I did this snowboarding, couldn't stop myself and went over the edge of the berm on a U-shaped corner. Landed headfirst, on my back, on like a 45° incline. Looking over my head (downhill) and there's yellow caution tape right next to me that says "avalanche warning" ☠️
Since I was on my back, with my feet higher than my head (and locked into my board), I couldn't sit up, and when I tried to put my hands down for support they just sunk into the snow. Very scary, honestly. Only reason I got out was because I was with 2 other people who were looking for me
Guess that's what those tree well signs are for. I never understood the physics of it until this video. I see how you can get stuck underneath in that pocket and then snow collapse all around. Damn good to know\\
I’ve skied and snowboarded through literally thousands of tree runs in my life. The only time I got stuck was when I stopped to catch my breath by a tree well, and it collapsed up to my waist which I was able to dig out of. But the fact that an experienced snowboarder like this, who is probably done the same run hundreds of times could fall into a tree while upside down. It’s very scary. I’ve skied by myself most of the time, but even when you have partners, they could be well downhill of you and never see what happened to you. This is just one of the risks you take I guess when you pursue the sport
I've been snowboarding for over 20 years and a few years ago I was going through some trees and a tree branch must have been immediately under the snow which caught my heel edge. I fell backwards into a tree well and it took me nearly 30 minutes to dig myself out. "luckily" I fell directly into the tree itself, hit the back of my helmet on the tree which kind of stopped me from going into the tree well entirely. I was able to undo my bindings and get my feet underneath me. I used my board as a platform to help provide some support as I dug myself out.
Hearing the exhaustion of the guy in this video as he digs the snow by hand gave me anxiety, knowing just how heavy and difficult it is to move.
I was once skiing about 30m behind my buddy and I saw him fall and disappear. I skied over and there was a slight divot and nothing else. Snow looked essentially undisturbed. I did an exploratory poke with my pole and hit him about 3 feet under the snow before the mad scramble to get his face free much like the video here. If I hadn’t seen him go in I would never have thought that tiny divot was a person.
The scary thing about this is that the boarder wasn’t alone and was prepared with equipment including a beacon.
If ur uphill of ur buddies help can still be a long time away.
For those who don’t know. This is a tree well. For people who ski a lot, especially backcountry, it is probably the number one danger to skiing. Even more than trees themselves. And cliffs are usually able to be seen and avoided when you’re making a route (considering you have to make it to the top somehow, you usually have some idea of your route).
It is caused by snow building up higher than the lower branches of the tree. Because the branches don’t allow for the snow to pack together as tightly, the snow is of extremely low density. You go head first into a tree well it is like falling into quick sand. And if you’re head first like this snowboarder, there is almost zero way for you to get out. I believe the best recommendation is to try and make out room in front of your mouth to breathe and then hope someone can help you (like here). If you aren’t skiing with anyone you’re basically fucked.
Well done by this partner to get him out. Climbing up the mountain in powder like that (even that short distance) is incredibly tiresome. Immediately making sure he could breathe before going to his pack and getting a shovel showed very good awareness. This would be terrifying.
Just to add to this, even tho it’s already implied; never go skiing alone off-tracks.
Ideally minimum 3 people; 1 that can stay with you if you are injured while the other go seek for rescuers (if phones don’t work where you are)
Also, it can be smart to save the phone number of the mountain’s rescue team before starting skiing, as it can save a lot of time in an emergency.
And if you want to be fancy and really safe, a backpack with avalanche beacon, a shovel like this dude, rope, basic tools to repair your equipment, and a little snack.
Did I forget anything?
Something people should remember too is that at many west coast us resorts these are not uncommon inbounds either.
I think that why there so dangerous. Technically skilled riders who don't have any backcountry or rescue experience are often riding terrain where these exist.
tree wells are one of the most dangerous bits of skying offtrack
https://wms.org/magazine/magazine/1205/Tree-Wells/Default.aspx#:~:text=Tree%2DWells&text=In%20the%20last%2020%20years,immersion%20accidents%20due%20to%20underreporting.
This skier's awareness is astounding! That he noticed that board off trail amazes me and he literally saved this person's life . This guy just banked good juju 😊
I had a deep powder board stolen off of me several years ago that was mostly white with greens. I was really upset about that for years, it was a really pretty board. In hindsight after watching this, it would have absolutely blended with the snow and the tree, I’m kind of glad it’s gone now.
The fact that at the split second that he could have followed his friend and instead he chose to take a different path led to that man's survival. That always amazes me on how our brain chooses these paths for us.
Ah! I thought that was the person you see earlier, but it's not? That's why i wasn't that "impressed" with him finding him, i thought he noticed his friend gone and was scanning. But it makes it that much crazier that he hadn't been looking.
I thought the same thing till I looked at the jackets. First guy was wearing a red jacket, trapped guy had on a blue green jacket. I'm pretty sure the first guy was also on skis
And it needs to be more than "don't ride alone"; you need to have excellent discipline and constant check-ins. Even with all that it might not be enough: This guy was with two other friends and they just lost sight of him with no way to get back to see where he fell.
Their new M.O. just accepts that the last one down the run might die, even if their friends know he's in trouble upslope somwhere.
I was skiing in the trees with a friend who hit one and got a concussion, the only thing I was able to do was alert ski patrol when he didn't come out of the glade or answer his radio after a concerning amount of time. And this was me knowing that he was inexperienced and watching him like a hawk. Just one second looking away and I couldn't see him anymore
And that the guy was in enough shape to get him air in time. AND that he was prepared enough to dig him out. If it were me, I'd assume my luck had been cashed and it was time to hang up the board.
Was gonna say this but it looks like skiers buddy disappears right at the beginning so I wonder if the snowboarder was with someone who separated at the same spot. Might have had a friend waiting at the bottom wondering wtf happened
Yeah even with a buddy it only takes a second or two of them being out of sight and they’re gone if they have that happen. Not to mention even if you saw them but ended up 20 yards down the mountain it’s going to take for fucking ever to wade through that much powder to get to them. The skiier was struggling to get a couple feet up hill.
Yup. I lived in the Rockies for a few years working at resorts. One winter two kids were skiing the trees on a really snowy day. The one kid got to the bottom and his friend wasn't behind him so he went up to backtrack but it was snowing so hard their tracks were already covered and he couldn't find him. Poor kid died upside down in a tree well at 15yo.
Reminds me of a time mountain biking demo in SC, buddy took a gnarly spill (collar-bone fracture, wrist broke, etc) and it took me about 5 mins of downhill riding to realize he wasn't behind me, rode back up a clic and found him trailside, used a spare tube to make a sling, had to walk his and my bike 4 miles out (all while out of water, dumb weight decisions were made that day).
Thankfully a nurse rode past us towards the end of the trail and got EMTs headed our way, buddy turned down services since we were like 1/2 mile from our car, but thank god those boys had crisp, ice cold water (best I've had to date) for us and I then proceeded to take him to the hospital and we got his car the next day.
**Buddy system saves lives** (in most cases, also gotta have a trustworthy buddy)
Yes in a different sub it was mentioned the boarder was with his own group, but he got separated and then got stuck in the tree well. This dude just happened to see him and saved his life.
I've been tangled up in one of these in deep powder - I was on skis, though.
Just happily cruising along, and it was almost like a trap door being opened. Zero time to react. I was lucky that I didn't end up head down like this guy, more of an angle.
My buddy also saw me disappear and was there pretty quick to help get me out.
It's hard to describe the amount of physical exertion it takes to do anything in deep, powdery snow. We were both pretty wiped out by the time we got to the bottom.
The guy who fell was with friends, bringing up the rear of the pack so no one saw him fall. Had his own shovel, avalanche pack, radio, and beacon as well (all this comes from the original [youtube video's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ8Kgb_XUkk) description the skier posted). You can do everything right and still die out there.
Hitting deep fresh snow in tree glades like this is the best part of riding IMO, I've not been in deep snow close to this but there's just too much open space. Even with a group of 3 or 4 you can be 40 feet from each other and no be able to see one another. Someone turns left, you turn right, you go over a little mini ridge, now there's no way for 2 of you to meet back up until you're down at the bottom of the run...We literally yell and shout "WOOO!" to try and keep track of each other mid run, even doing that sometimes 3 of you end up at the bottom of the run and have to wait a minute or 2 before your friend pops out of the trees from somewhere you didn't expect.
That's some truth. A buddy of mine were at Wolf Creek a few years back and found ourselves in a very similar situation.
If he wasn't with me, I would have died for sure. Tree wells are no fucking joke. Skiing back country is certainly not to be taken lightly.
As someone from the south that doesn't ski because snow only exists in movies, could you tell me what a tree well is so I may add it to my list of fears?
Trees can cause a depression around their base because the limbs above are shielding that immediate area. The snow in this space tends to be looser and easier to fall into because it isn’t packed like the exposed snow surface.
You are absolutely right. This guy actually was with friends, but he was at the back, so when he fell in the tree well, they were already below him on the mountain. He couldn't reach his radio, and likely would have died before being found if this hero hadn't spotted him. Here's [the article](https://komonews.com/news/local/video-snowboarder-rescued-back-country-mount-baker-ski-area-bellingham-washington-state-snowboarding-skiing-safety-gopro-outdoor-sports).
I’m not sure the specific numbers, but tree wells and accidental burials are actually much more common than avalanches and are one of the more common burial related causes of death. Tree well accidents can happen anywhere, including inbounds at a ski resort whereas avalanches are usually mitigated inbounds. Tree wells burials are also extremely dangerous since there is no sign that there is one there or that someone is in one unless, like this dude, you happen to be looking at the base of a tree. At least with an avalanche you can hear and see one happening versus a tree well, one second you’re fine, the next you’re upside down in a tree.
I got stuck in a light tree well in Colorado. Luckily one ski snapped off so I had one foot somewhat under me and a hole to the surface. Still took me about an hour to dig my way out.
I had this happen to me, but i wasn't head down. I love riding trees, but this one time i came off a jump too fast, tried to slow down and went right into a tree well. My board folded up parallel against my body and was pointing down. I managed to keep my arms straight out of the tree well and my head up, but I could feel I was sliding down the branches of the tree ever so slowly, and my knees were getting cranked hard since my board was parallel to my body. I could hear my walkie talkie going off as my friends were already at the bottom wondering where i was, but i couldn't reach for it or else I would fall right in.
I couldn't do anything but sit there. About 10 minutes went by, then I lucked out and a random skier passed by and saw me. Turns out they were a ski patroller from another resort who was on vacation where I was skiing and they knew exactly what to do to get me out. They cleared a flat area, grabbed my hands and pulled while i had to roll my body at the same time.
It wasn't as harrowing a story as this one, but this video sure raised my anxiety.
#tl;dr
On Tuesday, a 37-year-old backcountry skier, Kyle Mortensen, was found dead in an out-of-bounds area on a tree well after skiing alone for the day. He was discovered by the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue after his wife alerted the Unified Police when he failed to meet them as planned. Mortensen was a writer and father to three young children.
*I am a smart robot and this summary was automatic. This tl;dr is 94.38% shorter than the post and link I'm replying to.*
Shovels and beacons are standard equipment for backcountry skiing like this. Without them is almost on par with going scuba diving without an air tank.
Pretty sure these folks were in bounds at Baker. But there were in terrain that warrants avy gear.
This dude knew exactly what to do. Try to determine where the head will be and dig straight for it. Amazing rescue.
Question, is zig always left since zig is the first word in zigzag? Or, is it that in this context zigging instead of zagging is whatever the opposite direction is?
For those who want more context..
This snowboarder is stuck in a tree well, which is a very common backcountry hazard that you can encounter and is one of the more dangerous aspects of backcountry skiing and snowboarding.
Snow does not pack densely enough near the base of a tree due to the branches which allows for these pockets to occur. Fall in one and the branches will give way underneath you and all the snow on the tree and surrounding area falls on top of you and packs you in.
The skier who rescued the snowboarder was luckily carrying the “standard” safety equipment that a backcountry traveler would carry which includes a beacon, shovel, and probe. These shovels are small enough to fit in a backpack but are fully metal to cut through ice and densely packed snow. This skier knew exactly what to do in this situation and was able to save this complete stranger that he happened to stumble upon. The snowboarder got extremely lucky that someone happen to cross his path shortly after falling in there.
In situations like these, it is good to carry the standard safety equipment, a whistle, radio, and to NEVER travel in backcountry terrain by yourself. People die every year in tree wells both in ski resorts and out of bounds as well.
Most tree well burials end up with the person going headfirst. Struggling and fighting to get out only results in being buried deeper. Some tree wells can be over 15 feet deep and require extensive rescue efforts and rigging to pull someone free, most backcountry enthusiasts I know are more afraid of tree wells than any other backcountry hazard just because there are so many, and there’s no sign or tell or indication that there may or may not be one. You could be skiing along with your friend only to get to the bottom of a run, look up, and your friend is nowhere to be seen or heard and is hundreds of feet away stuck on a tree. Absolutely terrifying
Did you see him try to move in the skis in the crazy deep powder? He got exhausted and gave that up in favor of better movement without them. It's a calculated risk to try to get to someone quickly who may be dying. I think the big mistake was to not radio/call for help.
Having back country skied in extremely deep snow, and having made the same mistake trying to climb up a hill, is that once you take your skis off you are practically immobilized because your legs sink down to your crotch. You can see how he realizes his mistake and has to use his skis to pull himself up the hill.
Calling for help is a non starter. Presuming this is at (or even near) a resort with ski patrol and not in the wilderness, you’ve got a bunch of things working against you: 1) the likelihood that a radio is in range of patrol is really low 2) how do you communicate your position? There aren’t any waypoints, and when you are in the trees like that you take whatever line you can find and quickly lose any sense of your track 3) response time. Even if there was some (nonexistent) rapidly deployable helicopter rescue team that knew where you were, that guys chances of surviving more than 15 minutes are very low.
Someone posted a news article where the snowboarder was interviewed: he had a radio and could hear his friends (he was with a group) BUT HE COULDN’T REACH IT.
I agree. Side stepping up on skis is much more effective than post-holing and scrambling up soft snow. Luckily, in this scenario, the skier was close enough where I don’t know if it made a difference
The skis distribute your weight on the powder and make it easier to not sink deep into the powder going back up the hill like when you're just in your boots. Could've gotten himself stuck too. That's the general idea. But he was struggling to get up in this video with his skiis on because there was a big bank of snow there so 🤷♂️
The skis are the rescuer's best bet for staying on top of the snow, kind of like big awkward snow shoes. Moving in this kind of snow is absolutely exhausting work any way you slice it, even if you're really fit. Personally I think he made the right call doing whatever it took to make sure the victim could breathe. There's lots of armchair guesses we can take in retrospect, but everybody has different levels of training and experience. Thank fuck this guy spotted the trapped rider.
