Avalanche airbags are an important safety aid for ski tourers and others travelling off-piste. Bavaria based avalanche airbag manufacturer ABS has announced an immediate recall of many of these products. This follows concerns that a contamination problem with the cartridges might result in the airbag failing to function correctly.

The airbags are activated by a cartridge, which is where the potential fault lies. If you have an ABS airbag system (which is used by several partner brands) then check to see if yours is affected by going to the manufacturers recall page:

The recall details are here: https://www.abs-airbag.com/en/service/recall/

In summary, The following products are affected by the recall:

• all European ABS activation units in steel (steel + handle) with a filling date till 02.12.2014
• ABS backpacks with integrated Twinbag system (double airbag) on the market since 1996, including ABS Inside Partner models (Bergans, Dakine, Deuter, Haglöfs, Ortovox, Salewa, The North Face, Vaude). Please check under "frequently asked questions" if your TwinBag is affected.

Products not affected by the recall:

• Carbon cartridges
• Steel cartridges with a filling date from 03.12.2014
• ABS Monoairbags
• Yellow steel cartriges from North America

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