SNOWFLAKE Paragliding Reserves – Safety Without Compromises
- Maximized potential of square reserves, a big step forward in paragliding safety
- Use of completely new, state-of-the-art light and durable materials, never used before in the industry
- Very fast opening rates (<3sec.)
- Very low sink rate
- Extreme pendulum stability
- Large flat area (m²)
The SNOWFLAKE reserves are the next generation state-of-the-art paragliding rescue systems. They represent a breakthrough in performance including momentary high stability, extremely low sink rates and fast opening time, with durability and lightness at the same time.
We have achieved this through numerous innovations, experience gained from many years of producing paragliding rescue systems, and comprehensive testing. After two years of comprehensive testing and analysis of numerous solutions, we have finally come up with a breakthrough that fully uses the current potential of square reserves and truly follows our design philosophy – Safety without compromises.
The main objective was to produce a reserve that maximizes the current potential of the square reserve, all to the direct benefit of the pilot. This required us to produce a reserve that has a large volume, quick opening and most importantly – extreme stability during decent and very low sink rate. So, not just to conform to the current EN Standard, but to go even beyond it and to provide a quality product for the pilot that will not have any compromises for the sake of cheaper production costs etc. The use of a completely new special high quality EU manufactured material has enabled us to maximize the potential of the square reserve and enabling a large flat area design approach without the penalty of added weight or any other compromise for the pilot.
Since we set the goal so high – it was not any easy task to fit all the elements together. At start – we tried using the usual materials, but thanks to careful research and patience – we have waited for a completely new generation of materials with better resistance and durability and even lower weight, so it definitely paid off.
Designer notes:
The SNOWFLAKE reserve is a square type reserve, un-steerable with 60% closed angles without an opening on the center. It consists of 4 center lines with big elongation in the upper gallery which leads to the main attachment point with the other lines. For the main loop we have used our covered dyneema riser made out of rip-stop material for protection.
Our container is based on the well tested CROSS – one point principle, with our innovation of a special sleeve for neat packing of the 1.7mm Liros New age Dyneema lines. This ensures a quick and safe reserve opening, without the danger of entanglements, but also very easy packing. We have also integrated a special sleeve in order to protect the short part of the lines that are outside the reserve container.
Numerous tests have been done over the past two years in order to get just the right setup and get exactly what we need and the result is astonishing – we can confirm that we easily have the best performing square reserve on the market currently!
For instance, our SF 125 model has a large flat area of 40.6m2 and a weight of 1.720g incl. container and 3 sec. opening time – with which we have got a top performing model for the heavier pilot population, which is rare today if you look at the competition.
Another example is the SF 150 model, which we consider a masterpiece of technology, material and craftsmanship. With this rescue we have extended our target market to the segment of pilots which have always had a problem of carrying huge rescues with very poor opening performance. With a weight of just 1770g, it is an ideal choice for a wide range of pilots – from hang-gliders to XXL Pilots, down to a very large Paramotor pilot segment. The low weight was possible by the use of a special 25gr material and super strong dyneema 1.7mm lines. – all of this with an opening time of 3.2 seconds and a volume package of 28x27x8cm!
After careful analysis, we have decided to provide optimal sizes for a wide range of pilots, hence we have developed 4 sizes, each one developed as a unique reserve (not just scaled down).
As most manufacturers make very “hard” packed and compact reserve packages, we come to a problem that due to the use of paragliding equipment in different times of year and changes in temperature – which leads to condensation and sticking of the panels to each other, resulting in a “rock-like” reserve when thrown in emergency – which can noticeably impact the speed of opening, and in our sport every second counts. On a first glance, a package of 28x26x7cm would seem large compared to the competition, but this is a result of a wise decision not to stress the reserve package and pack it too tightly, compressing the reserve – which noticeably improved the opening time and enabled the reserve to fill with air extremely fast.
Technical specifications:
| Snowflake |
SF-90 |
SF-105 |
SF-125 |
SF-150 |
| Max. load |
90 kg |
105 kg |
125 kg |
150 kg |
| Weight* |
890 g |
1.180 g |
1.720 g |
1.760 g |
| Area flat |
27 m² |
32.64 m² |
40.6 m² |
46.4 m² |
| Sink rate (max load) |
5.4 m/s |
5.2 m/s |
5.4 m/s |
5.2 m/s |
| Panels |
16 |
20 |
24 |
24 |
| Middle lines |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| EN/LTF test no. |
EP_265_2019 |
EP_198.2017 |
EP_199.2017 |
EP_205.2017 |
| Steerable |
No |
No |
No |
No |
* incl. inner container; weight may vary depending on batch of material (25gr/m² +/-3gr)
Materials:
Canopy: 25g/m² EU manufactured fabric
Lines: 1.7mm Liros New age Dynemma lines