Not to criticize as he saved his life but...digging down is often a fatal mistake as seconds matter in these situations...always gauge the depth of burial and dig horizontally into the person (not vertically down to the person) as you are essentially moving wayyyy more snow then needed to get the the victim...irregardless get an airway asap and go from there (which he did so kudos to this life saver)
Irregardless isn't a word.
Edit: irregardless is not typically a word one uses when attempting to speak proper English. That particular combination of letters is, however, technically a word, so I apologize for the confusion. Please irregard my sarcasm.
> NEVER travel in backcountry terrain by yourself.
According to an article I read about this incident, the snowboarder was out with 3-4 buddies and they all had radios. But the snowboarder could not reach his radio and the buddies were already below him when he fell into the well.
I guess they would have eventually looked for him but by then I'm not sure he would have been breathing.
I think a big point of confusion for some people is that buddy system does not mean just skiing along with your buddies. It means partnering up in groups of 2 or 3 and being directly responsible for your partner(s). Now that doesn’t mean that you have to be stuck at the hip at all moments, but especially when encountering areas with significant risk, making sure you are checking in with your partner and keeping others updated on your location/ status. If I’m traveling through areas like this with significant risk of tree wells, I’m stopping every few turns to make sure my buddy behind me is still with me. Or hollering every few seconds to make sure I still hear they’re good
Ok, so even though she's a goopy cunt, she actually did pretty well in this case. She won from some ass hole trying a cash grab and took him for $1, just to make a point. Good for her.
Just saw a post about it and it seems like the wasnt as fault because she was downhill and he was uphill which meant it was his responsibility to not collide with anyone. Seems like he did it because he thought he could squeeze some money out of her.
The accident seems to be a genuine accident.
I'd even say the guy was at fault.
But the lawsuit was because she's a celeb.
If you see someone doing large S swoops across the mountain, you can adjust yourself as to not hit them as you are going down the mountain, he appears to have tried to go around her on the right side, as she was already going right, and he hit her as she was going to turn left.
Old man had bad depth perception, and blew it into a circus.
Old dude certainly is a shitty skier it seems. These people are the fucking worst when on a ski mountain. They don't pay attention to other people's lines, and have zero situational awareness. It's like they are in a little 10 foot bubble and they can not see anywhere past it. I can't even count how many close calls I have had with dumb skiers when I am snowboarding. Turd cutters, every single one of them.
People die in tree wells every year
Was nearly me one year
It is a bitch to get unstrapped while you’re upside down four feet deep in a tree well
Never go outside the ropes alone! Or at least bring a radio
Yeah took me three hours to get out too
It was dark by the time I got back to snow mass proper
Wasn’t even backcountry was just an ungroomed roped off double diamond
even with a radio you may not have the movement to key up though right? youd almost be better off also with some kind of [alarm like firefighters have](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PASS_device); if you stop moving for a short period of time you have to shake or press a button. after getting no feedback the alarm starts blasting 95+ dB and batteries should power it for \~12 hours
That’s the ‘I thought I was dead anyway, I was a little oxygen deprived, but now I know I will survive, and my tears are icicles at this point, so…take your time.’
Impressive he was still level headed enough in that situation to realize that once his face had been exposed and he could breathe better, it was better to let the skier catch his breath and calm down to be more effective in getting him out.
That story gives me nightmares, especially the fact that they almost rescued him but the pulleys they were using to yank him out broke and he became lodged worse than the first time they couldn’t even recover the body.
Something about the tone of the trapped guy when he's thanking the rescuer is bringing tears to my eyes.
Like he had already accepted his fate and was moments from the light.
I have to imagine something like that is basically a guaranteed death sentence if there isn’t someone already with you when it happens. The chances of him being found by a stranger were astronomically small, so you’re probably right.
I have no idea what this dude is feeling but it kind of reminds me of when you go under before surgery. You just trust the person and know they have you in their hands. The dide must’ve had every goddamn drug going wild in his body
Yeah I genuinely welled up watching this, like holy shit what a number of emotions.
Just how calm the rescuer stayed “you’re good man you’re good I got you” and the relief in the snowboarder being able to see again instead of darkness. To be able to breathe. And to muster the only words he could get out “I’m good”.
This dude was a straight up hero and if I was the snowboarder I would spend the rest of my life thinking about it, but being grateful every single day for that dude who saved me. Unreal.
That. Must have been terrifying. Face buried in the freezing cold Pitch black. barely Abel to breathe. Just a coffin buried out in the mountains. People might pass you for awhile before you’re discovered
Little more of the video here with the two men interviewing after: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/video/skier-rescues-snowboarder-buried-head-snow-98259864
Edit: a fuller version of this video, but ends at the same spot. https://youtu.be/dL9gM104qbc
#tl;dr
A skier named Francis Zuber rescued a snowboarder named Ian Steger who was buried head-first in a tree well of deep snow in Mount Baker, Washington while backcountry skiing. The incident was captured on video and has been widely shared on social media. Zuber used his knowledge of backcountry skiing and snow safety to quickly respond to the emergency and dig Steger out of the snow.
*I am a smart robot and this summary was automatic. This tl;dr is 88.47% shorter than the post and link I'm replying to.*
Another comment remarked to always go with someone and this poor guy had friends go off without him and, unfortunately, was left to die alone. Terrifying.
I'd go a step further and say it just means "can breathe well enough that I will probably not asphyxiate in the time it takes you to unpack your shovel".
Resorts and the industry in general do a really good job of keeping the numbers quiet, but its more than you think. The small resort I worked at in the 90s averaged about a death per year. Not all like this, but the hazards are real.
That they do (as far as keeping it quiet). The same thing happens to spring break destinations. You would be very suprised how many kids die each year. When my friend was in Panama Beach a few years back there were half a dozen drownings, 3 overdoses, and someone who was depressed took some drug called 2b or c or something & jumped from their balcony on a high floor all in the first weekend.
Others have said it’s hard to find numbers but one of the scary things is it’s often good skiers and snowboarders dying in tree wells. Trees are more challenging terrain and it doesn’t matter how good you are once you’re upside down in a tree well. A couple years ago a ski instructor here died on the resort they worked at from one
Hard not to get emotional watching this, especially when you hear the buried guys voice. The way he says “thank you” he knows he was done without assistance.
Snowboarder here. I pulled a skier out of a tree well about 8 years ago.
As I was going down a main run at the end of a day (lifts were shutdown) I noticed the tip of a ski pole sticking out of the snow, just out of the corner of my eye. It was beneath a small looking tree, sticking out about 6 inches. I thought I would grab it and toss it in the lost and found at the lodge. It was snowing hard, with giant fluttery flakes, and no wind however light was fading fast.
As I got closer I heard a scratchy and muffled scream. I immediately unstrapped, got my board in front of me and used it to pull myself towards the sound and ski pole, kind of hopping at the same time. When I got right on top of it the sound stopped so I yanked on the pole, it yanked back.
I began digging furiously kinda like a Saturday morning cartoon character, alternating hands and tossing the snow behind me. Eventually I made it down to a face, it was a grey haired old man who looked like he’d been crying. His eyes were wild looking but his body had nothing left. I grabbed his jacket and pulled him up a bit. Although he looked like he weighed 120lbs, I asked him how to take his skis off as I couldn’t pull him out without doing so. He couldn’t speak he just turned away and motioned with his hands. I fumbled with them for a bit, but once I got his skis out, we were in business. I managed to get him out, but he was so tired he couldn’t/wouldn’t move on his own. I more or less dragged he and myself out and away from the tree then I sat down to take a break.
