Tree Well Story

[Posaune]

This is from Facebook by a former pro patrol member at White Pass, WA. Read it and think hard.

PLEASE READ THIS ACCOUNT OF A TREE WELL INCIDENT REPORTED BY GEORGE RAZEY, FORMER WP PRO PATROLLER:
I was skiing February 16, 2021 at White Pass Ski Area in the Washington Cascades. This is my home mountain and my home away from home. I ski patrolled at White Pass for many years laughed with friends, met my wife and have brought our 5-year-old twin's here to ski many times.
I have heard stories of skiers getting stuck in tree wells. I was involved in a body recovery from a tree well when I was patrolling. I've always told myself that I don't understand why people don't just kick their skis off and climb out! Yesterday, I received a very abrupt reality check.
While tree skiing with friends (in-bounds) on a great pow day I was traveling at what I would say was a speed between 20 and 30 mph when I caught my ski tip on a branch under the snow which sent me into a head first lawn dart situation, straight into a tree well. Instantly, I was disoriented and fighting for breaths of air. I inhaled snow to the point it induced vomiting followed by the inhalation of more snow. My pole straps pinned my hands to my hips. I was unable to make space around my mouth and nose to breathe. Panicked, I had to scream at myself mentally to calm down, hold my breath and think. In between moments of panic and focusing upon holding my breath I was able to tip my head back allowing the snow to hold my goggles in place while maneuvering my mouth into the cavity of my goggles. I got a few decent breaths which allowed me to focus upon freeing my left hand. My hand free, I located a tree branch and slowly, painstakingly pulled my body up one inch at a time while wiggling enough to allow snow to go past and under me while working my body upwards. I was able to continue working my way up but had lost the breathing space my goggles had provided. At this point it became even more of a fight to survive. On what I anticipated was my last minute or two of consciousness, I was able to punch a hole with my one free arm to the surface which made a tunnel and I was able to get fresh air to my mouth. My body was still in a taco position, head around 2 ft below snow level and far from relaxed. After a couple minutes of regaining strength I was able to get an arm around the tree trunk and heave my fading body the rest of the way out of the hole. Finally, with my upper body out of the hole I could start to relax. I was so oxygen deprived and cold (I had to pull my hands out of my mittens to get them free of my poles) my hands were completely useless. I was able to use Google talk text through my pocket to send out a message to my ski partner that I was okay. He was waiting at the lift knowing that I had just minutes before been right behind him. I had to shove my hands into my pants between my thighs to regain feeling and movement because I was unable to open any of my pockets. My hands were no more useful than if they were pieces of lumber.
Oddly enough I had received a text message that I heard and felt when I went into the tree well. As I looked at my phone later I noticed that 15 minutes had elapsed between the text I received and the text I sent to my partner via talk text through my pocket. I had been under the snow for 15 minutes, and it took me a total of 25 minutes from entering the tree well to returning to the groomed run. I was less than 300 yards from a flat groomed run yet totally out of sight beneath the snow.
I rejoined my group of friends. Upon reflection, I believe anything short of someone seeing me disappear into the tree would have allowed help to arrive before it was too late.
I don't normally share my stories I just post occasional pictures.
I'm doing this as a reminder, warning and wake up call keep an eye on your ski/ride partner, keep calm and don't stop fighting! This can happen to you!
Stay safe

I have never fought so hard in my live to stay Alive.

 

[VickieH]

Wow.

 

[pete]

Ditto .. wow

 

[Tricia]

I read that and was coming here to post it.
Chilling.

 

[pchewn]

Very scary. I've been in a tree well before and it is not fun.

 

[Jwrags]

Scary story.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

Good that turned out well, similar thing happened to my main ski buddy at Whitefish quite a few years ago , the 2 of us and a local we had met up with were skiing fairly close together in deep snow in the trees. He may have hit something under the snow, was pitched into a tree well in any event.
A few moments later the local, Jack and I were standing at the ski out junction wondering where he was.

