Page 18 - Flathead Beacon // 1.8.13

18 | JANUARY 8, 2013 NEWS
FLATHEADBEACON.COM

LAWSUIT
TREE WELL SAFETY:
Continued from page 5

defendants Winter Sports Inc., doing
business as Whiteish Mountain Resort;
World Experience, doing business as WHAT IS A TREE WELL?
REMOVE POLE STRAPS: If you are a skier,
World Experience Teenage Student Ex- Tree wells are generally found in ungroomed remove your pole straps before heading
change; and Fred and Lynne Vanhorn, areas of deep snow, where low-hanging down a powder slope. Trapped skiers have
boughs can create a canopy preventing diiculty removing pole straps, which can
the host family.
snow from illing in around the base of a hinder eforts to escape or clear air space
According to the lawsuit, on Dec. 29, tree, forming a pit of loose snow with air to breathe.
2010, Waschle was skiing on a groomed pockets. As the snowpack builds up around
trail near the T-bar 2 ski lift when he fell the branches, a deeper hole develops.
head irst into a hidden tree well along WHAT IF YOU FALL INTO A TREE WELL?
the edge of the run near where skiers PREVENT FALLING INTO A TREE WELL
If you are sliding toward a tree well, do
dismount from the lift.
You can avoid falling into a tree well by not everything possible to avoid going down
skiing or snowboarding near trees in areas into the well, particularly in an inverted
He was found at 11 a.m. when two holding deep powder snow.
position. Grab branches or hug the tree to
other skiers noticed skis protruding stay above the surface, or lop down lat on
from the snow. He was unconscious and If you choose to ski or snowboard in the ground before hitting the tree.
died three days later, when doctors in ungroomed areas of deep snow and trees,
Kalispell declared him brain dead due to remember:
IF YOU GO DOWN, RESIST THE URGE TO
the efects of sufocation and his family STRUGGLE VIOLENTLY:
removed him from life support.
HAVE A PARTNER: It is critical to ski or ride The more struggling, the more snow will fall
The plaintifs allege that the area with a partner who remains in eyesight and into the well from the branches and area
around the well and compact around you.
in which Waschle was skiing, a popu- earshot at all times. You should stop and
lar spot to ski powder snow, was not re- watch your partner descend, then proceed Don’t panic. First make a breathing space
stricted or blocked of in any way, nor downhill while your partner watches.
around your face. Then move your body
were any warning notices posted re- carefully in a rocking manner to hollow out
garding the dangers of tree wells on or RESCUE GEAR: Carry the same personal the snow and give you space and air.
Survival chances are improved if you
adjacent to the trail.
rescue gear as backcountry skiers or maintain air space. Over time, heat
As evidence of the resort’s alleged snowboarders. A transceiver, shovel, probe Hopefully, your partner sees what generated by your body, combined with your
and whistle should all be staples in your happened and will come to your rescue rocking motions, will compact the snow and
negligence in warning skiers of the haz- pack.
within minutes. If not, experts recommend you may be able to work your way out.
ards, the lawsuit also references the staying calm while waiting for assistance.
SOURCE: deepsnowsafety.org
death 10 days later of 29-year-old snow-
boarder Scott Allen Meyer, an experi-
enced rider who died under similar cir-
cumstances in a nearby tree well.
events, to blame innocent parties, in- ive SIS deaths, and the discussion about deaths in tree wells and deep snow, and
Mike Meyer, Scott’s father, who cluding Whiteish Mountain Resort, for tree wells again fell to a whisper.
signs now posted around the mountain
worked for the National Park Service the results of the known risks inher- “I want to be clear that these are warn skiers and snowboarders of the

