 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That's is so scary. Would hate that to happen!
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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?
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 Just watched it with my youngest. Actually felt quite scared!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hmm. Really great effort. Also brings out the benefit of spotting where one another is. Some years ago, I was skiing with a party through trees in slightly heavy powder above Vaujanay. The tail of my left ski suddenly dipped sharply - I don't know if I hit a tree well, but the tail certainly found some sort of hole. I kept going, the ski did not release, and I ruptured my Achilles tendon. Although the party was waiting for me further down, nobody saw me; I was on my own. I had to extricate myself, then ski out with the ruptured Achilles, without help. To be honest, it wasn't all that bad, and if I had been in dire trouble, I could have tried my phone - but it was not that funny - and if I had been the guy in the video, I would clearly have had only the help of my mates. Keep and eye on one another.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Achilles +1 - Always ski in pairs in trees and don't go too close to them!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I landed in a tree well a few years back, and my son, who was skiing close behind me, skied right in on top of me. It was only a small well, and we were both the right way up, but the only way I could get out was by clambering on top of him and then lying down on the firmer snow to haul him out while my wife and other kids passed rather unkind comments about our skiing ability.
If either of us had been skiing on our own, it would have been very, very scary and not remotely funny. sweaman2's advice is sound.
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I sat here squirming.
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I know i've banged on about this before in the past but this is a useful link.
http://www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com/
Have ended up in a well before myself, and it can be a pretty sobering experience...
Steamboat have more fatalities from tree wells than from avalanche...
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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.
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Thank you MEfree good post mate!
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Just one other perspective to this, if you so find yourself caught outside in bad weather then a tree well reinforced with branches underneath for insulation and overhead for stability, makes for an excellent improvised snow shelter.
It should be academic as you shouldn't be out and about without a shovel, but you're not always skiing/boarding when in the back country so there you go.
Cheers.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wow. It seemed to take a long time to get him out, even with well equipped and strong companions to help. Very scary stuff. Good job it wasn't one of the last guys down the slope who went in the well.
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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.
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I represent a fairly new snowboarder with a measly 2 years ‘experience’. Whilst I try to involve myself as much as I can within all things hobby related, safe to say I’d never even heard of a Tree Well! Pretty logical really, but not something I had considered before.
Thanks for sharing!
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You know it makes sense.
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One other tip I learned from being in interesting situations, is if you ski with the same group then it can help to all try to keep your rescue gear in (roughly) the same spot in your packs.
That way when something happens it's near automatic when you reach for the kit that someone else is carrying. It's obvious but many don't bother considering it.
The same works with any similar scenario where you're in a team, such as rescue kit, med kit, maps, compass, etc.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm glad I'll never be good enough on skis to ever be anywhere near a tree well
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Yup, me too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Surely where you ski/conditions (and age?) Determine how likely you are ski through trees rather than experience? Where we ski in Andorra all the ski school groups have set paths through the trees to the side of the piste - my 2 see this as normal. When we went to the US a few weeks later the conditions in terms of snow depth were completely different. Our excellent instructor spent quite some talking to the girls about the dangers and where they should ski/what they needed to remember.... Was very useful for them as their experience to date hadn't given them any clue as to the risks that could exist (not that they remember - just asked.... Stuck with me though!!)
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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?
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Scary stuff.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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incredibly scary indeed.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Instead of an avalung just run a syphon tube down your leg from your neck region with a mouthpiece on it  If it's in your pants you will get enough air.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Rope and pully... chuck it over a branch above and lasso the boots. Do a 3:1 system to enable an easy pull.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 31-01-12 21:46; edited 2 times in total
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run a syphon tube from your nether region with a mouthpiece on it . If it's in your pants you will get enough air.
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better than nothing, I suppose.
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pam w, Don't suck on the catheter tube by mistake
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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.
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I have never heard of this happening in Europe, does this ever occur here and if not why not?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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narc, We don't tend to get 2 metres of fresh unconsolidated snow. To kill someone the powder needs to collapse in on them, once the snow has formed layers any tree well fallings do tend to just be a shallow hole in European forests. Doesn't do to become complacent though.
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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.
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Ended up in a tree well on Arthurs Choice in Whistler about 13 years ago now.....its was not nice at all. 2 mates i was skiing with tied poles together by the straps to pull me out. It was a very scary.....If i had been on my own I don't think i would have got out.
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| SnowSquirrell wrote: |
I represent a fairly new snowboarder with a measly 2 years ‘experience’. Whilst I try to involve myself as much as I can within all things hobby related, safe to say I’d never even heard of a Tree Well! Pretty logical really, but not something I had considered before.
Thanks for sharing! |
2 Squirrel's in the same place......"Oh its on!!" lol
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You know it makes sense.
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Scary. I ski trees whenever I can, I love them. However I have never seen a tree-well - I'm not sure if they exist in Europe. The nearest I have come to it is a hole beside vertical or undercut rocks. Nothing as deep as that silly little tree managed.
It seemed to take about 5 minutes to get a shovel with its handle on!
The buddy system in dense trees is a good one - reinforced whenever we have skied trees without doing it, and, at the cross-path (or whatever), someone doesn't reappear for 10 minutes and you are calling without reply. Then they appear 100 yards to one side. How could you ever have found them if they they had been in trouble.
The main problem is if the one to the rear gets too far behind and falls - or falls and can't shout loud enough. Quite difficult to keep glancing back if you leading and going quickly in close-spaced trees. And even if you stop quickly it takes absolutely ages to climb back up to them in deep snow.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The buddy system in dense trees is a good one - reinforced whenever we have skied trees without doing it, and, at the cross-path (or whatever), someone doesn't reappear for 10 minutes and you are calling without reply. Then they appear 100 yards to one side. How could you ever have found them if they they had been in trouble.
The main problem is if the one to the rear gets too far behind and falls - or falls and can't shout loud enough. Quite difficult to keep glancing back if you leading and going quickly in close-spaced trees. And even if you stop quickly it takes absolutely ages to climb back up to them in deep snow.
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True dat! Made me think about behavious in the trees, and we weren't as saftey concious as we shoudl have been at Christmas.
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Poster: A snowHead
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It sounds stupid but when I'm skiing in trees I make noise. An almost repetative cry of "whaaaayyyyy up"; which is then echoed by my partner. This is perhaps more instinctive in Canada as it's a simmilar noise to what I make in the summer for bears... but anyway.... If you're infront and you don't hear the echo from your partner then stop straight away and wait / work out what has happened.
Also if you're skiing in a group in tight trees noise is the only way to re-group at the end
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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snowball, Thye're not so likely in Europe, but they can occur. More prevelant when you have high air volume/low moisture content snow which can accumulate on the tree overhang without falling.
All highlights that prevention is better than cure - and the best way to get someone out of a tree well is to make sure they don't go in one to start with, and knowing about them is the start.
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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?
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FAQ
s can do so well
