As Okanagan snowmobilers gear up for the winter season, one local snowmobile club is urging members to be prepared when heading out into the back country.
The Kelowna Snowmobile Club held an annual general meeting Tuesday night where they showcased the ABS avalanche airbag.
The ABS bag, which was invented 25 years ago in Germany, can be worn as a backpack.
If caught in an avalanche, a snowmobiler or skier can deploy two large balloons that will help keep him or her near the surface rather than being buried under the snow.
The balloons are filled with 170 litres of an air-gas mixture that makes a person more buoyant in snow, keeping them afloat.
Daniel Buss of ABS Avalanche Airbags, the company that sells the product, says the system helps prevent burial during an avalanche and increases a person’s chance of survival.
Rick Given of the Kelowna Snowmobile Club says while the Okanagan is not at high-risk for avalanches, a price cannot be put on safety.
Both men stress the airbag is merely a safety device and snowmobilers and skiers should first avoid areas where avalanches are prone to happen.
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