 Poster: A snowHead
|
The second fatal risk of tree skiing (the first being head impact) has claimed another life.
23-year-old ski instructor Grace Lynn McNeil, skiing at Steamboat in Colorado last week, fell into a tree well (the soft crater of snow that tends to form at the base of tree trunks) and died of suffocation.
This report from Steamboat Today
| Quote: |
McNeil, who was wearing a helmet, didn’t suffer a head injury nor did she suffer any bodily injuries, leading Coroner Rob Ryg to think she lost control while skiing.
“It was just impossible for her to get out of the tree well,” Ryg said. “That’s typical of those types of accidents. When you go in head first, it’s really hard to get out.” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Ugh... happened once to me - not death obviously... but a horrible experience. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
Do we need to one each and every death in their glory detail?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
abc, not a bad idea to have it flagged up, I think. Good reminder for those of us who ski off-piste to think of tree wells. Condolences to the family.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
A sad but timely reminder of an underrated risk.
A useful guide to treewell safty can be found here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard_Sideways, good link. I was particularly interested in the concept of always keeping your partner in sight.
| Quote: |
| Always stay in visual contact so that they can see you if you fall. Visual contact (See photos # 1-3) means stopping and watching your partner descend at all times, then proceeding downhill while he or she watches you at all times. It does NO GOOD if your partner is waiting for you in lift line while you are riding down. |
Even with a guide, I have never seen this practised. I can recall two falls in trees when I had considerable difficulty sorting myself out - on both occasions nobody saw me fall.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard_Sideways, That is a very good link, lots of sound advice there particularly about watching your partner descend.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
achilles, last guide I hired a few years back we discussed safety tips with her (this was in Europe) and one of her tips was to make sure you can always see your ski buddies at all times, even when you ski to 'safe ground'.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard_Sideways, great link - thanks. I'll make sure all my family reads it before we head off to Jackson Hole next month. I fell into a small tree well a couple of years back, and my son promptly skied in on top of me. Even together, and with both of us the right way up, we had trouble getting out until my wife lent a hand. I wouldn't have wanted to be there upside down on my own..
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
I have never heard of this before.
Thank you Ernst Goldsmith for highlighting this and Richard_Sideways for sharing the link.
Dave
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alastair Pink, Don't think bears are usually too much of a problem - they normally hibernate above the treeline, but wells are dangerous.
Been caught in one myself fortunatley the right way up but it took a good 5 minutes and alot of effort to extract myself. Another danger which I was told about was Co2 buildup under the snow, particularly on old volcanic mountains (Was at Mammoth when a guide told me about this, and there have been fatalities there from collapsed snowholes) The gas builds up under the snow pack and if you end up head down in it you can be unconcious in under a minute and then suffocate.
So the old common sense standards apply - never ski or ride alone, always be aware of where your companions are and never get so far apart that you couldn't get back to each other if needed quickly. Play safe kids.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Afaik the ski hill operators take an enormous amount of time "herding" the bears away from the ski areas. Nobody wants to be sued because a bear ate a client...  E.g., Grizzly Gully at Lake Louise is where you'll often see the Grizzlys in the summer, but of course it's right in the middle of the front-face, the bears are "encouraged" to bunker down in the "out of bounds" areas.
I read Richard's link and whilst the info is "useful" I'm not always sure it's practical - although I suppose if you're thinking about leaving the piste for the first time it's sensible to at least have some guidelines.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Always good to link that site ^^, it's less common in Europe but can happen. I went head first into one at Grands Montets once, luckily it was on a steep angle and I managed to break out of the front, but it was a very scary minute or so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Always good to link that site ^^, it's less common in Europe but can happen. I went head first into one at Grands Montets once, luckily it was on a steep angle and I managed to break out of the front, but it was a very scary minute or so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Happened to me a couple of times and it's amazingly hard to get back out. Really amazingly hard.
Makes mental note: try not to fall over so often.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
