Tree Well Immersion Can Happen At Resorts Too
So you like skiing trees?
Nice. You must be a decent skier, and you probably know a thing or two about how to find the best snow on the mountain even when it’s flooded with people, but the question is –are you an informed tree skier.
The Hidden Hazard of Skiing Trees
One of the most overlooked dangers of skiing in the trees are tree wells. A 
tree well is an area around the base of a tree where unsettled sugary snow accumulates and acts like quick sand, potentially sucking a person down sometimes as deep as ten feet below the perceived surface of the snow. As snow falls, air pockets form around the base of a tree and release water vapor directly up and out, turning the could-be settled snow into the aforementioned quicksand.
However, the real issue resides in the way people fall into tree wells–head first. On the way in there’s also a good chance a skier will knock some snow from the tree down on top of themselves. Now they’re head down under six feet of snow, running out of oxygen fast, and without rescue the result is death by Snow Immersion Suffocation, or SIS. This sounds terrifying, and it is, but is not something that should stop you from skiing in the trees.
How to Avoid Tree Well Immersion
Fortunately getting caught in a tree well is completely preventable.
First, never ski alone and always ski in sight. The old saying “No friends on a powder day” should be changed to “Find friends on a powder day”. Even though we pine for the deepest days and hate even the thought of someone stealing our line because we were too slow, you’re not much good flailing around in a tree well waiting for someone to save you. It ain’t gonna happen. When you ski with a partner, never lose sight. We often find ourselves waiting at the lift or the bottom of the run waiting for our friends, but it’s hard to dig someone out from half a mile away.
Second, be aware and react. If you’re going in, do everything you can to slow your roll. Bear hug the tree, grab branches, twist your body flat–just do anything to keep yourself from going head first. Snowboarders be particularly aware of sliding to a halt in a flat area and falling backwards. You may not be aware of your proximity to a tree well.
Finally, if you’re unsure, don’t go. Everyone is susceptible to tree well immersion. Even the most expert skiers find themselves in sticky spots, but if you’re uncomfortable with the possibility of SIS find some fresh corduroy on the groomers. Carving turns can be the most fun in the world.
Final Word
Let’s face it — resorts = people. To find the best snow we have to look in the trees otherwise it’s back to the same ole groomer that we’ve hit a thousand times. Find good turns in the woods, but just do us all a favor and don’t do it alone.
Two people died by SIS at the same resort and the same weekend out west.
One was on a regular trail that had 5feet of fresh dump.
No valuable information about what to do if you do get stuck. Just some mom and pop “look both ways” advice. Clickbait
be physically fit as much as you can be prior to tackling off trail stuff. being able to tumble during a fall helps me in the deep stuff.
A few years ago I went up to Snowbird for a couple of days of skiing by myself.
One late afternoon, chasing powder way off piste, I fell into a tree well.
Upright, thank God.
One second I was skiing. The next I was up to my chin in snow.
As soon as I started moving I began sliding deeper into the snow. Quicksand is an accurate metaphor.
Even though I knew how grave my situation was – for some reason I still don’t understand – rather than panicking (which I would have expected) I became eerily calm. It seems my logical brain shut down my emotional brain just at the right moment.
I remember thinking to myself, “Nobody in the world even knows you’re here. Do you want to die today because of your reckless stupidity? If not, you better figure a way out of this.”
So….I very slowly started rolling my shoulders backwards. Once I realized I had a little purchase I began gently pumping my legs backwards and forwards while slowly pulling them upward. I sunk down at times, but more often than not I started rising. After 30 minutes of this I was lying backwards at an angle about up to my waist.
Since I felt solid pack snow underneath by back, I decided I would try recovering my skis which were still attached to my feet. I jerked one leg upwards really hard and the ski popped off my foot with the tip just showing through the snow. I grabbed it and then did the same with my other leg.
Put both skis back on and headed down to the village.
If I had fallen head first into the snow, completely alone, I can promise you I wouldn’t be here talking to you. The obvious lesson here is not to ski off piste by yourself. Especially in deep snow.
This is a frustrating fact for many people, because it is so nice to have a little peace and solitude by being alone outside.
But, when it comes to skiing I now believe it’s just not worth the risk.