|
Experience from
Practical Use
|
 |
|
A
person buried by an avalanche tells us:
»At first,
a small slab rushed toward me, and I immediately triggered the Avalanche
Ball. Once the avalanche had stopped, my head was still just about peeking
out. Yet, all of a sudden, more snow came thundering down, and then
everything was dark. I was like concreted in, yet I remained calm because
I figured the Avalanche Ball would be visible at the surface so that my
friends would find me in no time at all. All of a sudden, I felt somebody
tugging on the cord, and from then on everything went really fast«.
(the victim
was buried under 70cm of snow)
|
|
What her companions said:
»After this
accident, we can only recommend the use of the Avalanche Ball. All transceivers
were functional and turned on. But it was the Avalanche Ball that helped us save
valuable time. Where several persons get trapped under an avalanche, causing
great stress for both victims and rescuers, it would be possible to locate and
rescue even several buried persons in no time at all, provided they are equipped
with the Avalanche Ball«.
(excerpt from the
accident report / author: E. Müller, deputy director of the Salzburg Mountain
Rescue Services)
|
|
The biggest
success
So far, all
16
avalanche victims equipped with
the
AVALANCHE BALL
were rescued in
almost no time at all.
Original
photo of another accident where thanks to the AVALANCHE BALL a buried
person could be extricated alive within 3 minutes from under an approx. 70
cm deep snow cover.
|
Why the
AVALANCHE BALL is
so
successful!
1.
Avalanche victims are hardly ever buried at great depths |
|
 |
|
According to the
records of the avalanche research institute SLF in Davos, Switzerland, the
average burying depth of a total of 729 buried persons during a period of 20
years was only 70 cm. Only 10% were buried at depths greater than 1.5m.
While in the
first 15 minutes following an avalanche the snow is usually densely packed, it
is still not frozen. The avalanche will solidify only over time, and in most
cases this still allows you to dig out the buried person fast.
Even though
avalanche victims are hardly ever buried at great depths, real-life examples
demonstrate that even avalanche victims buried at greater depths could be
rescued.
buried at a depth
of 1.0 m (Zermatt 2004).....................................rescued in 5 minutes
buried at a depth
of 1.5 m (Davos 2002)....................................... rescued in 7
minutes
buried at a depth
of 2.5 m (Jamtal 1999)...................................... rescued in 10
minutes
|
|
2.
All you've got is 15 minutes |
|
According to
research conducted by Dr. Brugger, about 90% of avalanche victims survive being
swept away by an avalanche and the first 15 minutes of being buried under it.
As described in
an article by Dr. Summan, snow emits relatively large amounts of oxygen.
However, after some time, the buried person will start inhaling his/her own
carbon dioxide and therefore lose consciousness. After 15 minutes. the odds to
be extricated alive decrease rapidly.
After the first
15 min., 9 out of 10 companions will still be alive.
After 30 min.,
only 3 out of 10 companions will still be alive.
|
|
3.
Fastest rescue due to visible clues
|
|
If there are visible clues at
the surface of an avalanche, one's companions will instinctively do all the
right things.
The AVALANCHE BALL pinpoints the exact
location of the buried person once the avalanche stops moving. Any companion
will be able to find him/her immediately.
top
|