He also managed to self evacuate by first pushing against the tree truck to create an air pocket and then pushing up on branches backward to extract.
We always carried whistles walkie talkies and try keep each other in sight as best possible. None is any help when head down in a well.
He says trying to take the time to try to whistle or call was the very last thing on his mind even if he could.
If we had received a call there was no way could we have climbed back up that slope quickly.

Alerting the patrol would have helped with finding the body. I know they have had practice.

 

[Paul Lutes]

This is the kind of reality check that has helped me immensely regarding reconciling myself to no longer skiing deep powder in my old age - I no longer have the strength and flexibility to self-extricate, even if relatively easily done. Heck, I doubt I could even get my skis back on if released in a deep snow fall. And it feels like much (most?) of the time, unless you're in front and your partner(s) are right behind you, you'll be on your own. Scary.

 

[DanoT]

One mistake made by the skier in the tree well that should be corrected: Never use pole straps when tree skiing or any deep snow situation. I can tell you from first hand experience that in a deep snow fall they act like anchors.

This was reinforced when I went heli skiing with CMH and they supplied everyone with "shorter poles". There wasn't going to be any deep powder (it rained) but the shorter CMH poles had no wrist straps and this was the real reason for using CMH poles.

 

[Coach13]

I’m not an easy guy to shake up, but every time I read one of these tree well stories it scares the hell out of me.

 

[Dr. Mark]

This story scared me, too. I've almost killed myself in the snow. Forcing myself not to panic was key. So glad you are here to tell the tale.

 

[SSSdave]

Have solo skied tight trees in depths of fresh snow for decades and will continue to do so. Am aware of dangers, have actually been stuck in a well a short while I extracted myself from, though realize depending on position and circumstances it could be far more precarious . Was wondering why his arm/hand was stuck down at his side because of hand in gloves in pole straps. Don't expect I personally would ever have an issue with pulling my hands out of gloves in pole straps as I move my hands in or out easily. What it is...few days ago at Kirkwood:

 

[Bill Miles]

I went into a tree well head first many years ago in the steeplechase area at Aspen Highlands.

Fortunately, my head was not submerged and I was able to reach up and release my bindings so I could climb out, although it took awhile.

 

[BC.]

Tree wells are serious...and that is a very scary story.....I deleted “my story” because it seemed out of place for the theme of this thread....Be safe out there.

 

[Posaune]

I'm sorry SSSdave, but that photo is not of dangerous tree wells like we are discussing. I don't have a good photo, but if you go to this link http://www.deepsnowsafety.org/index.php/tree-wells you will find a video that will show what a real one looks like.

The well is created by snow sloughing from the branches and making an empty space next to the trunk. They become very dangerous when the snowpack reaches the level of the branches. Really bad ones are not visible because the branches are touching the snow and hiding the empty space behind them. We have them all over this part of the world and you need to be aware. I was amazed that the author of the story in the OP was skiing at 20 to 30 mph in trees that have dangerous wells. That seems foolish to me.

 

[fatbob]

Yeh hands in straps sounds like a rookie error for a patroller but then we all do stuff for years that works out fine until it doesn't.

Falling in a tree well is no joke even if its from the softest stump hit in mellow terrain.

 

[SSSdave]

I'm sorry SSSdave, but that photo is not of dangerous tree wells like we are discussing. I don't have a good photo, but if you go to this link...

Wasn't my intent to show a dangerous or large tree well, just some common ones I happened to snap a photo of last week that was conveniently on my laptop to post.

 

[Sibhusky]

More serious tree well. Plenty of times the visible surface of the snow butts right up to the trunk, but has this kind of support underneath.

And a really deep one:

 

[Talisman]

Not so happy ending from a tree well encounter at Bridger Bowl which recently received several feet of cold smoke. https://www.kbzk.com/news/local-news/skier-who-died-at-bridger-bowl-identified

 

[François Pugh]

I used to be flexible, strong and athletic. Now, not so much. In case anybody reading still is...
If you find yourself hanging upside down from your bindings in a tree well, by all means release your bindings (a lot easier with the old Tyrolia 490s), but hang onto the skis. If you are near the outside of the well, the skis may provide just enough float to let you use the skis as movable ladder rungs in the slightly denser snow there. If you're near the trunk, then that's your target for climbing.