The device must be deployed manually by the user either before being caught in an avalanche or after injury. Deployed by pulling a shoulder strap lever, a helium canister propels into the air inflates a balloon and when it is full the canister instantaneously released. The balloon quickly rises to a height sufficient not to escape being caught by an avalanche and remains tethered to the victim. The tethered cord is colour coded to allows the rescuer to estimate how deep the victim is buried.
The shell design was inspired from glacier ice cracks.
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Outdoor Rescue Device
Avalaunch is a rescue aid designed to reduce the time it takes to pinpoint the exact location of someone when they are trapped beneath the snow or injured.
