Snowboarder Saved During Avalanche Thanks to Airbag

For snowboarders and skiers, avalanches on infrequently traveled slopes can happen without warning. But, there is technology that can help save their lives in the event of an avalanche: an airbag system.

Gizmodo reports that Meesh Hytner, a professional snowboarder, was caught in a Class 3 avalanche during a backcountry competition in Colorado on what it describes as "virgin slopes". The Avalanche Center describes a Class 3 avalanche as having the ability to "bury a car, destroy a small building, or break trees." Fortunately, she was wearing a Backcountry Access Float 30 backpack.

Watch the footage and see the airbag as it's deployed:

The Backcountry Access Float 30 pack Hytner was wearing reduces the depth the wearer could get buried in during an avalanche. According to its website, will keep the wearer "at or near the surface, minimizing excavation time."

Hytner described wearing the pack during the avalanche as "riding down the stairs on a mattress." She credits the airbag system with saving her life.

Here's another video of the airbag in action: