Tree well
A tree well is a dangerous void or area of loose snow around the trunk of a tree which is surrounded by deep snow. A person, especially a skier or snowboarder, can easily fall into this well, possibly causing serious injury or death.
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[edit] Formation
The branches of the tree shelter the area surrounding the tree trunk from snowfall. Thus a pocket of air or loose snow can form in the vicinity of the trunk. Tree wells are encountered in off-piste or ungroomed trails and on ungroomed piste boundaries. The risk of encountering a tree well is greatest during and immediately following a heavy snowstorm. Low hanging branches can further contribute to forming a tree well, as they efficiently shelter the area surrounding the trunk. Wells have been observed to be as deep as 20 feet.[1] Wells can also occur near rocks and along streams.
[edit] Hazard
An unsuspecting skier or snowboarder can get trapped in a tree well, unable to free themselves. It is very difficult to get out of a tree well without assistance. In two experiments conducted in North America in which volunteers were temporarily placed in a tree well, 90% were unable to rescue themselves.[1] Often the skier or snowboarder is injured during the incident, dislocating a limb or hitting his/her head, further decreasing chances of survival. Frequently the skier or snowboarder ends up in the well head first, complicating recovery efforts.
The classification for this type of fatality is a Non-Avalanche Related Snow Immersion Death (NARSID).[1]
[edit] Incidents
In December 2007, a snowboarder at Mount Hood Meadows in Oregon suffocated fifteen minutes after falling head first into a tree well, despite efforts by three of his companions to free him.
On December 22, 2007, at the grand opening of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort, an Edmonton ski instructor disappeared on the mountain's Jalapeño run. His body was found in a tree well three days later.
During winter 2008, two skiers at Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado fell into tree wells and did not survive. One was a man in his mid-60s and the other was a man in his mid-20s. The younger man was unable to escape despite assistance from two friends.
In February 2009, a 19-year-old female snowboarder died after falling into a tree well at Dodge Ridge Ski Resort in Pinecrest, California.
In December 2009, a student from the University of Colorado died after falling into a tree well following a heavy snow at Wolf Creek. He was skiing alone.
In January 2010, a 23-year-old female ski instructor was found dead in a tree well in Colorado. She was a children's ski instructor at the Arapahoe Basin ski and snowboard area, but was skiing the double black diamond run in Steamboat. Apparently she became separated from her friends during an afternoon excursion and was found dead early the following morning.
On February 27, 2010, a 43-year old experienced snowboarder fell head first into a tree well near chair 12 at Mammoth Mountain, CA, and apparently asphyxiated after being unable to right herself or release her boots.[2]
On Dec. 29, 2010, 16-year-old German exchange student Niclas Waeschle was discovered unconscious in a tree well in an off-piste area near the T-Bar 2 surface lift on The Big Mountain, in Whitefish, Montana. He died on Jan. 2 after being taken off life support.[3]
On December 30, 2010, the body of a missing snowboader was found in the backcountry near Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in the Tahoe, California area. 25-year-old Shawnte Willis was last seen snowboarding with her boyfriend and friends Tuesday afternoon near the boundary of Alpine Meadows on an advanced slope.[4][5] She was found by a search helicopter around 9 a.m. in a tree well, and officials say she may have crashed into the tree.
On January 8, 2011, a missing snowboader was found buried in a tree well in an off-piste area near the T-Bar 2 lift on The Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana. The victim, Scott Allen Meyer of Kalispell, had been snowboarding alone but was at the resort with friends, who were unable to locate or contact him after 1:30-2pm.[6] Meyer was reported missing at 5 pm by his friends, and the Big Mountain Ski Patrol organized a search with their patrollers while North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead County Search and Rescue, Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol, Flathead Mountain Rescue Team and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded, finding Meyer around 7:30 pm, and transporting him to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
On March 21, 2011, experienced snowboarder James Drummond fell into a tree well at Mt. Shasta Ski Park. He was recording his friends' ski run on a portable helmet cam when the incident occurred. James managed to get to his phone when his wife called and told her to call the ski patrol and give them his number. Ski patrol then called him within the first 30 mins of James being trapped. His knowledge of the area helped the ski patrol find and rescue him.[7][8]
On March 1, 2011, Paul Melby of Lakewood, WA disappeared at Crystal Mountain ski resort in Washington. His remains were found on June 15. He is believed by resort personnel to have fallen into a tree well and suffocated.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Tree well and deep snow safety". NW Avalanche Institute. http://www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com/. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
- ^ "Two dead on Colorado slopes". The Denver Post. January 6, 2010. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14133307?source=pop_section_news. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ^ "Skier Dies After Falling in Tree Well at Whitefish Resort". The Flathead Beacon. January 3, 2011. http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/skier_dies_after_falling_in_tree_well_at_whitefish_resort/21251/. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ "Missing Alpine Meadows snowboarder found dead this morning". Reno Gazette-Journal. http://www.rgj.com/article/20101230/NEWS15/101230034/-1/news1802. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Aunt of woman who died at Alpine Meadows says she was an expert skier". Reno Gazette-Journal. http://www.rgj.com/article/20101231/NEWS13/101231003/-1/news1802. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Snowboarder Dies in Tree Well Incident at Whitefish Mountain Resort". The Flathead Beacon. January 9, 2011. http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/snowboarder_dies_in_tree_well_incident_at_whitefish_mountain_resort/21345/. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ "Snowboarder Trapped in Tree well Saved By Cell phone". 21 March 2011. http://www.huliq.com/10473/snowboarder-trapped-tree-well-saved-cell-phone. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ^ "Head Cam Footage of James Drummond upside down in Tree Well". 21 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs2k-dGeWt8. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ^ "Remains of missing skier found on Crystal Mountain". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 16 June 2011. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/Remains-of-missing-skier-found-on-Crystal-Mountain-1427180.php.
