1994: swept away by an avalanche
In 1994, Herbert Fournier was caught by an avalanche himself and was lucky: he was only partly buried. Afterwards he began to study avalanches intensively. Together with Daniela Venier, he analysed countless accident reports and compared data from the Austrian Board for Alpine Safety and SLF Davos.
What the accident reports showed
In practice, few people managed to find their companions in time with a transceiver. But when something happened to be visible on the surface, companions reacted correctly despite stress and panic, and in most cases they were able to rescue the buried person.
From personal safety to a product
This led to a development that was first meant only for their own safety. Touring partners loved its simplicity, and after several years of development and testing, the Avalanche Ball was launched in 2000. It has been in use ever since without a single recall and has already saved several lives.
Enjoy the mountains, wish the inventors of the Avalanche Ball,
Daniela Venier and Herbert Fournier
