BCA Float Airbags Get CE Approval, Land in Europe

BOULDER, CO (October 19, 2011) – Avalanche equipment manufacturer Backcountry Access (BCA) has received coveted TUV and CE certification for its popular line of Float avalanche airbags. Available in North America since 2009, these will be the first US-made avalanche airbags ever exported to the lucrative European market. The company went through an exhaustive two-year testing cycle to obtain European (“CE”) certification from the renowned German testing agency, TUEV-Sued. In addition to a battery of lab tests, the requirements included at least ten live deployments in real avalanches. BCA used dummies as “victims” and was assisted by several ski patrols who triggered slides for the company on high hazard days. This included Alpental, Breckenridge, and Snowbird. In addition, BCA has documented eight additional cases in which the Float was deployed in actual avalanches. All of these resulted in live recoveries ( for provocative helmet cam footage of one such incident, see http://youtu.be/hVO52Cks-z0). “Getting the TUV stamp of approval is huge for us,” said BCA co-owner and marketing VP Bruce Edgerly. “This is seen as a real badge of honor in that part of the world. Of course, it also makes it legal for us to ship the product there.” Avalanche airbags are designed to keep the user on the surface in the event of an avalanche. When the user pulls a trigger on the shoulder strap, the airbag is inflated with compressed gas. This makes the user more buoyant and it makes them a larger “particle” in the flowing debris. In avalanches, the largest debris particles stay on the top. By staying on the surface, the user can avoid asphyxiation, which causes the great majority of fatalities in avalanche burials. BCA’s Float airbags are the top-selling avalanche airbags in North America. They feature a single-chamber 150-liter airbag, mechanical airbag release trigger, and a super-efficient venturi system. This streamlined design makes them the most competitively priced avalanche airbags in both North America and Europe. They have recently been adopted for use by the professional ski patrols at Mt. Baker, Wash., Kirkwood, Calif., Aspen Highlands and Wolf Creek, Colo. The Float 18 was recently named Freeskier magazine’s “Editor’s Pick.” The Float is available in 18-liter, 30-liter, and 36-liter pack sizes. The compressed gas cylinder is filled to 2700 psi with compressed air. After use–or practice–it can be refilled at SCUBA or paintball shops, at BCA, and at qualified BCA retail shops. A list of authorized refill centers can be found at backcountryaccess.com/refillcenters. About BCA: Backcountry Access is best known for revolutionizing the snow safety industry with its Tracker DTS, the world’s first digital, multi-antenna avalanche beacon, which the company released in 1997. Its Tracker2 beacon is now the best-selling avalanche beacon in North America. BCA is also a leading manufacturer of Float avalanche airbags, shovels, probes, Stash packs, and snow study equipment. They are distributed from the company’s North American headquarters in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Float airbags or other BCA products, please contact info@backcountryaccess.com or (303)417-1345.