for much of his career, said his son was ent in the sport of skiing. Tree well and fairly low-risk events. But they do occur, hazards.
raised in the outdoors and accepted deep snow immersion accidents such as and people need to be aware of them and On average, 38 people die in skiing-
the risks inherent to his passions. Fol- this one occur in of-groomed, forested they need to be prepared,” said Byrd, related accidents each year in the United
lowing Waschle’s death, the father and (of-piste) areas with deep, unconsoli-
who actively works to raise awareness States — about the same average number
son spoke to one another
about SIS among skiers and ski areas.
of people who are attacked by sharks an- dated snow. It is not rea-
about the hazards of tree
The same safety precautions people nually — with causes ranging from head sonable to identify a par-
wells and other dangers of
use when venturing into avalanche ter- trauma (most frequent) to sufocation, ticular tree among the “(RISK) ELEVATES
the sport; by cruel coin-
rain should be considered when skiing according to the National Ski Areas As-
tens of thousands within WHEN YOU HAVE A
cidence, Meyer died days
of-piste, he said, including the use of sociation. That compares to just 3.3 SIS the resort boundary that
later.
beacons, shovels and probes. Most im- deaths per winter since 1990.
has a dangerous tree well LOT OF POWDER SKI-
portantly, he added, ski with a partner Hazards like tree wells are an inher- by sight. The lawsuit is “Scott lived an outdoor
ING AND IT HAPPENS
always.
ent risk to the sports of skiing and snow- groundless. We are unfor- life, and he would never
The likelihood of becoming involved boarding, Byrd said, and there is no tunately forced to defend it have wanted his death
IN PLACES WHERE
in a fatal incident of any type at a U.S. ski practical way to eliminate it.
vigorously and seek justice to cause others not to be
area is rare – 1.06 per million skier and “There is this hazard out there and through our Court system. able to enjoy something
POWDER SKIING IS

snowboarder visits, according to Paul it’s simply part of skiing,” Byrd said. This we will do.”
that was such a big part of
GOOD AND ESPECIAL-
Baugher, director of the Northwest Ava- “It’s rare. If you look at the numbers, In the United States, ski his life for over 20 years,”
LY WHERE THERE IS
lanche Institute and ski patrol at Crystal 70 percent of all fatalities involve col- areas collectively reported Meyer said. “I want to ex-
Mountain Resort in Washington.
lisions with ixed objects in ski areas. 60.5 million skier visits press that I am sympathet-
GOOD TREE SKIING.”
Baugher has been tracking SIS Last year there were 24 fatalities during during the 2010-2011 sea- ic to the death of the other
deaths in the United States for decades, the course of the entire ski season, and son, and the western U.S., skier and his family, but
Dave Byrd
and is the only person in the country that’s low. And there were also 23 fatali- where all nine of the tree in the same sense I would
who maintains data on non-avalanche- ties from lightning strikes.”
well fatalities occurred
hate to think that Scott’s

related deaths that occur in tree wells or He added, “By its very nature this that winter, featured a regional surplus death would restrict others from enjoy-
deep snow.
type of accident or risk is pretty ran- of snowfall.
ing the sport he grew up loving.”
Prior to the 2010-2011 season, the dom. But it elevates when you have a lot “That was the big year for snow-im- In a statement, the management at
most recent death to occur at Whiteish of powder skiing and it happens in places mersion sufocation accidents,” Dave Whiteish Mountain Resort expressed
Mountain Resort was in 1999, when a where powder skiing is good and espe- Byrd, director of risk and regulatory af- similar condolences to the Waschle fam-
man fell into a tree well on the slope of cially where there is good tree skiing.”
fairs for the National Ski Areas Associa- ily, but said they would contest the law-
Bighorn, a black-diamond run on the Baugher echoed the warning: “Un- tion, said of the season. “We also set an suit, characterizing the complaint as

backside of Big Mountain. He was found derstanding that there is an inherent industry record for skier visits that year. “groundless.”
ive days later.
risk in skiing, if you ski in powder you You combine the scores of visitors with “For the entire Whiteish Mountain
Baugher said there have been ive fa- increase your risk. We all love powder a big snow season throughout the Paciic Resort community, Niclas Waschle’s
talities in tree wells at Whiteish Moun- skiing and I’ll be the irst to ski it. But Northwest and maybe there’s some cor- injury and death was an emotional and
tain Resort since 1978, which he attrib- you have to ski smarter. It’s one of those relation. But there’s not always a rhyme tragic event. For those of us personally
uted to the ski area’s abundance of deep, risks that has crept up on us in recent or reason to these incidents. They’re of- involved, it was heart breaking and un-
unconsolidated powder snow and the years and we need to spread the word. ten a bit of a luke.”
forgettable,” the statement read.
quality of its glade skiing. The igure, It’s a process, but we’re working to make The following year, the number of “The tragedy is unnecessarily com-

while relatively low, puts Big Mountain more people aware of it.”
skier visits fell to about 57,000 and the pounded by the efort through this law-
high on the list of ski areas that have had
[email protected]
snowpack was not as good. There were
suit, iled nearly three years after the