Europe’s snowpack stability has been up and down like a yo-yo this winter season and unfortunately this has led to numerous Avalanche fatalities. As a result, many people are talking about the usefulness or value of skiing with an Avalanche Airbag equipped backpack.

The Freeride World Tour has made it mandatory for all competitors to compete with an airbag and as you’ll see in the following video, for good reason, too. Skier #2 on the course in Kappl, Austria, was Frenchman Julien Lopez. Lopez lost a ski on the landing of a relatively small cliff and was hiking back to retrieve it when disaster struck…