They absolutely work and there are a number of studies that show airbags increase survivability significantly. One study claims the use of an avalanche flotation device has been found to reduce the relative risk of being killed by over 90%. Another study claims 97% survivability with airbag vs 14% with no avalanche equipment. Check out http://www.backcountryaccess.com/http://abs-airbag.de/en/ or http://www.snowpulse.com/en for other airbag manufacturers.
Check out http://www.backcountryaccess.com/ http://abs-airbag.de/en/ or http://www.snowpulse.com/en for other airbag manufacturers.