Lethal is not a word generally associated with trees but if you are skiing or snowboarding this season, you might want to take that connection into consideration. Colliding with trees or falling into tree wells can result in death.
A tree well is “the hole or depression that forms around the base of a tree.” And there is a 90% chance that a skier or snowboarder that has fallen into a tree well won’t be able to get out on their own and “the more someone struggles the more entrapped by the snow they can become.” Without immediate help, someone who has fallen into a tree well can die quickly of suffocation. (Information from treewelldeepsnowsafety.com)
Tree wells are most likely to be found in these areas but riders should also be careful around the trees that line groomed trails as well and that these accidents are most likely to occur during or after big snow falls.
A number of deaths have already occurred the winter season because of trees and tree wells.
At Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana two deaths have been reported this season due to tree wells according to newest.com. Two different riders, one skier and one snowboarder, both fell into tree wells head-first while riding alone. The snowboarder was found unresponsive in the well while the skier was found unconscious and taken to the hospital but taken off life-support a few days later.
Trees can be just as lethal without a well beneath them to trap riders. A man died at Discovery in Butte, Montana this season after colliding with a tree. The man was a ski instructor and was wearing a helmet at the time. Another death occurred at Keystone in Colorado when a young woman was skiing alone and without a helmet when she hit a tree.
Accidents like this can be prevented and riders should take precautions to avoid them.
- Always ride with someone and keep each other in sight,
- Wear a helmet.
- Stay out of and/or take extra caution in ungroomed areas and on the edges of groom trails.
- Assume all trees could have a dangerous well around them.
- Take extra caution after or during a big snowfall and avoid deep snow and areas heavily populated by trees.
You can find out more information about tree wells and tree well safety here.