Safeback has introduced the SBX system, which changes the approach to avalanche survival. It is a backpack that draws air from porous snow, channels it to the face of a person trapped under the snow through the straps, and at the same time removes carbon dioxide. Tests showed that the device increases the safe time under an avalanche by about five times.
Usually, a person buried under snow can last about 15 minutes before a critical lack of oxygen sets in. In theory, SBX could extend that period to 90 minutes, depending on the conditions.
Avalanches claim 150–200 lives each year. Until now, mountain safety technologies have fallen into two categories: some help people avoid being buried by snow, such as inflatable airbag backpacks, while others speed up the search, such as avalanche transceivers. SBX adds a third approach — extending life under the snow after the worst has already happened.
