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Affectionate-Depth66 t1_jegupra wrote

Reply to comment by Salt_Market_6989 in TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop

Where I snowboard tree wells can be more then 12 feet deep and some years deeper. Part of the danger is that typically there is some sort of collision with the tree which then sheds it’s snow load on top of the rider. Imagine going head first for a dozen or more feet and as the walls of the well collapse the tree release the all the snow from it’s branches. I have done it once at it is scarier than I can describe. There you are upside down and buried. You can have all the safety equipment with you but you can’t move much or access your pack. The consolidated snow doesn’t get hard like in an avalanche so you can move a little. The key is not to panic.

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majorbummer6 t1_jegw6l3 wrote

Im literally panicking reading this.

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sirfuzzitoes t1_jeh22xg wrote

It's ok, I'm here to dig you out. Do your best to catch your breath.

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MegaKetaWook t1_jeh1a63 wrote

You're good. I ski regularly in Colorado and they arent as big of an issue as they can be made out to be. Yes, they are absolutely around the mountain but not everywhere. Large snowfalls are more likely to cause them, and you need to be in the glades to find one.

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