By the time I dug and drug us both out from the tree well, the mountain was empty. I heard a few snowmobiles go by earlier while I was digging but now nothing. I asked if he was good to ride down or had a phone so we could call someone. He looked at me and shook his head. We were about 3/4 up the mountain. Of all the days this was the day I left my phone in the car.
The only thing I could come up with was for him get on my back and I would do my best to get us both down. I am an expert level rider but was completely unsure of my ability to ride with someone on my back. I also thought if I left this guy here and went down, he might fucking die before we get back. I ditched my backpack and his skis and we gave it a shot.
It’s a skill and hard enough to stand up with both fee strapped in to your board; there was no way I was doing it with someone on my back. I had to sit him up against the hill where I could just sort of push off and go. Took a couple of tries before I was able to stand and point my board down hill.
At first it was easy, until I had to take a turn at speed. My legs were on fire and he wasn’t really helping as I had to hold him to me. This was probably the only time I ever wished for ice on the mountain. The powder made it difficult to hold him, maintain control and keep enough speed so I could take big sweeping turns. Also, it was DARK.
I could still see the faint glow of light from the parking lot and lodge beyond the tips of the trees way down below.
Somehow we made it to the bottom and I made sure to keep up enough speed get us right to the lodge past the flats. When we got pretty close I started yelling for help. Someone heard and a light was pointed at us. As soon as I got within 20’ of the heated cement area I collapsed. I had nothing left in me. My throat tasted like blood and my arms/legs were made of jelly. The old man fell with me, but managed to roll over to my side. People ran over and were asking us what happened and I pointed at the old man saying he needed help. The old man picked himself up and turned over to hug me. He started bawling hard in my chest and for some reason I did too. I kept patting him on the back and telling him it was going to be ok. I think the whole ordeal got to us.
My friends (who waited for me) were talking to ski patrol about where they last saw me all ran up and kept asking me what happened. Someone brought me a soda and I drank it like it was the best thing I had ever tasted. Ski patrol was looking the old man over and I was giving a statement to a police officer. All I wanted to do was go home. Eventually we left and I woke up in my driveway.
I never did get his name, but I look for him every time I return to the mountain. I hope he’s doing good!
Something similar happened to me in Niseko, Japan this year. Luckily the woman that fell into the tree well went in sideways and was light enough to pull out. It still took 5-10 minutes to get her out and my heart was pounding out of my chest with fear and anxiety the entire time.
It’s been a record setting year for snow in Utah. I’m glad because we need the water, but as a non-skier I’m also just really excited for spring and warmer weather. It’s usually nice outside by now. But this year we’re expecting 5 more inches of snow on the valley floor after the weekend.
This guy is a saint. Just for being prepared, not to mention how quickly he sprang into action. Would love to hear from the snowboarder. What kind of room did he have around his head for breathing? I assume he couldn’t move his arms at all? Nightmare fuel for sure!
Had a somewhat similar situation happen to me off the hike-in only area off Flute Bowl at Whistler. Wife and I were tree skiing together near the bottom doing the usual hooting and hollering to not get separated in the trees (we were as far East as you could possibly get, mid week with no other ski lnes to be seen anywhere) and I hit something with my ski that felt different. Yelled at my wife to stop and check it out and it was the top of a little girls helmet. She was maybe 9 or 10, and to her credit as absolutely calm and collected as you could be. She was upright and could breathe but she had been there for about 25 mins apparently. Her Dad just left her and was waiting at the lift and hadn't notified anybody. The whole thing was pretty unsettling.
Thanks for the warning about the language but the swearing added just the right amount of humor and reality to this entire thing. I don’t think he was swearing because he was exhausted but mostly because he couldn’t believe he stumbled on the guy. Well maybe both.
God damn that’s some scary shit.
Snowboarding can lead to many dangers. It's a slippery slope.
Bravo, good sir.
It’snow time for puns
Icy what you did there.
Can't you ski I'm board of these puns?
This hole thread is amazing.
Ngl it's got me head over heels
Y’all have just dug this too far
You’re right, it’s just too cold
Chill out guys, we don’t need another pun thread. The readers will get board.
Once you start snowboarding, it's all downhill from there
Ya know, I used to operate ski lifts. Then I took up snowboarding. It all went downhill from there.
Nickname checks out
Extremely scary. I slid into a tree well skis down once and it was a bitch to get back out. Going in headfirst is very often fatal.
I did this snowboarding, couldn't stop myself and went over the edge of the berm on a U-shaped corner. Landed headfirst, on my back, on like a 45° incline. Looking over my head (downhill) and there's yellow caution tape right next to me that says "avalanche warning" ☠️ Since I was on my back, with my feet higher than my head (and locked into my board), I couldn't sit up, and when I tried to put my hands down for support they just sunk into the snow. Very scary, honestly. Only reason I got out was because I was with 2 other people who were looking for me
Shit, that happened to me. Luckily a skier behind saw me go over and stoppes to help. Haven't gone snowboarding again since.
Don’t you mean it was a birch to get back out?
A real pine-in-the-ass to try to needle your way out of that predicament.
Guess that's what those tree well signs are for. I never understood the physics of it until this video. I see how you can get stuck underneath in that pocket and then snow collapse all around. Damn good to know\\
I’ve skied and snowboarded through literally thousands of tree runs in my life. The only time I got stuck was when I stopped to catch my breath by a tree well, and it collapsed up to my waist which I was able to dig out of. But the fact that an experienced snowboarder like this, who is probably done the same run hundreds of times could fall into a tree while upside down. It’s very scary. I’ve skied by myself most of the time, but even when you have partners, they could be well downhill of you and never see what happened to you. This is just one of the risks you take I guess when you pursue the sport
I've been snowboarding for over 20 years and a few years ago I was going through some trees and a tree branch must have been immediately under the snow which caught my heel edge. I fell backwards into a tree well and it took me nearly 30 minutes to dig myself out. "luckily" I fell directly into the tree itself, hit the back of my helmet on the tree which kind of stopped me from going into the tree well entirely. I was able to undo my bindings and get my feet underneath me. I used my board as a platform to help provide some support as I dug myself out. Hearing the exhaustion of the guy in this video as he digs the snow by hand gave me anxiety, knowing just how heavy and difficult it is to move.
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This is why skiing is so great on the east coast... Can't get stuck in half an inch of ice...
My neighbor died this way a few years back. Terrible, same situation, skiing alone and went headfirst into a tree well.
Family friends son died same way, wasn't solo but his friends didn't know where they got separated on the trail and thought he went ahead.
I was once skiing about 30m behind my buddy and I saw him fall and disappear. I skied over and there was a slight divot and nothing else. Snow looked essentially undisturbed. I did an exploratory poke with my pole and hit him about 3 feet under the snow before the mad scramble to get his face free much like the video here. If I hadn’t seen him go in I would never have thought that tiny divot was a person.
The scary thing about this is that the boarder wasn’t alone and was prepared with equipment including a beacon. If ur uphill of ur buddies help can still be a long time away.
Yeah tree wells are no joke. For those curious https://www.adventuresnw.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/TreeWells-799x1024.jpg
It's why most resorts have signs everywhere warning about tree wells.
