Avalanche Airbag Tech Talk with Black Diamond (Ep.48)

Today we have another conversation about avalanche airbags, and this time we’re getting technical. A few weeks ago, we had Mammut’s Doug Workman on the podcast to talk about the practical use aspects of airbags and how they affect our mountain recreation. It’s a good conversation and I encourage you to check it out here if you haven’t already. This week we’re getting a little more in the weeds with airbag technology. I talk with Black Diamond’s Director of Design Engineering, Pete Gompert, about their expansive 19/20 airbag line, each of the major airbag technologies on the market right now, and the surprising fact that Black Diamond is currently using all of them.

Black Diamond Jetforce Avalanche Airbag; Blister's GEAR:30 Podcast
Black Diamond's JetForce Pro Backpack. (photo by Andy Earl)

TOPICS & TIMES:

  • Pete’s Background at Black Diamond (1:10)
  • Why is BD using 3 different airbag technologies for 19/20? (2:55)
  • Supercapacitors, pt. 1 (7:30)
  • Jetforce airbag technology and design (11:03)
  • Airbag standards testing (16:04)
  • Alpride E1 — Supercapacitors pt. 2 (18:54)
  • Alpride canister systems (27:19)
  • Pete’s airbag pack of choice (35:45)

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