Tree well safety and deep snow immersion

[marzNC]

Here's an interview with the boarder and the skier who did the rescue. The rescue in the backcountry at Mt. Baker happened on March 3, 2023 but the video wasn't posted to YouTube until last week. The skier, Francis Zuber, is a professional photographer and very experienced backcountry skier.

March 30, 2023

Skier rescues snowboarder buried head-first in snow

Francis Zuber was backcountry skiing in Mount Baker, Washington when he crossed paths with snowboarder Ian Steger buried in a tree well of deep snow.

www.goodmorningamerica.com

 

[marzNC]

The complete interview with the boarder, Ian Steger, was posted online. It was the basis for a piece on ABC News.

March 30, 2023

Ian Steger interview

Click here to view this video from KXLY .com.

www.kxly.com

 

[marzNC]

Snow Immersion Suffocation (SIS) because someone ends up in a tree well doesn't normally get major headlines since it doesn't happen as often as a fatality due to an avalanche. While not all SIS deaths are due to tree wells, that's the case for more than half. This article includes comments from the long time head of ski patrol at Crystal in WA who has been tracking SIS deaths informally for a while. There is clear advice at the end of the article.

January 2023

A Powder Day Can Be Deadly—Even In-bounds. Here’s How to Stay Safe.

Paul Baugher, the global expert in tree-well suffocation, offers safety tips for skiing deep snow

www.outsideonline.com

" . . .
[description of what creates a tree well] The fuzzy green branches of a pine tree often obscure the well created by the trunk, which can be several feet deep, depending on the height of the snowpack. Loose snow in the pit can act like quicksand for an unlucky person who falls in headfirst. Gravity simply pulls a person’s body downward, until the loose snow covers his or her airways to the nose and mouth.
. . ."

The Deep Snow Safety website was created around 2016 because of the lack of awareness about SIS. Probably more important for resort skiers who ski trees to understand the risks of SIS than avalanche awareness. Even trees near blue groomers can be dangerous when there is unusually deep snow.

Home :: Tree Well and Snow Immersion Suffocation (SIS)

 

[marzNC]

The Deep Snow Safety website was created around 2016 because of the lack of awareness about SIS. Probably more important for resort skiers who ski trees to understand the risks of SIS than avalanche awareness. Even trees near blue groomers can be dangerous when there is unusually deep snow.

Home :: Tree Well and Snow Immersion Suffocation (SIS)

I realized that the video on the homepage of Deep Snow Safety was done by managers for ski patrol at Mt. Baker and Paul Baugher, who was the head of ski patrol at Crystal back then. He provided the interview linked in Post #23. The video was probably done towards the end of the 2011-12 season when Mt. Baker had a season total of 857 inches.

uploaded October 2012

 

[TiffAlt]

Man, it's so scary, especially cause both my son and husband love the trails off piste. I don't ever let them go without someone else shadowing them.

 

[MissySki]

Super scary video.. keep an eye and ear out for your ski buddies in the trees!!

 

[echo_VT]

Buddy system is critical in trees IMO regardless of potential tree well hazards (whether they exist or not). It’s simply not worth the risk of one’s life.

 

[Eera]

Wow, up until a few days I never even knew this was a thing and now it kind of freaks me out a bit - mainly for my kids who are at the (dare I say it ) adventurous but stupid age where risks are something they don't really think about, and they love tree skiing!

Now, we've booked to go to Big White in January (wheeee!) In that area is this a known hazard?

 

[shadoj]

Wow, up until a few days I never even knew this was a thing and now it kind of freaks me out a bit - mainly for my kids who are at the (dare I say it ) adventurous but stupid age where risks are something they don't really think about, and they love tree skiing!

Now, we've booked to go to Big White in January (wheeee!) In that area is this a known hazard?

Yep. Conifers + heavy snowfall. Take a look:

Tree Well Safety – Prevention & Recovery

A tree well is a hole or depression that forms around the base of a coniferous (pine) tree. The holes are formed when low branches stop the snow from compacting and settling around the trunk. The hole is hidden from view by the other branches on the tree. There is no easy way to identify if a...

www.bigwhite.com

Have fun -- have heard amazing things about the terrain and vibe

 

[Eera]

Have fun -- have heard amazing things about the terrain and vibe

Thank you so much!

The mountain has a snow host program where you get a free guide for a couple of hours, I've contacted them to ask specifically if they are able to give a safety run down on these things.

 

[contesstant]

I was in a conundrum today, because it was DEEP, light was flat, and I was alone. So, I wanted to be near the trees for visibility, but I had to be very careful. I stayed near busy areas although it would still be easy to disappear into a tree well.

 

[Christy]

The two guys are friends now and they threw out the first pitch at the Mariners game the other day. They played the video of the rescue on the big screen which seems like a good PSA. Ian (rescued guy) said he was going to throw it as hard as he could, and "if anything goes wrong, I got Francis here to save me." Lol.

Francis and Ian Living Large | Remember Francis Zuber and Ian Steger? We featured them a few weeks ago. Theirs was the epic tale of a snowboarding rescue that was captured on GoPro... | By Eric Johnson KOMOFacebook

Remember Francis Zuber and Ian Steger? We featured them a few weeks ago. Theirs was the epic tale of a snowboarding rescue that was captured on GoPro...

fb.watch

 

[echo_VT]

I saw that on social media! How amazing

 

[marzNC]

Unfortunately there was a tree well fatality in Canada in early March that reminded me of this thread. It's important even with recent low snow levels to be aware of the danger after a deep snowstorm in March.

SkiUtah has a good webpage that includes info from Deep Snow Safety.

January 2024

Tips on Tree Well Safety for Skiers & Snowboarders

The Ski Utah guide on how to avoid deadly tree wells and keep safety top of mind when skiing or snowboarding in alpine terrain.

www.skiutah.com

Home :: Tree Well and Snow Immersion Suffocation (SIS)

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Tree wells are dangerous, but statistically, hitting a tree is a greater risk. That statistic is actually for people on blue runs, who impact a tree. I like to think about probability and keep that one in my head whenever conditions are firm and a slide for life situation is likely.

I am not overly optimistic about being able to dig out a full sized human in a tree well on my own after side stepping uphill to reach them, both in terms of cardio, and more importantly strength. Especially without a shovel! However knowing the name of the run or tree area is critical for anyone skiing trees to get immediate patrol assistance with extrication.