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KilaTsunami
October, 2024

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Buried in a tree well upside down...

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BdoubleU
Posts: 880 - Karma: 291
Mar 29 2011 3:21PM
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midwestpowhunter
Posts: 2198 - Karma: 189
tell the trees to stop digging wells
Mar 29 2011 3:36PM
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DGski
Posts: 3491 - Karma: 2,328
holy thats crazy
makes me scared kinda aha
Mar 29 2011 3:41PM
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Holte
Posts: 10740 - Karma: 7,816
Sometimes it's nice that ski bindings can unclip.
And ski with a buddy.
Mar 29 2011 3:42PM
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*simba*
Posts: 9125 - Karma: 512
zing
Mar 29 2011 3:43PM
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beowulf
Posts: 893 - Karma: 164
the thought of being stuck knowing you can do absolutely nothing but wait for your death is terrifying.
Mar 29 2011 3:45PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
tuck, don't dive. you dive, you die. you tuck, you get out fine.
Mar 29 2011 3:45PM
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danimal5
Posts: 243 - Karma: 38
i fell in a tree well out of bounds in whistler and i was by myself. i wasnt completely upside down so i kicked off my skis and squirmed til i was upright and had to climb the tree to get out. it was pretty wide but if it was kinda scary
Mar 29 2011 4:41PM
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GBS
Posts: 1386 - Karma: 33
Always ski pow with a buddy.



Mar 29 2011 5:38PM
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PON3
Posts: 3817 - Karma: 783
threads for after my nap
Mar 29 2011 5:56PM
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adamlukowski
Posts: 3676 - Karma: 311
Probably best advice
Mar 29 2011 6:46PM
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Jakx~
Posts: 653 - Karma: 503

This stuff is scary, i've fallin in one and getting out is scary. You feel helpless cause you climb an inch and sink five more.

Mar 29 2011 6:59PM
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crab_pretzel
Posts: 3919 - Karma: 622
thats so freaky. ive heard this happen alot before
Mar 29 2011 7:03PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13083 - Karma: 18,726
shit man, that is so scary. That came close a few times, but usually I get a branch caught in my binding and it flips me head first downhill. It is really hard to un clip in that position, you just have to be in great shape.
Mar 29 2011 7:15PM
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ReignMan
Posts: 1852 - Karma: 226
elaborate please.
Mar 29 2011 7:20PM
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belden...
Posts: 2914 - Karma: 1,274
Is it true that right at the base of the tree there is little snow?
Mar 29 2011 7:23PM
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monkatizer
Posts: 4704 - Karma: 1,518
this is why one should ski....u can un clip
Mar 29 2011 7:27PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13083 - Karma: 18,726
when your last option is a pine tree, pull up. Pull your skis in front of you and keep your head up. Worst case scenario, you hit the tree and your ass falls through, you can breath and call for help while being able to move a little.

The guy seemed to have dove front first to avoid impact.The guy tried to push his arms forward and his head went first. Pines are well know for hollow snow.
Mar 29 2011 7:29PM
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shr@gler
Posts: 1233 - Karma: 912

I fell in one. Your hope for yourself is to use the tree and lever yourself into a better position. dont panic just try climb and twist. had my dins high so clipping out wasnt an option.

Mar 29 2011 7:31PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
if you're in the deep, you're headed towards a tree well, and you have no other options, the worst possible thing you could do is fall in a head first dive position. if your weight is going forward and a fall is imminent then you want to tuck and roll, so instead of your head getting lodged deep in the well, you front flip and go into it ass/feet first. it almost comes naturally once you get comfortable skiing pow. it could save your life in that situation but its also extremely useful when you fall forward in wide open pow. once you get good at it you're better off somersaulting and popping right back to your skis than fighting a long drawn out fall.

understand now?
Mar 29 2011 7:57PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
exactly
Mar 29 2011 9:01PM
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lanny94
Posts: 1374 - Karma: 165
they r pretty fun too
Mar 29 2011 11:02PM
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Broseph_Stalin
Posts: 3745 - Karma: 178
i dont get why he couldnt just dig his way out. i could just be a noob but why is it that he just did nothing for a half hour.
Mar 29 2011 11:16PM
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Big.Bird
Posts: 563 - Karma: 180
That clears up a few things haha thanks +k
Mar 29 2011 11:21PM
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Wesley.P
Posts: 1376 - Karma: 89
I fell in one when i was little. scariest experience of my life. i was able to use the tree to get out
Mar 29 2011 11:21PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
imagine having your skis on and your feet tied together and then tied to the ceiling so you're hanging upside down. then the room is filled almost to the ceiling with snow. then the rope is cut but you still have your skis on. now imagine trying to get out. good luck.
Mar 29 2011 11:22PM
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Mr.Gaga
Posts: 2021 - Karma: 542
All those POV pow buried people in backcountry are so damn scary, i'll never ski backcountry without buddies and the right equipment, this is just the worst possible death.
Mar 29 2011 11:34PM
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SKI.ING
Posts: 2695 - Karma: 2,535
So nuts. Always ski with a buddy, but also make sure that you take turns riding down and not just wait for them at the lift or bottom of the are or something
Mar 29 2011 11:53PM
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PON3
Posts: 3817 - Karma: 783
they are the worst. takes so much energy to get out of one if your lucky
Mar 30 2011 12:59AM
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dmc12380
Posts: 3545 - Karma: 792

