Pair of Mt. Baker Ski Area rescues over the weekend a reminder of the dangers of tree wells
Two people were rescued from tree wells at the Mt. Baker Ski Area over the weekend in separate incidents. Both people were saved before any serious injuries, according to President and CEO Gwyn Howat.
Both rescues took place around Chair 6 in expert areas on Saturday in what Howat described as textbook rescue responses of people in danger of snow immersion suffocation, a condition when skiers or snowboarders fall, usually headfirst, into a tree well or deep loose snow and suffocate.
According to a deep snow safety website created by Howat and her team regarding the dangers of snow immersion suffocation, 90% of people involved in tree well hazard research experiments could not rescue themselves. People can suffocate in deep snow as quickly as a person can drown in water.
The first incident Saturday involved a person skiing with a partner. One skier heard cries for help when the other became stuck and called ski patrol. The second incident was near enough to the chair lift that people on the lift were able to see the person in need and direct bystanders, according to Howat.
“I really want to give a shout-out to the Mount Baker community for being informed about these types of potential risks and how to actually respond to help. It really truly made a difference in saving someone’s life yesterday,” Howat told The Herald.
Tree wells are formed in deep snow when the tree acts as an umbrella and creates a hole or void that skiers and snowboarders can easily fall into if they are not careful, as low hanging branches can hide the hole until someone falls in. These wells form most often after big storm cycles in fresh snow, and most accidents happen in ungroomed terrain. Howat said one of the best ways to avoid tree wells is to stay on the groomed paths.
Tree wells and deep snow immersion are extremely dangerous in any mountain situation, and has been responsible for two deaths at Mt. Baker Ski Area alone in the last three years — Ferndale firefighter Capt. John DeVenere last spring and snowboarder William Kamphausen in 2022.
This story was originally published December 19, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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