equipment

ISPO Report 2015 | Part 1: Avalanche emergency and safety equipment

The news for winter 2015/16 in the field of avalanche emergency equipment

by Johannes Wolf • 02/05/2015

The Scott Alpride airbag backpack collection — The collection of Scott Alpride airbag backpacks

Johannes Wolf

ISPO Munich 2015

Once again this year, we will be out and about for you at the world's largest winter sports trade fair, ISPO in Munich. At the Munich exhibition center, almost all manufacturers will be presenting their products and innovations for the snow of the day after tomorrow: the 2015/16 winter. As in previous years, we will be presenting the most important product innovations and developments for winter 2015/16 in several articles, with our thematic focus on avalanche emergency equipment (part 1), touring and freeride skis (part 3) as well as bindings, boots (part 2), clothing (part 4) and splitboards (part 5).

Avalanche airbags and avalanche transceivers

After last year, when many manufacturers focused on the booming market for avalanche airbags and many presented their own airbag systems, things remained a little quieter this time. However, there are still some improvements and new products worth mentioning.

The North Face:
One of the biggest innovations in the avalanche emergency equipment segment was probably presented by The North Face with its airbag system from the company ABS, which it claims is compatible with 95% of all backpacks. This system can be attached to the backpack with just a few hand movements. The release handle can be freely adjusted in height and angle and can be attached to the right or left side of the straps.

Pieps:
With the Jetforce Rider 10, Pieps is expanding its Jetforce airbag backpack range, which was introduced last year and will be sold to end customers for the first time in winter 2014/15. The Rider 10 is a small airbag backpack with a capacity of 10 liters. The Jetforce Tour Rider 24 L and Tour Pro 34 L backpacks will also be available in two different back lengths (S/M and M/L). Previously, only size S/M was available.

The little brother of the Pieps DSP Pro avalanche transceiver, the Pieps Sport, will receive a firmware update that will also enable an auto-switch function in the future. This was previously only possible with the Pieps DSP Pro.

Black Diamond:
Black Diamond is also expanding its range of Jet Force airbag backpacks. With the Pilot 11, as with Pieps, there will be a smaller airbag backpack from the coming season.

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Also honored with an ISPO Gold Award: the Evoc FR Skid rucksack

Johannes Wolf

ISPO Munich 2015

Ortovox:
Ortovox already received a lot of praise last year for its interactive learning platform "Safety Academy Lab". With the "Sam 3D", a training tool for avalanche awareness, the Taufkirchen-based company won an ISPO Gold Award this year: With the help of this 3D visualized mountain model, the various slope inclinations and exposures can be displayed and hazard assessment and recognition can be practiced. There is also a very successful manual with typical questions and answers.

In terms of avalanche transceivers, Ortovox did not present any new products.

The airbag backpacks from Ortovox, which work with ABS technology, have only been visually spruced up.

Ferrino:
Ferrino presented the only real new product line of avalanche airbags alongside The North Face. The manufacturer changed the airbag technology in its avalanche airbag backpacks: instead of using SnowPulse airbags from Mammut, Ferrino now uses the Alpride system. All airbag models also have an Air Safe System (also known as AvaLung at Black Diamond) and an additional Recco reflector integrated into the backpack. There will be two different sizes: a 20-liter backpack and a 30-liter model.

Mammut:
With the Ultralight Removable Airbag, Mammut is launching one of the lightest airbag backpacks on the market. It also received an ISPO Award for this. The backpack weighs just 1720 grams with a carbon cartridge. Crucial features, such as a fastening system for skis or a holder for a hydration system, were not sacrificed to minimize weight.

BCA:
It was presented for a long time and it took even longer until it was finally on the market. The Tracker 3 is now available and we have taken a closer look at the latest avalanche transceiver from BCA. (A detailed practical test by PG will be published later this season). As praised by the manufacturer, the device has a great reaction speed. As last year, the marking function remained unchanged - and therefore only semi-functional.

