12/21/2015 1:04 PM
Edited Date/Time: 12/21/2015 1:06 PM
FIS is considering mandating them for all Alpine and some Freeski disciplines, I don't know about snowboarding, but in Skicross I will absolutely wear one.. POC is also working with InMotion on their version called the Spine VPD 2.0 Airbag Vest, I've tried it on and it's very minimal.
"The point of the device, called the Spine VPD 2.0 Airbag Vest, is to protect professional alpine and ski-cross racers from potentially fatal crashes by enveloping them in a cushion before they hit the snow. (POC says it will sell the vests to amateur skiers by fall 2016 and it's also considering use of the air bag technology in downhill bike gear.) The system takes 1,000 measurements per second, so it can calculate the exact instant when a crash begins, while the air bag—designed to protect the neck, chest, and spine—inflates in fewer than 100 milliseconds. According to POC, it’s four times as effective at protecting a wearer’s spine than the company’s normal back armor. “It’s simple physics and [demonstrates] what we’ve learned in helmets,” says Oscar Huss, head of product development at POC in Sweden. “If you can slow the travel before the impact force reaches the body, that deceleration equals greater protection.”