Video: Avalanche airbag

AVALANCHES aren’t exactly stealthy, but they can still catch intrepid skiers unaware. Thanks to a networked airbag system, though, friends will now be able to come to the rescue.

Avalanche airbag systems (ABS) have become a common piece of kit for off-piste skiers. The two airbags, stowed in a backpack, inflate at the pull of a cord, adding volume to the skier and increasing their chances of staying close to the surface during an avalanche. The trouble is that some skiers fail to deploy their ABS, says Bernhard Budaker of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and …