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Tree well suffocation death at Stevens on Sunday

10K views 47 replies 18 participants last post by  DrnknZag 
#1 ·
NWAC mentioned this on their last avy forecast, but I hadn't heard anything at all about it. Nothing in the news or anything. Anyone else heard about this?
 
#42 ·
Thanks. Luckily I was with my wife and was just doing tree runs . Patrol actually stopped at my wife, she was at the bottom of the tree run waiting. I was out by then and they knew I was okay at that point, but things could have gone south. I would say stay with a friend even if you arent in the backcountry. There were signs that week ON RUNS that said ride with a friend.
 
#45 ·
Listen to Snowolf, he speaks truth. Your partner is useless if you cannot see them and they cannot see you. I know this from experience. I'm so lucky that Snowolf is a great riding partner and wasn't out of earshot when I fell in a tree well. There was no way I was getting out of it without help, and I wasn't even head first. These things are serious kids, do not treat them lightly or they may very well swallow you whole and no one will find you until the spring thaw. And remember, it's the little ones you don't expect that get you.
 
#46 ·
While I am sorry that it took another unfortunate incident to spark this posting, I for one am glad for the reminder about tree wells... I used to consider tree wells more of a backcountry/sidecountry danger but I am hearing of more and more in-bounds tree well incidents.

One of the local skiers up here at Crystal Mountain went missing last season and his body was found this summer; he had fallen into a tree well and died. Its a story that I've heard more than a few times up here. And there are stories like this one that really make me stop and think: Update on the Search for Missing Skier - Crystal Mountain Washington -- a boy and his father fell into a tree well off of the main lift here at Crystal. The same lift that is used to access a good portion of the green and blue runs on the mountain where lots of inexperienced riders are every day.

One thing I don't quite understand: why is it that so many people end up going into tree wells head first? It seems as if its more of a situation where the ground kind of opens up underneath you and that leads me to imagine a person going in feet first more often than not. Can someone explain this to me maybe?
 
#47 ·
believe it or not the NASID at stevens happened in bounds, right off of a chair lift. skyline lift, tower 8 to be exact. it was in an area that is rather flat with dense tree clusters and isnt usually accessible until considerable ski packs have been made out to it. its practically one big flat spot with a chair line over it that has a slight incline on lookers left into said tree clusters. ive cruised through there during a snow drought a few seasons ago and there were definitely frozen out, empty tree wells. i think the group packed it in there to try and get fresh snow and came out a buddy short. definitely a freak accident that happened in rather unusual terrain. not your typical steep and deep that us stevens pass back country riders go for.
 
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