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icefisher225 t1_jegnqry wrote

You saw the video of the skier digging up the snowboarder too?

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Roguecop OP t1_jegnvi6 wrote

Yes! Was about to provide a link.

Skier being saved from tree well video

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Nydelok t1_jeh4vp3 wrote

Holy shit, new fear unlocked… and I’m not even a skier/snowboarder

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ThatOnePunkEmpath t1_jegob37 wrote

Having a stressful day, packing for a last minute ski trip right now and log on for a 5 min break to "de-stress"

This is the first post I see..

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chaseinger t1_jegqge3 wrote

austrian here:

whatever you do on a mountain could be the last thing you do.

enjoy your trip.

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Nydelok t1_jeh4yqb wrote

Howdy Satan, how’s your Austria trip going? Tryna find another painter friend?

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heywood_jabloemi t1_jegnuws wrote

Were you also inspired to look this up after watching that video of the skiier rescuing the snowboarder?

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bolanrox t1_jegopm3 wrote

Or just trees in general? Sonny Bono, one of the kennedys, liam neeisons wife?

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igcipd t1_jeh3szz wrote

Yeah Sonny Bobo, you know every one of my friends whose gone skiing has died.

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ero_senin05 t1_jegsb9s wrote

I've never been skiing or snowboarding before. I've never even seen real snow in my life. But I would have thought it was common sense that you stay away from trees because they hurt when you crash into them anyway. This tree well thing just gives another reason to stay away from them

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aFairVeronesa t1_jeh51eg wrote

The trees are the most fun parts for lots of skiers. The added obstacles and challenge, as well as an often more beautiful view of nature - I only see interesting birds and squirrels when I'm cruising through the woods, rarely on the groomed trails. It also provides deeper, softer snow that feels like gliding, rather than the groomed trails which are more predictable, but a different texture and a feel that some skiers don't like as much. On a personal note, I have balance and orientation issues that make me dizzy if I don't have trees to orient myself upwards with and I'm guessing I'm not the only one. You're absolutely right though, tree wells are terrifying and not something to take lightly, ever.

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chanlion t1_jegzc8d wrote

I got sucked into one, not even that deep, maybe 1 foot from the top, took me 15 mins to get out. If you struggle, you fall deeper. The only thing is to unleash your skis or snowboard to get surface area. But in doing so, you go deeper.

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drahcirm t1_jegp1ad wrote

Wind deflection around a tree trunk will also carve snow out. It's a major (if not the biggest) factor in the formation of tree wells.

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goinmobile2030 t1_jeh1oyc wrote

They make great beds for deer and other animals.

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Salt_Market_6989 t1_jegnv0k wrote

How deep are these Wells ? And there must be something hard to fall onto to cause death .

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Roguecop OP t1_jegoagk wrote

Suffocation is number one cause it says. People fall in get buried and can't dig themselves out.

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Salt_Market_6989 t1_jegou3x wrote

Thanks, I see...

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AliasNefertiti t1_jegtwfl wrote

checkout the video of a skier saving a snowboarder who ended up in a tree well. It is posted in this thread (timing was after your question).

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Affectionate-Depth66 t1_jegupra wrote

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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chanlion t1_jegzidw wrote

Depends on the weather really, I've seen 3-4 meter wells.

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[deleted] t1_jeh0byb wrote

Terrifying stuff for sure

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Mentalfloss1 t1_jegunip wrote

Most of us have been in one. It’s a pain in the butt too. Your skis or snowshoes get tangled in the lower branches so that it’s really hard to climb out without detaching them. Detaching them is hard. My best friend fell into one when snowshoeing and disappeared. He was wearing snowshoes and a 50-pound pack. I had to lay down in the snow to help him out. We were cracking up.

Edit: Most of us who play in deep snow. I live in Oregon. There’s about 15 feet of snow in the mountains and more coming.

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pharaohandrew t1_jegv2vt wrote

Most of whom? I’m in Georgia.

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Mentalfloss1 t1_jegvijl wrote

Sorry … most of us who play in the snow in the winter out here in the Pacific Northwest. I’ll edit.

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pharaohandrew t1_jegwz2y wrote

All good, sounds like a fun way to grow up. All we really had along those lines around here is close calls with venomous snakes.

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Mentalfloss1 t1_jegxedm wrote

I grew up in southern Indiana in an environment similar to Georgia. Hot, humid, rattlesnakes, copperheads, a zillion biting bugs, and so on. We did have snow in the winter but never over a few inches.

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pharaohandrew t1_jeh4h5r wrote

I’m starting to doubt I’ll ever see snow in north GA again. Been a few years at this point. We’ve had flurries but nothing coating the ground for a hot minute

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