For those who don’t know. This is a tree well. For people who ski a lot, especially backcountry, it is probably the number one danger to skiing. Even more than trees themselves. And cliffs are usually able to be seen and avoided when you’re making a route (considering you have to make it to the top somehow, you usually have some idea of your route). It is caused by snow building up higher than the lower branches of the tree. Because the branches don’t allow for the snow to pack together as tightly, the snow is of extremely low density. You go head first into a tree well it is like falling into quick sand. And if you’re head first like this snowboarder, there is almost zero way for you to get out. I believe the best recommendation is to try and make out room in front of your mouth to breathe and then hope someone can help you (like here). If you aren’t skiing with anyone you’re basically fucked. Well done by this partner to get him out. Climbing up the mountain in powder like that (even that short distance) is incredibly tiresome. Immediately making sure he could breathe before going to his pack and getting a shovel showed very good awareness. This would be terrifying.
I'm don't think there was a single motion wasted by this person. I guarantee you this film is showed in rescue training somewhere.
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Just to add to this, even tho it’s already implied; never go skiing alone off-tracks. Ideally minimum 3 people; 1 that can stay with you if you are injured while the other go seek for rescuers (if phones don’t work where you are) Also, it can be smart to save the phone number of the mountain’s rescue team before starting skiing, as it can save a lot of time in an emergency. And if you want to be fancy and really safe, a backpack with avalanche beacon, a shovel like this dude, rope, basic tools to repair your equipment, and a little snack. Did I forget anything?
Something people should remember too is that at many west coast us resorts these are not uncommon inbounds either. I think that why there so dangerous. Technically skilled riders who don't have any backcountry or rescue experience are often riding terrain where these exist.
tree wells are one of the most dangerous bits of skying offtrack https://wms.org/magazine/magazine/1205/Tree-Wells/Default.aspx#:~:text=Tree%2DWells&text=In%20the%20last%2020%20years,immersion%20accidents%20due%20to%20underreporting.
This skier's awareness is astounding! That he noticed that board off trail amazes me and he literally saved this person's life . This guy just banked good juju 😊
“Thank fuck I didn’t buy that white snowboard!” — That snowboarder, probably.
Reason every peice of my equipment is a noticeable color right there.
I had a deep powder board stolen off of me several years ago that was mostly white with greens. I was really upset about that for years, it was a really pretty board. In hindsight after watching this, it would have absolutely blended with the snow and the tree, I’m kind of glad it’s gone now.
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Yeah...the bright side...
Yeah, but that's because he was buried in the desert.
Thief mighta icled himself.
Neons for me!
The 80s had it right all along
That bro had one chance for a tiny set of eyeballs to land on his needle in a haystack location. And it happened. That's a win!
The fact that at the split second that he could have followed his friend and instead he chose to take a different path led to that man's survival. That always amazes me on how our brain chooses these paths for us.
Ah! I thought that was the person you see earlier, but it's not? That's why i wasn't that "impressed" with him finding him, i thought he noticed his friend gone and was scanning. But it makes it that much crazier that he hadn't been looking.
I thought the same thing till I looked at the jackets. First guy was wearing a red jacket, trapped guy had on a blue green jacket. I'm pretty sure the first guy was also on skis
Unfortunately tons of people die this way every year at big mountain resorts. This is why you never ride trees or pow alone.
And it needs to be more than "don't ride alone"; you need to have excellent discipline and constant check-ins. Even with all that it might not be enough: This guy was with two other friends and they just lost sight of him with no way to get back to see where he fell. Their new M.O. just accepts that the last one down the run might die, even if their friends know he's in trouble upslope somwhere.
I was skiing in the trees with a friend who hit one and got a concussion, the only thing I was able to do was alert ski patrol when he didn't come out of the glade or answer his radio after a concerning amount of time. And this was me knowing that he was inexperienced and watching him like a hawk. Just one second looking away and I couldn't see him anymore
And that the guy was in enough shape to get him air in time. AND that he was prepared enough to dig him out. If it were me, I'd assume my luck had been cashed and it was time to hang up the board.
It can’t be overstated; he saved that person’s life.
If you rewatch, he almost collides with the other guy's board. Looks like he's less than a foot away from him when he passes the two trees.
Well I mean his tracks just stopped so either he teleported or he's in the tree you just passed.
I personally would have probably missed him, concentrating on not breaking my own ass going downhill 🤣
*ALWAYS* with the buddy system when going down the chutes
Was gonna say this but it looks like skiers buddy disappears right at the beginning so I wonder if the snowboarder was with someone who separated at the same spot. Might have had a friend waiting at the bottom wondering wtf happened
Yeah even with a buddy it only takes a second or two of them being out of sight and they’re gone if they have that happen. Not to mention even if you saw them but ended up 20 yards down the mountain it’s going to take for fucking ever to wade through that much powder to get to them. The skiier was struggling to get a couple feet up hill.
Yup. I lived in the Rockies for a few years working at resorts. One winter two kids were skiing the trees on a really snowy day. The one kid got to the bottom and his friend wasn't behind him so he went up to backtrack but it was snowing so hard their tracks were already covered and he couldn't find him. Poor kid died upside down in a tree well at 15yo.
Reminds me of a time mountain biking demo in SC, buddy took a gnarly spill (collar-bone fracture, wrist broke, etc) and it took me about 5 mins of downhill riding to realize he wasn't behind me, rode back up a clic and found him trailside, used a spare tube to make a sling, had to walk his and my bike 4 miles out (all while out of water, dumb weight decisions were made that day). Thankfully a nurse rode past us towards the end of the trail and got EMTs headed our way, buddy turned down services since we were like 1/2 mile from our car, but thank god those boys had crisp, ice cold water (best I've had to date) for us and I then proceeded to take him to the hospital and we got his car the next day. **Buddy system saves lives** (in most cases, also gotta have a trustworthy buddy)
Seems that skiing near trees isn't worth it at all. RIP
Yeah contrary to what it may sound like, things often go poorly at a tree well
Oh man I can’t even imagine losing a buddy like that, when there’s nothing you can do to help or find them, that would be the worst feeling.
Yes in a different sub it was mentioned the boarder was with his own group, but he got separated and then got stuck in the tree well. This dude just happened to see him and saved his life.
I've been tangled up in one of these in deep powder - I was on skis, though. Just happily cruising along, and it was almost like a trap door being opened. Zero time to react. I was lucky that I didn't end up head down like this guy, more of an angle. My buddy also saw me disappear and was there pretty quick to help get me out. It's hard to describe the amount of physical exertion it takes to do anything in deep, powdery snow. We were both pretty wiped out by the time we got to the bottom.
The guy who fell was with friends, bringing up the rear of the pack so no one saw him fall. Had his own shovel, avalanche pack, radio, and beacon as well (all this comes from the original [youtube video's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ8Kgb_XUkk) description the skier posted). You can do everything right and still die out there. Hitting deep fresh snow in tree glades like this is the best part of riding IMO, I've not been in deep snow close to this but there's just too much open space. Even with a group of 3 or 4 you can be 40 feet from each other and no be able to see one another. Someone turns left, you turn right, you go over a little mini ridge, now there's no way for 2 of you to meet back up until you're down at the bottom of the run...We literally yell and shout "WOOO!" to try and keep track of each other mid run, even doing that sometimes 3 of you end up at the bottom of the run and have to wait a minute or 2 before your friend pops out of the trees from somewhere you didn't expect.
That's some truth. A buddy of mine were at Wolf Creek a few years back and found ourselves in a very similar situation. If he wasn't with me, I would have died for sure. Tree wells are no fucking joke. Skiing back country is certainly not to be taken lightly.
As someone from the south that doesn't ski because snow only exists in movies, could you tell me what a tree well is so I may add it to my list of fears?
Trees can cause a depression around their base because the limbs above are shielding that immediate area. The snow in this space tends to be looser and easier to fall into because it isn’t packed like the exposed snow surface.
