ABS Air bags.

I saw the air bag for the first time, in Canada last year. I was heading out for a multi day tour, and could not imagine how I could manage the extra weight of the can, or get my gear in the pack the air bag comes in.

However, I would like to have one. Would I want to be buried, or float on top? That’s a no brainer. I am glad to see BCA is in the market. I look forward to more choices and even lower prices.

Speaking of the brain, a helmet is the best way to protect it. The air bag may provide protection from a cervical spine injury, and keep you visible for rescue, but it is not going to protect the head from brain injury. It will help, in some events, but not a frontal impact. A helmet is the best way to protect the soft, jello like brain, from trauma.

A helmet and a bag would not have changed the outcome for Dan Otter. It is amazing he did not suffer a brain injury. And despite any mistakes that were or were not made in his incident, he survived because his partners were prepared to rescue him. They had essential gear to activate emergency rescue, communicate their location, and evacuate him to a staging area. Well done. It gives me chills to write about it. Thanks to his humility, for sharing the experience with us, and his partners for preparing for the worst, and pulling it off.

All this gear is so expensive I can’t afford anything new to wear except my new digital beacon. I will wear it as jewelry during the holidays. I will buy a helmet soon, and then I will have two nice things to wear this holiday season.

... A helmet and a bag would not have changed the outcome for Dan Otter....

A great point and a great reminder that staying out of an avlanche is probably the best way to survive one. All the modern gear is useful but most likely the best tool we have for staying alive in avalanche terrain is our brain.
Welcome to TAY, josborne, and thanks for your insights. I agree that Dan was quite fortunate the have the partners that he did once he was injured.

I was just talking airbags with my friend today. I am a proponent of all safety equipment, though nothing is a silver bullet. Clearly the alpine is where they would be most useful and an airbag would not have helped me out.
My main concern is the risk homeostasis effect Scotsman alluded to. People may expose themselves to more risk because of the new device. In and of itself, this is not what bothers me. It's the fact that the airbag is effective in specific terrain, the alpine. I'm concerned that people will up their risk exposure in ALL terrain, including terrain where the airbag will not be of use, because they begin to feel more comfortable with the idea of "going for a ride". I rode the lift at Crystal last year who was telling me about guys in Little Cottonwood who ski big lines in questionable conditions by having their buddies spot them from the road. The skier has his AvaLung out and if he triggers something, he will be able to chill out under the snow until his spotters dig him out. So goes the theory. That is obviously a stupid, extreme example.
A more subtle example is a comment on Andrew McLean's blog. A reader asked about buying spare bottles for the pack, to use on expeditions. That way, if you go for a ride and pull the cord, you have a backup can. Does that seem a little odd to anyone else? If I deployed a bag, I would be more worried about cleaning my shorts and then seriously re-evaluating my plans than if I had another canister so I could keep skiing.

If you look at the skiing websites/blogs and the activity going on in the backpack industry you will see that many companies are racing to get airbag packs out. BCA has just recently updated their packs and now Mystery Ranch has a new pack that was recently advertised in the latest edition of Backcountry magazine.
Many people believe that ABS packs , as the price lowers and the technology gets more accepted, are going to be increasingly common in the BC.
It was interesting to me that Andrew Mclean in his blog Straighchuter has endorsed their use and says he will never ski without one again. When Mclean talks.... I listen.

As to your specific comment about the oddness of the guy wanting a spare container. I , like you would probably need a few days to recover enough courage to go out again after taking a ride but people have different risk tolerances and motivations and just because they are different doesn't mean they are odd.

Yes, "odd" was probably the wrong word choice.
As I said, I am a proponent of airbags, and all equipment that will increase safety. But I do think it is important to look at any unintended consequences that may be involved when a new piece of gear comes out, especially something proactive like the airbag that can actually prevent burial. It's a game changer, I just hope people don't put too much faith into it.

Yes, "odd" was probably the wrong word choice.
As I said, I am a proponent of airbags, and all equipment that will increase safety. But I do think it is important to look at any unintended consequences that may be involved when a new piece of gear comes out, especially something proactive like the airbag that can actually prevent burial. It's a game changer, I just hope people don't put too much faith into it.

"Too much faith in it".... Exactly.... I agree that's the trap with it. I've been using mine for a few of the powder days recently just to get used to carrying it and learn it's idiosyncrasies and admittedly it does give me some resassurance metally. As their use becomes more widespread it will be interesting to see if they reduce deaths or if they have no effect because they embolden people to risk more.