anyone considering buying an airbag pack?

I went with the Snowpulse Lifebag 30L.

The main attraction compared with the competition is the theoretical trauma protection from the shape of the deployed single bag.

When I deployed it at the scuba shop to test my ability to follow the rebuild instructions, my ski buddy compared it to the birthing experience, said I looked like I was "crowning".  

ABS has a remote for sale already:

www.snowbigdeal.com/avalanche-safety-gea...activation-unit.html

FYI,

There are releasable telemark bindings: NTN

Releasable snowboard bindings: Voile Light Rail

In terms of releasable snowboard bindings, the Voile Lightrail and Mountain Plate bindings can both be easily released with a single motion for each binding, but they still do not release automatically, which obviously would be ideal, but could necessitate the invention of a snowboard brake, perhaps...?

IRT to the original topic, I am definitely thinking about getting an airbag since I would much rather NOT be burried, and had been thinking about using both an airbag and an avalung before watching the video about the heliskier in Haines. Better to stack the odds in my favor in case decision making and luck aren't enough. Since I have two avalungs already, an airbag that could be added to any ski pack would be something I would consider... does such a thing exist? Did I skip over that post?

Stay safe

I bought the Snowpulse as well mainly because like the other poster, I like the way the bag inflates around the shoulder and head... I think it affords some trauma protection and will also create a usable airspace that might help me stay alive longer if I do get buried( it automatically deflates after a period of time). I'm convinced this design has advantages over the BCA type bags whose bag does not wrap around....but tp each his own. BCA bags still great.

Mine has a back panel containing the bag that I can zip either a 30L or a 45L pack onto. I use the 30L pack for day trips and used the 45L pack on the Spearhead last year.

However based upon my usage I would strongly suggest you decide how you are mainly going to use it before buying....and here's why.

The 30L pack is still far heavier and bulkier than a normal daily BC pack and because of this I tend to not wear it a lot especially when I am doing sidecountry and short BC tours  out of Crystal (which is a lot of the time and probably most in danger). I constantly rationalize why I don't need to wear it today and as a result it spends a lot of time in the gear room.

For that type of skiing an 18L avy pack would be better and get more use by me and I wish I'd bought that size as a result.

The North Face has an avy vest that was shown at the recent trade show and will be available for purchase next year..... I'm going to be looking at that for my sidecountry , short touring needs.

A bit off of my original topic, but I just wanted to add my 2-cents to the comments about the importance of a helmet...

My father had been a ski instructor at Alpental as long as there was a ski school there, up until a couple years ago. He was teaching a class to some kids and normally he wears a helmet, but on one particular was not for some reason. An out of control kid came up from behind him and bowled him over. My father thought he was okay, but blacked out a week later and ended up in the ICU at Swedish. It turned out the fall a week early had caused internal hemorrhaging in his head. It was scary for about a week, but today he’s okay.

This was not a fall that could have been avoided, or one that occurred because he was skiing unsafely, he was simply knocked over by another out of control skier and hit his head on the ice.