tree well safety

Paul Baugher and the folks at Crystal have been very involved in researching tree well accidents this year and have put together a nice package on tree well risk and survival.

The most important thing is don't fall in a tree well.
The next most important thing is if you do - dont go upside-down.

In a study they threw a bunch of pro-patrolers in tree wells - those energetic boys that work as guides on Rainier in the summer - and basically the ones that went upside-down needed to be rescued.

See Paul's education package link: www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com/index.html

I know its geared toward the ski slope skiier but it is good for us all to keep this in mind as the snow gets deeper. I will try to find the link to that study they did too.

Alisa

Thanks, Alisa,

I believe this is a huge contribution to the safety of the skiing community. We lose two or three folks every year to this kind of tradgedy; we've alread lost one up at Baker this year.

I, for one tend to minimize how easy it is to fall into this trap (no pun intended).  It is so easy to lose sight of a partner for a few moments and, as Paul's materials point out, unless you actually SEE you partner fall you may not get to him or her in time even if you are aware of these dangers.

Those poor folks in the Baker backcountry last week are now painfully aware of that,  and my heart goes out to them.

Paul's materials are a huge step in the right direction and I think we should all make some effort to spread the word about this site.

I used to think trees posed minimal risk. A few years ago I was out with two patrollers in the trees. The weather amd snow were prime for tree well burial. We talked about it at the top of the run and agreed to be careful and watch each other, still not thinking it could happen to any of us. Near the end of the run, I took what seemed like a benign fall and slowly slid backward into a tree well. I had one arm trapped underneath me and 2 or 3 inches of snow covered my face. With my free hand, I was trying to clear my mouth but I couldn't really get a breath. Having been in difficult situations before and been able to avoid panic then I would have hoped I could have kept a clear head this time. It didn't work that way. By the time I was able to use my free hand to grab the tree and lift my head out, my buddy came and found me (it seemed like 10 minutes, probably 3 or 4). He said I looked like a ghost and thought I was sick. I was 20 feet from where the trees opened up and our other buddy had been standing with no idea what had happened to me. I was shaky for the rest of the day. I've taken body slams and been knocked unconcious but it wasn't as traumatic as this incident.

You don't have to be skiing aggressively, on steep terrain, or in tight trees. If there is loose snow, even a minor slip and one tree well can be fatal.

Alisa thanks for the very informative link.

Splitter, thanks for sharing your story.  Last weekend while skiing the Crystal Mt BC, we were talking about this very thing, and given the fact in the "bottomless" powder, it would be very difficult to get to someone even if you were very close and only a few feet below.