Black Diamond Avalung II

I hardly know it is there and I have never had to use it. Have been in a slide I thought I was going to be buried in and it was easy to get the mouth piece in during the slide.

Good gear and good piece of mind. Hope never to have to use this except in practice.

I live in the East but CAT ski in British Columbia. I just returned from a my first trip with the Black Diamond Avalung. I found that it was easy to wear after you got used to it and added to your sense of security should there be a slide. Whether you will get your mouth around the mouthpiece in time is an issue but hopefully you will never have to. If you do, I believe you will have an advantage. You do forget you have it on since it is so light.

Fortunately I have not been caught in an avalanche to test the avalung however, the sense of security one has (all of my friends have an avalung) when wearing an avalung makes skiing the backcountry that much more enjoyable. Just remember, you MUST remain as safe back there as you ever have been.

Stopping my husband from dropping cliffs or shooting a line is impossible. While there are large risks at stake, this piece of equipment gives me a little peace of mind. I bought him an avalung for Christmas and I thought it was very reasonably priced. He tells me it doesn't bother him or gets in his way while he rides. I have seen too much footage of avalanches and close calls for my husband and his friends. The way I look at it is, why WOULDN'T you want an extra piece of equipment to increase your chance of survival? He'll never stop riding until his body won't let him anymore, so in the mean time...he needs to have ALL of the stuff to bring him home.

Compared to the old vests the Avalung 2 is far less intrusive. You can wear it under clothing and packs and it fits confidently and comfortably. I bought 2 for xmas presents for two buddies I tour with. Hopefully, none of us get to actually test whether it works, but Black Diamond staff did and one dude was under the snow for 40+ minutes. That's hard data - fact - truth. I was sold.

Allowed me to survive the biggest slide of my career. Thanks BD

Like others here have written, I hope never to find out if it actually works, but as a piece of extra insurance, it is certainly easy to haul along with you. It is light, fits easily over my jacket without getting in the way, and I was still able to ski hard and jump around lots with the mouthpiece situated inches from my lips. At the end of each run, there it was still ready for an immediate snatch with the teeth. And it didn't look goofy in the pictures. More importantly, if it saves my life someday, it'll be worth every cent, of course.

I just bought the Avalung II. It arrived in a box with a precise manual on how to use it. What’s cool is its size (pretty slim) and that you can wear it with your backpack without any problem. I use it as an additional safety device next to the avalanche beeper and the AVS-Airbag system. Mouth peace could be bigger and more anatomically fitting, but one will only find out in an avalanche if the thing keeps in place.

Although I have not had to use this (in a real burial situation)I hope i never do. It is comfy to wear and gives you peace of mind that you can last 60 min. buried during a avalanche a great item to bring on your next excursion.

This is a Backcountry basic! You need every advantage you can get when a slide starts. I hope that I’ll never need to put it to use.

I never plan to see whether it really works, but fairly light and affordable. The BD website documents one life that was definitely saved, and two other burials where it worked (although victims probably would have lived anyway). Any powder-oriented tour should require these.

The next time your friends are doing a beacon practice, try holding your hold your breath until they uncover your beacon. That should be enough to convince you to always use an Avalung in steep terrain. The Avalung is well- designed, weighs the equivalent of two feathers and is not noticeable when you are wearing it. It slips on or off in a second.

I have not had to use the Avalung and I intend to keep it that way but in Utah it easy to get in harms way. I like how small and easy the Avalung is to take on and off. Despite my best judgment powder has a tendency to lure me into places I probably should not be. So it seem like $100 is not to much to pay for added security.