ABS Avalanche Rescue Devices has secured a partnership with Telluride Mountain Resort as the exclusive airbag solution for their Ski Patrol program.



“ABS packs are a tool in the safety quiver and the goal is to help snowsports professionals and enthusiasts be as safe as possible,” said Stephen Barnes, partner in The Mountain Lab and ABS sales manager for the Americas. “We’ve been partners with professional organizations such as Jackson Hole and Snowbird who lead the way with full use of ABS across their patrol departments. We are excited to add Telluride Mountain Resort to our growing list of partners.”

ABS recently announced deals to supply ski patrols at Mammoth Mountain, Snowbasin and Alta with its air bags.



Research out of Europe has shown that avalanche airbag devices can greatly reduce avalanche fatalities. Once activated by a rip cord, an airbag can instantly inflate and keep a skier near the surface of an avalanche. This makes them not only much easier to find, but prevent them from being injured by debris dragged down the mountain by the avalanche. While used in the Alps for decades, the devices have only caught on in North America since the mid-2000s as backcountry skiing has grown in popularity.

 

 

ABS Avalanche Rescue Devices are sold in more than 25 countries by ABS Peter Aschauer GmbH of Germany. ABS contracted The Mountain Lab in 2013 to manage their sales and brand development in the Americas.