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- Staff photo
An avalanche airbag is a piece of protective equipment designed to keep its wearer on or near the surface of a flowing avalanche. Airbags are normally integrated into a backpack and are deployed by pulling a trigger in the case of an avalanche incident.
When the trigger is pulled, the airbag inflates, increasing the size of the wearer relative to other debris. Larger debris tends to rise above smaller debris, so this helps keep the wearer on or near the surface.