The recent spate of crashes in the Ski World Cup underlines the importance of mandatory airbags for athletes. But how does impact protection actually work and what went wrong in the Odermatt case in Bormio?
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- Marco Odermatt's airbag deploys in his near-crash in Bormio. The Swiss skier says after the race: "It was anything but a natural movement. And that's why I'm glad it opened, even though there are certainly easier things than skiing with an open airbag."
- In the case of Cyprien Sarrazin, who had crashed horribly in training the day before, the airbag may have saved his life.
- The manufacturer explains how the airbag works. It is an "intelligent, self-triggering device" that uses a variety of data to detect whether a fall is imminent.
As Marco Odermatt races across the finish line on the downhill in Bormio, he immediately points to his upper body. It looks strangely bloated. The reason: during a moment of shock when the Swiss skier almost crashed, the airbag on his upper body opened.
What cost Odermatt valuable hundredths in the battle for the podium may have saved a life the day before. Around 20 kilometers from the finish area in Bormio, Cyprien Sarrazin is in intensive care. The Frenchman is still under observation in the hospital in Sondalo after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
The airbag also opened when the 30-year-old fell during training on Friday, possibly protecting Sarrazin from serious vertebral injuries. But how exactly does the impact protection actually work - and why can it open even if a rider does not fall?
How the airbag works
Manufacturer D-AIR® explains on its website: "An intelligent self-deploying device - the result of a sophisticated algorithm and a highly developed protective airbag that remains light and inconspicuous until it is actually needed. As a result, it offers athletes maximum freedom and protection, even on the most extreme slopes.
The airbags are equipped with a GPS tracker as well as several accelerometers and rotation sensors. As soon as all these sensors simultaneously measure irregular movements, the airbag is triggered.
After his near-crash on Saturday, Odermatt says: "Fortunately, that was the first time in my life that the airbag was triggered. A false triggering somewhere and yet I believe that the airbag must have deployed at that moment. It was anything but a natural movement. And that's why I'm glad it deployed, even though there are certainly easier things than driving with an open airbag."
The airbag has been the subject of much discussion on the ski circuit for some time now. In the men's downhill in Bormio, the controversial impact protection showed its good side. It remains to be seen how the FIS will react and how many more exemptions will be issued next year. After all, the protection of the athletes is the most important thing.
