Lots of gadgets and trinkets exist, but the most important message is: Don't get caught! That guy in the video was exceptionally lucky. Face it: If you're caught in an avalanche, you die. At the same time, miracles do happen, and using avalanche beacons is probably the best way to initiate miracles....


A lot of avalanche fatalities are blunt trauma, i.e. you are being mashed against trees, boulders and such. Even if you avoid that kind of injury, surviving under tons of concrete hard snow is going to be tough. If you ever have seen snow removal with heavy machinery you have a very good idea what snow will look like after an avalance - it is rock solid. Imagine that those machines dump their load on top of you, and no one knows where to look for you... You cannot move an inch, you may or may not be able to breathe... your mouth and nose may or may not be clogged with snow... If you're retreived within half an hour, chances are poor to fair (unless you're killed by severe trauma.) If you exceed half an hour chances are slim to non-existent.


That being said, the best "be found" equipment is radio beacons, avalanche probes and shovels. In a party, each beacon is set on "send" when in avalanche country. If the worst happens, the lucky ones switch to "receive" and search and dig like crazy.

The lung, ingenious flotation devices, inflatable air cushions, 30 feet of red avalanche string in a quick release bag (hopefully some part of the string stays afloat), reflective tags ... the list of possible gadgets is long. Some of these may work, at least in certain circumstances, but none can guarantee survival.