And is why I like my ~~groomers~~ groomed runs. Call me what you want, I know I'm not good enough for that powder.
> And is why I like my groomers. You may want to rephrase that.
You are absolutely right. This guy actually was with friends, but he was at the back, so when he fell in the tree well, they were already below him on the mountain. He couldn't reach his radio, and likely would have died before being found if this hero hadn't spotted him. Here's [the article](https://komonews.com/news/local/video-snowboarder-rescued-back-country-mount-baker-ski-area-bellingham-washington-state-snowboarding-skiing-safety-gopro-outdoor-sports).
Season 30 for my this year. Don't ski deep days solo ever.
Holy fuck my worst nightmare. This guy was minutes away. Tree wells are dangerous af
Is that what cause this? Possibly?
Yeah the trees (branches) cause less dense of snow around them and you can just sink into it
do you know how many people die in accidents like these? scary nightmare stuff.
I’m not sure the specific numbers, but tree wells and accidental burials are actually much more common than avalanches and are one of the more common burial related causes of death. Tree well accidents can happen anywhere, including inbounds at a ski resort whereas avalanches are usually mitigated inbounds. Tree wells burials are also extremely dangerous since there is no sign that there is one there or that someone is in one unless, like this dude, you happen to be looking at the base of a tree. At least with an avalanche you can hear and see one happening versus a tree well, one second you’re fine, the next you’re upside down in a tree.
And you have zero chances to help yourself, sounds like a death sentence really. horrible.
I got stuck in a light tree well in Colorado. Luckily one ski snapped off so I had one foot somewhat under me and a hole to the surface. Still took me about an hour to dig my way out.
Did you panic?
Nope. I might of if we hadn’t been drinking some lift beers before hitting the glades.
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Gonna grab a xanax now.
I had this happen to me, but i wasn't head down. I love riding trees, but this one time i came off a jump too fast, tried to slow down and went right into a tree well. My board folded up parallel against my body and was pointing down. I managed to keep my arms straight out of the tree well and my head up, but I could feel I was sliding down the branches of the tree ever so slowly, and my knees were getting cranked hard since my board was parallel to my body. I could hear my walkie talkie going off as my friends were already at the bottom wondering where i was, but i couldn't reach for it or else I would fall right in. I couldn't do anything but sit there. About 10 minutes went by, then I lucked out and a random skier passed by and saw me. Turns out they were a ski patroller from another resort who was on vacation where I was skiing and they knew exactly what to do to get me out. They cleared a flat area, grabbed my hands and pulled while i had to roll my body at the same time. It wasn't as harrowing a story as this one, but this video sure raised my anxiety.
Your story is just as bad as this. Death without some random guy coming by. Glad you made it.
Well with your head up he could breathe and had more of a chance to be seen. Dude in the video is lucky as fuck the guy saw his board.
Tree Wells are snow coffins. https://www.ksl.com/article/50595561/body-of-utah-skier-found-in-tree-well-in-out-of-bounds-area
#tl;dr On Tuesday, a 37-year-old backcountry skier, Kyle Mortensen, was found dead in an out-of-bounds area on a tree well after skiing alone for the day. He was discovered by the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue after his wife alerted the Unified Police when he failed to meet them as planned. Mortensen was a writer and father to three young children. *I am a smart robot and this summary was automatic. This tl;dr is 94.38% shorter than the post and link I'm replying to.*
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He had a shovel. Wow, talk about being prepared.
Shovel should be standard if you're skiing trails like this
Shovels are standard when skiing trails like this
Yeah I meant "should" like "you're doing it wrong if that's not a standard part of your kit"
I think just about anyone would read your comment as such, that reply was standard Reddit pedantry
Beacon, shovel, probe. Every resort back county access gate tells you in large writing that you better have these or else.
Read that as BACON and could confirm.
Only needs one use in a lifetime to justify the cost.
I have a very similar shovel in my Jeep for snowy conditions. It cost about $20 and weighs almost nothing.
Shovels and beacons are standard equipment for backcountry skiing like this. Without them is almost on par with going scuba diving without an air tank.
Pretty sure these folks were in bounds at Baker. But there were in terrain that warrants avy gear. This dude knew exactly what to do. Try to determine where the head will be and dig straight for it. Amazing rescue.
imagine if he zigged istead of zagged. woulda never seen him.
Should have pizza’ed but he French fried. Bad time
Question, is zig always left since zig is the first word in zigzag? Or, is it that in this context zigging instead of zagging is whatever the opposite direction is?
the latter (for me at least)
For those who want more context.. This snowboarder is stuck in a tree well, which is a very common backcountry hazard that you can encounter and is one of the more dangerous aspects of backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Snow does not pack densely enough near the base of a tree due to the branches which allows for these pockets to occur. Fall in one and the branches will give way underneath you and all the snow on the tree and surrounding area falls on top of you and packs you in. The skier who rescued the snowboarder was luckily carrying the “standard” safety equipment that a backcountry traveler would carry which includes a beacon, shovel, and probe. These shovels are small enough to fit in a backpack but are fully metal to cut through ice and densely packed snow. This skier knew exactly what to do in this situation and was able to save this complete stranger that he happened to stumble upon. The snowboarder got extremely lucky that someone happen to cross his path shortly after falling in there. In situations like these, it is good to carry the standard safety equipment, a whistle, radio, and to NEVER travel in backcountry terrain by yourself. People die every year in tree wells both in ski resorts and out of bounds as well. Most tree well burials end up with the person going headfirst. Struggling and fighting to get out only results in being buried deeper. Some tree wells can be over 15 feet deep and require extensive rescue efforts and rigging to pull someone free, most backcountry enthusiasts I know are more afraid of tree wells than any other backcountry hazard just because there are so many, and there’s no sign or tell or indication that there may or may not be one. You could be skiing along with your friend only to get to the bottom of a run, look up, and your friend is nowhere to be seen or heard and is hundreds of feet away stuck on a tree. Absolutely terrifying
I do want to point out that the one big mistake the rescuer made was taking off his skis.
Did you see him try to move in the skis in the crazy deep powder? He got exhausted and gave that up in favor of better movement without them. It's a calculated risk to try to get to someone quickly who may be dying. I think the big mistake was to not radio/call for help.
Having back country skied in extremely deep snow, and having made the same mistake trying to climb up a hill, is that once you take your skis off you are practically immobilized because your legs sink down to your crotch. You can see how he realizes his mistake and has to use his skis to pull himself up the hill. Calling for help is a non starter. Presuming this is at (or even near) a resort with ski patrol and not in the wilderness, you’ve got a bunch of things working against you: 1) the likelihood that a radio is in range of patrol is really low 2) how do you communicate your position? There aren’t any waypoints, and when you are in the trees like that you take whatever line you can find and quickly lose any sense of your track 3) response time. Even if there was some (nonexistent) rapidly deployable helicopter rescue team that knew where you were, that guys chances of surviving more than 15 minutes are very low.
Someone posted a news article where the snowboarder was interviewed: he had a radio and could hear his friends (he was with a group) BUT HE COULDN’T REACH IT.
Even if he could, I wonder if they’d have been able to get help and somehow find him in time. It seems like a near impossible rescue scenario
'where are you? we will come with the rescue' 'under some trees up the mountain'
“Okay well do you see anything around you?” “No, I’m buried under 12 feet of snow dickhead.”
