Safeback, the company behind the SBX Survival System, recently announced the results of an independent, double-blind clinical trial that showed the SBX system can increase survival time by five times for individuals buried in an avalanche.
The trial, conducted by Eurac Research’s Institute for Mountain Emergency Medicine, took place in 2023 with complete independence from Safeback. 24 randomly assigned volunteers were buried face-down under 50 cm of avalanche-density snow.
12 volunteers were placed in the control group, where they were given placebo SBX devices. In 4 of those cases, the volunteers requested the experiment be stopped due to distress. 7 of the volunteers had their burials terminated after a median of 6.4 minutes due to oxygen saturation falling below 80 percent.
The other 12 volunteers were equipped with functioning SBX devices. None of those volunteers had their experiment stopped due to low oxygen saturation. Instead, their median burial time reached 35 minutes, the maximum duration planned for the experiment.
“Safeback was founded with a goal-zero vision: a world without avalanche fatalities. SBX is a critical step toward that future—not a miracle device, but a vital last line of defense. By supplying burial victims with a continuous supply of fresh air, SBX helps buried victims stay alive longer, giving rescuers more time to reach them alive. We know survival depends on more than one tool. That’s why SBX stands alongside continued education, advanced prevention methods, and cutting-edge rescue technologies. Together, these efforts bring us closer than ever to our vision.” – Tor Berge, Safeback’s CEO and Co-founder.
The Safeback SBX device is a battery-powered air pump system that circulates fresh, breathable air from the snowpack behind a buried victim’s back to their face using the backpack’s shoulder straps. With a continuous airflow, asphyxia, even in the absence of an air pocket, is delayed.
