Avalung usage

I was considering getting an Black Diamond Avalung for the coming season. Seems like a good idea but I don't think I have ever seen anybody wearing one up here!<br>Why? too expensive, no use, prolong the agony??<br>Advice please

Scotsman - I don't use one but this article, www.telemarktips.com/TeleNews42.html , has me thinking about buying one.

Darryl,<br> that is a very powerful article.Thanks man.<br>It's made my mind up. I'm buying one! <br><br>His descriptions of how he used it and the help it gave him are very vivid. I doubt he would have survived without it ,especially buried that deep.<br>I have been told that not having enough space to expand your lungs contributes to suffocation quickly.<br><br>They are only $90 right, cheap insurance.

Hey Chris: I'm convinced that if you were buried, and if your were wearing the Avalung properly and managed to get the tube in your mouth and keep it there during the slide, that it would greatly increase your chances of survival (assuming, of course, that your partner(s) were able to locate you and dig you out promptly).<br><br>However, it is still one more piece of gear, requires some forethought/practice to be effective, could conceivably skew one's judgement re: snow stability, needs to worn as an outside layer, and very probably would not have remained in my mouth in the slide I was buried in.<br><br>For backcountry skiing where you don't get much of a feel for the snowpack during the approach (ie. heliskiing) or skiing in a group of people that you don't know well (maybe a guided trip with skiers of unknown abilities) I would be inclined to use one. For the type of BC skiing I typically do, I am still debating the various use scenarios.<br><br>BTW, I have one; it was a gift.<br><br>

I bought one three years ago as soon as BD released the Avalung II model.<br><br>I take it on any tours where avy danger might be a serious issue (considerable avy forecast, lots of travel in open terrain, etc etc). Usually don't take it for mellow days in the trees.<br><br>I figure its cheap insurance and usually when I'm switching from skinning to skiing theres a fair amount of monkeying with gear anyways....so dealing with the avalung isn't that big of a deal for me.<br><br><br><br><br><br>

I tend to lean towards Greg's reasoning... being somewhat old and klutzy I figure there's at least a 50/50 chance that when the (white) smoke cleared I wouldn't have the avalung mouthpiece in my mouth... and THAT would really tick me off.<br><br>If I'm going to futz around with another piece of gear, I would lean towards something that might keep me on top, like the avalanche bag packs, even though the price is much higher. Pretty good info and links in Charles's thread: ABS - avalanche airbag and in Rick Randall's thread: Anybody own a Dynafit ABS system? . <br>