Your safety is paramount at Whistler Blackcomb. Tree well safety is crucial for all skiers and snowboarders, especially those venturing into gladed terrain for tree skiing or riding. While mountain safety often brings avalanches to mind, tree wells are an equally dangerous hazard that should not be overlooked. Even on in-bounds terrain, the risk of tree wells is real, and understanding why tree wells are dangerous can save lives. Before exploring the backcountry or gladed areas, it's essential to learn proper snow safety measures and take necessary precautions.
WHAT IS A TREE WELL HAZARD?
A tree well forms when snow accumulates around the base of a tree, but not beneath its lower branches or close to the trunk. This creates a deep, hidden hole that gets larger as snowpack increases. Tree wells are dangerous due to the risk of snow-immersion suffocation (SIS), which occurs when a skier or snowboarder falls headfirst into a tree well. The impact can cause snow from the tree branches to fall and bury the person, making it nearly impossible to escape and leading to suffocation, much like in an avalanche.
Most tree well accidents happen during or immediately after large snowfalls. In short, more snow equals higher risk. Understanding tree wells explained in this context is vital to avoiding such incidents.
HOW TO REDUCE THE RISK OF A TREE WELL INCIDENT
Assume all trees could have tree wells beneath them, even if they look small. Tree wells are often hidden by branches, making them hard to spot while skiing.
- Always ski or ride with a buddy. Research shows that 90% of people caught in a tree well cannot rescue themselves.
- Maintain visual and verbal contact with your partner on gladed runs. If you lose contact, stop immediately and re-establish it. If you can’t find them, assume they are in a tree well and take action.
- In larger groups, set check-in points on the run to stay close together. This can be at a cat track, a natural terrain feature, or slope marker. If you’re too far downhill, you won’t be able to help a partner stuck in a tree well uphill.
- Attach a whistle to your jacket zipper; it can help you alert your partner if you fall into a tree well.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FALL IN A TREE WELL
- Try to grab branches or the tree trunk to stop sliding further into the hole.
- Don’t struggle; this can cause more snow to fall in and bury you deeper.
- Create an air pocket around your face to help you breathe and buy time.
- Yell or whistle for help and try to stay calm to conserve air.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR PARTNER FALLS IN A TREE WELL
- If you can’t immediately locate your partner, call ski patrol and give them your partner’s last known location. Begin searching while waiting for patrol.
- If you have beacons, switch to search mode and follow the same protocol as you would in an avalanche.
- Listen for shouting or whistling. Follow your partner’s tracks if visible.
- Don’t pull your partner out the way they fell in. Tunnel from the side toward their head.
- Be careful not to knock more snow into the hole while digging. Clear the airway and work to expand the tunnel until you can pull your partner out. If there are multiple rescuers, use efficient shoveling techniques like those taught in AST 1 courses.
For more information on tree well safety and snow safety, visit www.deepsnowsafety.org.
