One of the greatest fears for winter weather mountain climbers is the dreaded avalanche. There’s really no escaping once it starts; you just have to take cover and hope for the best.

However, you CAN improve your survivability in avalanche conditions with an airbag backpack. Backcountry Access has a few different sizes available, and none of them are cheap (starting at $685). A built-in compressed air cylinder inflates an airbag-like balloon built into the bag when the wearer pulls a cord near one of the shoulder straps. Not only does the airbag buffet the wearer against heavy impacts, it also increases his or her overall surface area, making it much more possible to “ride” along the top of the descending mounds of snow.