Avalanche Airbags, Close Calls, & Backcountry Safety

GEAR:30

BLISTER

Arts, Design, Skiing, Snow, Snowboarding, Sports, Outdoors, Bike, Technology, Gear

4.9 • 809 Ratings

🗓️ 26 April 2019

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Near-death experiences, avalanche airbags, and changing risk tolerance — this week we talk to mountain guide and Mammut’s safety expert, Doug Workman, about life and survival in the mountains.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Doug’s background in the mountains (2:18)
Does safety gear affect risk assessment? (3:55)
How an airbag saved Doug’s life (12:15)
Are airbags becoming “required” backcountry gear? (22:34)
An unfair hypothetical: airbags or transceivers? (25:12)
The importance of good partners in the backcountry (29:40)
Doug’s favorite guiding experiences (32:33)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Gear 30 on the Blister Podcast Network.
0:10.1	I'm Sam Shaheen, a senior editor at Blister, and you can check out everything we're doing and reviewing over at blisterreview.com.
0:18.5	Today I'm talking to Doug Workman about avalanche airbags in the increasingly large role they are playing in our safety in the mountains.
0:24.6	Doug is the North American safety rep for Mamut, an ex-skii patrol at Jackson Hole, and a current mountain guide.
0:30.6	He has more experience than almost anyone in the mountains and has some interesting takes on avalanche airbags and life in the mountains in general.
0:38.3	I think you guys and girls will enjoy this conversation.
0:41.3	This episode of Gear 30 is presented by Bentgate, our Blister recommended shop in Golden, Colorado.
0:47.3	A number of our reviewers and friends of ours have been going to Bentgate for years, so this is a shop we know very well and highly recommend.
0:53.3	For over 20 years, Bentgate has
0:55.1	been the core climbing and ski shop for Denver in the Golden Area, and their passion and commitment to
0:59.6	these sports is real. Bentgate staff is knowledgeable. They use the gear they sell and they
1:03.8	strive to offer outstanding customer service. Everybody these days likes to talk about community,
1:08.4	but Ben Gate is and always has been a community-oriented
1:11.1	shop. So if you need climbing beta, info on conditions for ski touring, or you're looking for
1:15.7	a guide, stop into the shop or give them a call. Benkate staff for all avid climbers and skiers
1:20.6	who will be happy to help you out. Another thing that sets Bentgate apart is their massive
1:24.8	demo fleet. Bentgate provides demos for just about every
1:27.7	scheme board they sell, and you can also demo touring boots and climbing skins. Whether you connect
1:32.6	with Benkate in the shop or online at Bentgate.com, we're extremely confident that you are going to
1:37.1	have a great experience. Now, let's get to my conversation with Doug Workman. Hello, everyone.
1:44.6	I'm Sam Shaheen, senior editor with Blister, and I'm here talking with Doug Workman, who works
1:52.2	with Mamut Safety and is also a mountain guide based in Jackson Hole.
	...

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