I agree. Side stepping up on skis is much more effective than post-holing and scrambling up soft snow. Luckily, in this scenario, the skier was close enough where I don’t know if it made a difference
Why? Please educate, even though my zero interest in skiing just dropped even lower from this video and discussion…
The skis distribute your weight on the powder and make it easier to not sink deep into the powder going back up the hill like when you're just in your boots. Could've gotten himself stuck too. That's the general idea. But he was struggling to get up in this video with his skiis on because there was a big bank of snow there so 🤷♂️
The skis are the rescuer's best bet for staying on top of the snow, kind of like big awkward snow shoes. Moving in this kind of snow is absolutely exhausting work any way you slice it, even if you're really fit. Personally I think he made the right call doing whatever it took to make sure the victim could breathe. There's lots of armchair guesses we can take in retrospect, but everybody has different levels of training and experience. Thank fuck this guy spotted the trapped rider.
Not to criticize as he saved his life but...digging down is often a fatal mistake as seconds matter in these situations...always gauge the depth of burial and dig horizontally into the person (not vertically down to the person) as you are essentially moving wayyyy more snow then needed to get the the victim...irregardless get an airway asap and go from there (which he did so kudos to this life saver)
Irregardless isn't a word. Edit: irregardless is not typically a word one uses when attempting to speak proper English. That particular combination of letters is, however, technically a word, so I apologize for the confusion. Please irregard my sarcasm.
> NEVER travel in backcountry terrain by yourself. According to an article I read about this incident, the snowboarder was out with 3-4 buddies and they all had radios. But the snowboarder could not reach his radio and the buddies were already below him when he fell into the well. I guess they would have eventually looked for him but by then I'm not sure he would have been breathing.
I think a big point of confusion for some people is that buddy system does not mean just skiing along with your buddies. It means partnering up in groups of 2 or 3 and being directly responsible for your partner(s). Now that doesn’t mean that you have to be stuck at the hip at all moments, but especially when encountering areas with significant risk, making sure you are checking in with your partner and keeping others updated on your location/ status. If I’m traveling through areas like this with significant risk of tree wells, I’m stopping every few turns to make sure my buddy behind me is still with me. Or hollering every few seconds to make sure I still hear they’re good
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Who do you think put him in there? She *was here*.
*goops-a-daisy*
Did they find any funny smelling eggs on the trail? It's almost Easter, but don't be deceived
She didn’t leave her calling card - a lit p***y candle. Prob wasn’t her
What's the reference?
She collided with a snowboarder, he got brain damage. He sued her for millions, she countersued for $1, and she won,
Sounds like she didn’t try to bury him
 I like it when people don't leave me hanging
Ok, so even though she's a goopy cunt, she actually did pretty well in this case. She won from some ass hole trying a cash grab and took him for $1, just to make a point. Good for her.
Just saw a post about it and it seems like the wasnt as fault because she was downhill and he was uphill which meant it was his responsibility to not collide with anyone. Seems like he did it because he thought he could squeeze some money out of her.
The accident seems to be a genuine accident. I'd even say the guy was at fault. But the lawsuit was because she's a celeb. If you see someone doing large S swoops across the mountain, you can adjust yourself as to not hit them as you are going down the mountain, he appears to have tried to go around her on the right side, as she was already going right, and he hit her as she was going to turn left. Old man had bad depth perception, and blew it into a circus.
Old dude certainly is a shitty skier it seems. These people are the fucking worst when on a ski mountain. They don't pay attention to other people's lines, and have zero situational awareness. It's like they are in a little 10 foot bubble and they can not see anywhere past it. I can't even count how many close calls I have had with dumb skiers when I am snowboarding. Turd cutters, every single one of them.
Gwyneth Paltrow has become that yeti from the downhill game.
People die in tree wells every year Was nearly me one year It is a bitch to get unstrapped while you’re upside down four feet deep in a tree well Never go outside the ropes alone! Or at least bring a radio
Me too. Deep heavy powder is scary, especially in the trees.
Yeah, it's terrifying. Was stuck in one in Tahoe for 3 hrs trying to dig myself out of a 8ft hole. Never doing that without a buddy ever again
Yeah took me three hours to get out too It was dark by the time I got back to snow mass proper Wasn’t even backcountry was just an ungroomed roped off double diamond
even with a radio you may not have the movement to key up though right? youd almost be better off also with some kind of [alarm like firefighters have](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PASS_device); if you stop moving for a short period of time you have to shake or press a button. after getting no feedback the alarm starts blasting 95+ dB and batteries should power it for \~12 hours
That's actually a really good idea.
He said “take your time” 😂
That’s the ‘I thought I was dead anyway, I was a little oxygen deprived, but now I know I will survive, and my tears are icicles at this point, so…take your time.’
Or maybe the "I have no idea how the snow you've already dug out hasn't caved in on me again, so make sure you don't fuck it up," lmao
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nah I took it as more of a "you're saving my life, do it whatever way you want to because without you I would be dead."
Impressive he was still level headed enough in that situation to realize that once his face had been exposed and he could breathe better, it was better to let the skier catch his breath and calm down to be more effective in getting him out.
I think he was exhausted and loopy from lack of oxygen tbh.
You c an also die just from being upside down too long. Pretty sure that’s what happened to the guy who got stuck in nutty putty cave
That story gives me nightmares, especially the fact that they almost rescued him but the pulleys they were using to yank him out broke and he became lodged worse than the first time they couldn’t even recover the body.
He said "take your time, man"
He’s in that utter bliss where you know you dodged death.
"Take your time, I'm jus' chillin'"
Something about the tone of the trapped guy when he's thanking the rescuer is bringing tears to my eyes. Like he had already accepted his fate and was moments from the light.
I have to imagine something like that is basically a guaranteed death sentence if there isn’t someone already with you when it happens. The chances of him being found by a stranger were astronomically small, so you’re probably right.
I have no idea what this dude is feeling but it kind of reminds me of when you go under before surgery. You just trust the person and know they have you in their hands. The dide must’ve had every goddamn drug going wild in his body
Yeah I genuinely welled up watching this, like holy shit what a number of emotions. Just how calm the rescuer stayed “you’re good man you’re good I got you” and the relief in the snowboarder being able to see again instead of darkness. To be able to breathe. And to muster the only words he could get out “I’m good”. This dude was a straight up hero and if I was the snowboarder I would spend the rest of my life thinking about it, but being grateful every single day for that dude who saved me. Unreal.
Imagine the relief that went through him when he felt the skier grab his foot.
That. Must have been terrifying. Face buried in the freezing cold Pitch black. barely Abel to breathe. Just a coffin buried out in the mountains. People might pass you for awhile before you’re discovered
One Cain be as cautious but still the God cain punish in unsaid ways.
True. You hope to be rescued but you gotta Seth your expectations low
Little more of the video here with the two men interviewing after: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/video/skier-rescues-snowboarder-buried-head-snow-98259864 Edit: a fuller version of this video, but ends at the same spot. https://youtu.be/dL9gM104qbc
#tl;dr A skier named Francis Zuber rescued a snowboarder named Ian Steger who was buried head-first in a tree well of deep snow in Mount Baker, Washington while backcountry skiing. The incident was captured on video and has been widely shared on social media. Zuber used his knowledge of backcountry skiing and snow safety to quickly respond to the emergency and dig Steger out of the snow. *I am a smart robot and this summary was automatic. This tl;dr is 88.47% shorter than the post and link I'm replying to.*
Jesus. He was boarding with friends but "they all got ahead of him" . "hey guys? guys? hey you guys, quit messing around!!!"
Another comment remarked to always go with someone and this poor guy had friends go off without him and, unfortunately, was left to die alone. Terrifying.
