Mammut, one of the pioneers of Personal Airbag Systems (which help skiers and riders survive avalanches by allowing them to float above the slide), recently announced that they’ll introduce a PAS into their Alyeska Protection Airbag Vest, out this fall. It’ll employ the same airbag found in their backpacks, which protects the wearer’s head, neck, and chest. The vest will also include four liters of storage space for other avalanche equipment. At first blush it looks more like a parachute backpack then a proper vest—and we still question whether backcountry purists would forego the versatility of a backpack for the limited storage options of the Alyeska Vest. But this could be a big hit with the freeride set. Ya know, those sponsored athletes skilled enough to have a team to help carry the rest of their kit. Price TBD.
—Nathan Borchelt