BCA is also expanding its range of airbag backpacks: One trend is to focus on smaller backpacks. It is therefore not surprising that BCA, like many other manufacturers, is launching a very small (8 liter) airbag backpack on the market with the Float 8. In the future, the Float 8 will also be available without an airbag system, so that if you have a larger backpack model with an airbag, you can convert it into the smaller backpack.

Arva:
French avalanche transceiver manufacturer Arva is introducing the Evo4, a new avalanche transceiver that aims to remedy the weaknesses of its predecessors, such as the Evo3. The Evo4 replaces the Evo3. The new software of the successor model now also enables a reliable marking function, which can be used to hide the signals of buried victims that have already been located. You will be informed in an update as soon as the first test and experience reports are available.

The Ortovox backpack collection 2015/16

Johannes Wolf

ISPO Munich 2015

Scott:
As with most manufacturers who offer an airbag system, Scott is also expanding its range of airbag backpacks. There are now a total of five different backpack sizes. A 12 liter model, a 20 liter model, a 22 liter model and a 30 liter model. For longer tours, the Air MTN AP 40 is also available as a large 40-liter backpack. Something has also been done in the protector area.

PowUnity:
With their product "NeverLose", the Austrian-Swedish start-up delivers a sophisticated ski finder that can do much more than just help you find a ski lost in the powder. The 8 mm thick plates are attached to the ski via an adhesive mounting plate. The rider is connected to the devices via cell phone or remote control. If you lose the ski, you hear a signal that guides you to the ski without having to take your cell phone out of your pocket (unlike similar ski finders, no app is required for the initial search). If this is not enough, the ski can also be searched for visually using the app. There is also a mode in which the device functions as an anti-theft device. If the skis are moved in front of the hut without the theft mode being deactivated via the cell phone app, an alarm sounds. Unlike comparable developments, the devices can also be removed from the mounting plates on the skis. This means that they can also be used as an anti-theft device for the airbag backpack or for the bike in summer.

Salewa:
With the Vert, Salewa has developed a lightweight, alpine-oriented freeride touring helmet especially for ski tourers and freeriders. The Vert closes the gap between classic climbing and ski helmets: the Vert helmet is certified for both skiing and climbing.

That's it?

Since most of the news is limited to model updates and new designs, you will find many more "new" products in the Gallery, - each with a short description. Have fun clicking through ...!

Large airbag backpack from Deuter: OnTop Tour ABS 38+

Johannes Wolf

ISPO Munich 2015

Photo gallery

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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ISPO Report 2015 | Part 4: Clothing

Johannes Wolf • 02/09/2015

In the fourth part of our ISPO report, we present the new products and trends in the textile sector. The trend from last year continues: it remains colorful, even if the colors will be a little more subtle and no longer so bright. Every manufacturer now has a selection of colorful high-tech textiles in its range. Manufacturers who have long been known for their love of color, such as Norrona, have already passed the peak of colorfulness and are back to more muted colors. Groundbreaking innovations are not to be expected, especially in the textile sector, but many materials are being combined and product lines and production processes are being further developed. The issue of reducing the environmental impact of textile production is becoming increasingly important. This is also reflected in the fact that more and more natural materials such as wool are being used.
ISPO Report 2015 | Part 3: Ski

Tobias Huber • 02/08/2015

$Scott Super Guide 88 & 95, Cascade 95 & 110, Fly\' Air, Surf\' Air, Rock\' Air$

The third part of our coverage of ISPO 2015 deals with the new products in the freeride and touring ski sector. As in previous years, a slow evolution continues to take place in the ski sector. We didn't see a revolution in ski design at the trade fair, but we didn't expect one either.
ISPO 2015 | Part 2: Freeride boots & bindings

Lukas Zögernitz • 02/05/2015

In the second part of our report from ISPO 2015 in Munich, we also present the new freeride ski boots and bindings. One thing up front: there weren't many real "bangers". Most manufacturers have limited themselves to product maintenance in the boots segment, but especially in the bindings segment. However, we did find a few goodies. Here is an overview of the most interesting products for the 2015/16 season from the various manufacturers.