Breathe even if you're buried. That's the promise of Black Diamond's AvaLung products, which offer snorkel-like mouth valves and a lung mechanism that can pull air from dense snow. "I usually put the AvaLung valve in my mouth when testing a slope in case I get knocked over and buried," Dawson says. Black Diamond sells several backpack models with the AvaLung feature built-in. The AvaLung II Sling, featured here, weighs about 9 ounces and fits over a jacket for an emergency breathing option in a worst-case burial scenarios.
Photographer: Courtesy of Black Diamond