the dangers of tree wells from Sn0wb0ardz on Vimeo.

Mar 30 2011 1:34AM
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ALaw
Posts: 2616 - Karma: 1,552
A buddy of mine fell into one head first. He clipped off both of his skis luckily and started using his avalung. Then he literally dug a tunnel around the tree and up the other side. Most insane shit I've ever heard
Mar 30 2011 1:39AM
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Static
Posts: 8553 - Karma: 4,089
god damn how annoying was his wife "are you serious" "are you serious", yea bitch it's a fucking prank this is ashton kutcher's muppet
Mar 30 2011 2:09AM
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BdoubleU
Posts: 880 - Karma: 291
hahahaha I know. can you imagine if he would've died...she would have felt like a fuckin tool.
Mar 30 2011 5:05AM
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belden...
Posts: 2914 - Karma: 1,274
yeah him yelling gave me a chuckle. How come ive heard multiple times that if your lost in the backcountry tree wells can actually save your life... anyone care to tell me how?
Mar 30 2011 6:45AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
you can crawl into one and basically you have an instant emergency shelter that can shield you from the elements .....

so it theoretically could save your life if you ever have to spend the night up on the mountain ....

Mar 30 2011 7:30AM
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Ryno
Posts: 31125 - Karma: 336
Buddy system ftw!
Mar 30 2011 9:02AM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,748
I feel like tree wells, and general powder skiing safety gets lost in the avalanche shuffle. The truth is that what happened to that guy is a lot more probable for most of us than getting caught in an avy.

I've had some absolutely terrifying tree well experiences...the spike in anxiety that washes over you when you know that you're fucked is really, really awful. Such a feeling of panic and helplessness.
Mar 30 2011 12:52PM
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Trojan~Man
Posts: 1996 - Karma: 1,357
cell phone is now being moved from pant pocket to chest pocket.
Mar 30 2011 3:33PM
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grambo
Posts: 1125 - Karma: 93
For people wanting more info, check out this site: http://www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com/
Mar 30 2011 4:09PM
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HamFaceGirl
Posts: 5242 - Karma: 2,676
Good thing I live on the east coast...
Mar 30 2011 4:39PM
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207
Posts: 8969 - Karma: 3,846
I fucking hate tree wells, sometimes I'll get stuck and they're pretty deep but a friend is always behind me to help me unclip and get my skis out.
Mar 30 2011 7:39PM
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terrible_skier
Posts: 2066 - Karma: 226
got stuck in one this one time... shit my pants. NBD
Mar 30 2011 9:30PM
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Ski_Alot
Posts: 5900 - Karma: 3,654
Amen
Mar 30 2011 10:01PM
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array.
Posts: 2439 - Karma: 202
cant get buried on jumps and rails...
Mar 30 2011 11:17PM
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Kangbang
Posts: 14211 - Karma: 423
This just happened to a guy at my mountian 2 weeks ago. Guy died.
Mar 31 2011 12:19AM
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stupendous-man
Posts: 8637 - Karma: 13,293
this same thing sort of happened to me last weekend. luckily there wasnt much pow and i was skiing with several other people.
Apr 2 2011 5:09PM
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Orrin
Posts: 1757 - Karma: 1,114
Wow I'm gonna be shit scared of skiing near trees now.
Apr 2 2011 5:16PM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
I didn't know that so many people on NS were so clueless on pow skiing and general safety knowledge. A lot of the time, you cannot see tree wells and the more you struggle, the more snow that just slides in. You can't really get out on your own. I fear falling into one each time I dip into the trees. My brother has fallen into one, a friend of mine has, and a guy died in one at my mountain earlier this season in one. To say the least, you really step back and ask "is it worth it?" when you see the Sheriff snowcat with the coroner in it going up the hill.
Apr 2 2011 5:36PM
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chickenwang
Posts: 5639 - Karma: 40
its not the well itself that kills you, its the snow that falls off the branches and buries you more as you hit the tree's trunk.
Apr 2 2011 5:57PM
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
no...just no.
Apr 2 2011 11:05PM
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kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
Holy fuck.
Apr 3 2011 1:45AM
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