Snake River Float Avalanche Airbag Save

This avalanche airbag footage was caught on January 25th, 2012 in the Snake River backcountry near Montezuma, Colo. It features pro snowboarder Meesh Hytner getting caught in an avalanche and staying on top after deploying her BCA Float 30 avalanche airbag. While airbags can be extremely effective in preventing avalanche burial, they are no substitute for education and good judgment. Please take an avalanche course and choose your terrain based on the current avalanche hazard. For more learning resources, see http://www.backcountryaccess.com/educ... .

For more information on BCA Float airbags, see:
http://www.backcountryaccess.com/airbag .

Thanks to Tyler Malay and the crew over at workhorsecollective.com for the footage.

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[BackcountyAccess]

@greenmtbc we gave that hat to Meesh when she came by our booth at the SIA tradeshow, well after the incident. We also gave that exact hat to about a hundred other people that came by during the show...

[BackcountyAccess]

Thanks for all your feedback, folks. BCA co-owner Bruce Edgerly here. We're sorry it appears we set this whole thing up and are exploiting it to the max. Our company is truly dedicated to saving lives, not just pumping products. We really had nothing to do with making this footage and we believe this event was irresponsible. We have always supported education as the #1 priority in the backcountry. An airbag cannot make up for poor judgment. We apologize for any mixed messages we may have sent.

[RockWareSoftware]

Ironic story: Overly zealous young lady did something stupid as we all do/did when young. Fortunately, she lived to tell the tale because she had safety gear. Now (and here's the ironic part), the company that makes the safety gear is being blamed. The growing tendency to not accept responsibily for one's own actions has taken on a new dimension; blame transference is now auto-crowdsourced to the cynical minions who see evil behind the best intentioned. Interesting times.

[bruzote]

One thing seems ominously frightening about how the airbag works. IF the airbag keeps you "afloat", there is still a possibility that any flow containing the lower part of the victim might come to a halt - and settle like concrete - before all of the snow above stops flowing. With their legs or arms trapped, even a victim with their head above the snow can't do a thing about additional flow that comes over them and buries them. :-[

[bruzote]

I think all the debris you see released at once. Anybody got any *useful* input on preexisting avy debris?

[bruzote]

That WAS crazy. Probably luck involved in how the snow was moving around her, but I would think some of the upright position had to be extremely deft and subtle board balance skills.

[Aob Brown]

LUCKIEST MAN ON EARTH!!

[bighands69]

3 feet of snow is enough for a person to get trapped in and suffocate.

[artemkruchkov2002]

я один русский:-)

[skikiwi87]

The bags are set up like air bags in cars. It's pretty much the exact same mechanism. What you describe is the intended function of the bag, it reduces your overall density by increasing volume with a stable weight so that you float in the avalanche. It is not intended to provide you air, which an Avalung will help you with. Also, this was a ski competition that was not careful about the snowpack, and was not set up by the company.

[widdisont]

Interesting, you work at the Avi center? Who exactly is this, just curious. No offense if you really do, but I read the avi forecast every morning and don't know of any forecaster who uses such grammatically incorrect reports. Also, as you should know, most people are buried under the debris...right? At the bottom, not in the slide path on the bed, right or no? Also, airbag uses the potato chip theory, increasing volume and keeping her on the surface instead of dragging her under the debris.yes?

[MrRideutah]

yea at the bottom where the main amount of accumulation may be 10 feet but while sliding that is not enough to bury someone fully. I think i would know i work for Utah avalanche center

[widdisont]

You must not know much about avalanches. This is a big avalanche, probably unsurvivable. It's hard to tell, but the debris was more than likely 5-10 feet deep, and it sets up like wet concrete...you cant move within it. Without the airbag, there is no doubt she would have been buried deep and most likely not survived.