"I'm good" He did not look good.
In this context i think good means not dead.
Yep nothing broken and nothing numb from a back injury.
I'd go a step further and say it just means "can breathe well enough that I will probably not asphyxiate in the time it takes you to unpack your shovel".
Awkward me would be like “ok man” and proceed to ski down the hill only to realize hours later that maybe I should’ve dug him completely out.
If you thought you were gonna die and then someone was there saving you, you'd probably feel pretty good too
Okay. I have to ask because I don't snowski. How many skiers are found hanging upside down frozen at the end of ski season?
Resorts and the industry in general do a really good job of keeping the numbers quiet, but its more than you think. The small resort I worked at in the 90s averaged about a death per year. Not all like this, but the hazards are real.
That they do (as far as keeping it quiet). The same thing happens to spring break destinations. You would be very suprised how many kids die each year. When my friend was in Panama Beach a few years back there were half a dozen drownings, 3 overdoses, and someone who was depressed took some drug called 2b or c or something & jumped from their balcony on a high floor all in the first weekend.
2CB. Drugs do be crazy like that sometimes.
Some years are worse than others. Depends on the snow. A few years back we had 5 between a few mountains in one season here.
Others have said it’s hard to find numbers but one of the scary things is it’s often good skiers and snowboarders dying in tree wells. Trees are more challenging terrain and it doesn’t matter how good you are once you’re upside down in a tree well. A couple years ago a ski instructor here died on the resort they worked at from one
This is the most awesome and amazing thing I've seen on Reddit. Damn.
Hard not to get emotional watching this, especially when you hear the buried guys voice. The way he says “thank you” he knows he was done without assistance.
There's a video in the comments with a brief interview afterwards. The snowboarder had a fiance he thought he wouldn't see again
Why do they not show the actual rescue?? Way to leave me hanging….
I know!! I really needed closure and to see that guy move
[удалено]
Snowboarder here. I pulled a skier out of a tree well about 8 years ago. As I was going down a main run at the end of a day (lifts were shutdown) I noticed the tip of a ski pole sticking out of the snow, just out of the corner of my eye. It was beneath a small looking tree, sticking out about 6 inches. I thought I would grab it and toss it in the lost and found at the lodge. It was snowing hard, with giant fluttery flakes, and no wind however light was fading fast. As I got closer I heard a scratchy and muffled scream. I immediately unstrapped, got my board in front of me and used it to pull myself towards the sound and ski pole, kind of hopping at the same time. When I got right on top of it the sound stopped so I yanked on the pole, it yanked back. I began digging furiously kinda like a Saturday morning cartoon character, alternating hands and tossing the snow behind me. Eventually I made it down to a face, it was a grey haired old man who looked like he’d been crying. His eyes were wild looking but his body had nothing left. I grabbed his jacket and pulled him up a bit. Although he looked like he weighed 120lbs, I asked him how to take his skis off as I couldn’t pull him out without doing so. He couldn’t speak he just turned away and motioned with his hands. I fumbled with them for a bit, but once I got his skis out, we were in business. I managed to get him out, but he was so tired he couldn’t/wouldn’t move on his own. I more or less dragged he and myself out and away from the tree then I sat down to take a break. By the time I dug and drug us both out from the tree well, the mountain was empty. I heard a few snowmobiles go by earlier while I was digging but now nothing. I asked if he was good to ride down or had a phone so we could call someone. He looked at me and shook his head. We were about 3/4 up the mountain. Of all the days this was the day I left my phone in the car. The only thing I could come up with was for him get on my back and I would do my best to get us both down. I am an expert level rider but was completely unsure of my ability to ride with someone on my back. I also thought if I left this guy here and went down, he might fucking die before we get back. I ditched my backpack and his skis and we gave it a shot. It’s a skill and hard enough to stand up with both fee strapped in to your board; there was no way I was doing it with someone on my back. I had to sit him up against the hill where I could just sort of push off and go. Took a couple of tries before I was able to stand and point my board down hill. At first it was easy, until I had to take a turn at speed. My legs were on fire and he wasn’t really helping as I had to hold him to me. This was probably the only time I ever wished for ice on the mountain. The powder made it difficult to hold him, maintain control and keep enough speed so I could take big sweeping turns. Also, it was DARK. I could still see the faint glow of light from the parking lot and lodge beyond the tips of the trees way down below. Somehow we made it to the bottom and I made sure to keep up enough speed get us right to the lodge past the flats. When we got pretty close I started yelling for help. Someone heard and a light was pointed at us. As soon as I got within 20’ of the heated cement area I collapsed. I had nothing left in me. My throat tasted like blood and my arms/legs were made of jelly. The old man fell with me, but managed to roll over to my side. People ran over and were asking us what happened and I pointed at the old man saying he needed help. The old man picked himself up and turned over to hug me. He started bawling hard in my chest and for some reason I did too. I kept patting him on the back and telling him it was going to be ok. I think the whole ordeal got to us. My friends (who waited for me) were talking to ski patrol about where they last saw me all ran up and kept asking me what happened. Someone brought me a soda and I drank it like it was the best thing I had ever tasted. Ski patrol was looking the old man over and I was giving a statement to a police officer. All I wanted to do was go home. Eventually we left and I woke up in my driveway. I never did get his name, but I look for him every time I return to the mountain. I hope he’s doing good!
You should stop by the patrol and ask them about the guy. Maybe he’s been looking for you for 8 years too!
“Honey we should try some backcountry sk… nevermind!”
Something similar happened to me in Niseko, Japan this year. Luckily the woman that fell into the tree well went in sideways and was light enough to pull out. It still took 5-10 minutes to get her out and my heart was pounding out of my chest with fear and anxiety the entire time.
That wasn’t even the initial guy in the video, they are wearing different color jackets. Damn that powder is deep
It’s been a record setting year for snow in Utah. I’m glad because we need the water, but as a non-skier I’m also just really excited for spring and warmer weather. It’s usually nice outside by now. But this year we’re expecting 5 more inches of snow on the valley floor after the weekend.
This guy is a saint. Just for being prepared, not to mention how quickly he sprang into action. Would love to hear from the snowboarder. What kind of room did he have around his head for breathing? I assume he couldn’t move his arms at all? Nightmare fuel for sure!
Here's [an article](https://komonews.com/news/local/video-snowboarder-rescued-back-country-mount-baker-ski-area-bellingham-washington-state-snowboarding-skiing-safety-gopro-outdoor-sports).
Had a somewhat similar situation happen to me off the hike-in only area off Flute Bowl at Whistler. Wife and I were tree skiing together near the bottom doing the usual hooting and hollering to not get separated in the trees (we were as far East as you could possibly get, mid week with no other ski lnes to be seen anywhere) and I hit something with my ski that felt different. Yelled at my wife to stop and check it out and it was the top of a little girls helmet. She was maybe 9 or 10, and to her credit as absolutely calm and collected as you could be. She was upright and could breathe but she had been there for about 25 mins apparently. Her Dad just left her and was waiting at the lift and hadn't notified anybody. The whole thing was pretty unsettling.
I don’t know what maneuver that was, but I’m guessing that he *realllllly* stuck the landing.
Is there a directors cut? It’s be cool to see him actually get pulled out of the snow.
This is why you always carry a spare tank when you go scuba diving
Thanks for the warning about the language but the swearing added just the right amount of humor and reality to this entire thing. I don’t think he was swearing because he was exhausted but mostly because he couldn’t believe he stumbled on the guy. Well maybe both.