Tree well hazard ‘omnipresent,’ but snow riders can take safety steps

Published 1:00 pm Tuesday, December 17, 2024

BEND — Those who love skiing and snowboarding in untouched powder will go to great lengths to get their fix, wandering off between the trees into parts of winter resorts that are more wilderness than ski area. But lurking beneath the snow is perhaps one of the most deadly dangers of winter sports: the tree well.

Tree wells are formed by the unstable distribution of snow around the base of trees, which creates deep pockets of snow and air that don’t compress due to the protection of low hanging evergreen branches. These pockets are often invisible, and skiers or snowboarders can be lured in by the prospect of catching what looks like fresh, untouched powder. Instead what they find is winter quicksand that can quickly suffocate anyone who can’t get out.

“The danger of loose, unconsolidated snow is that, if a skier or rider falls into a tree well inverted, their equipment then becomes above them and it is difficult to self-extricate from that situation,” said Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol Director David Thomas. “Right now we have early season conditions, and even though the coverage is typically good, we haven’t had the same compaction that we would maybe later in the season.”

Deadly incidents

Five people have died in tree wells at Mt. Bachelor since 2018, with many more non-fatal tree well incidents. The most recent fatality happened last season, when Robert Douglas Harrington, 58, of Bend died while skiing alone in the area west of the Northwest chairlift. He was found unresponsive by another skier approximately 30 minutes after falling into a tree well.

Many of these incidents take place on the less traveled areas of Mt. Bachelor ski area similar to where Harrington was found, but even more well-traveled areas pose a risk. In 2023, a snowboarder rescued a woman swallowed by a tree well while doing laps on Cloudchaser, a popular Mt. Bachelor lift.

“I mean, the tree well absolutely sucked her in,” recalled Kegan Creed in an interview with The Bulletin shortly after the incident. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Take steps for safety

Stories of tree well immersion emphasize the single greatest safety measure skiers and snowboarders can take when venturing off the beaten path: never go alone. Thomas said it’s always best practice to ski or snowboard within eyesight of a partner so that, if they fall into a tree well, you are able to quickly help them get out. It is also best only to go off-trail when you are ready and fully in control of your skis or snowboard.

“What makes them dangerous is if people are not aware of the hazard when they venture off of groomed terrain. Then, they may not be following best practices, skiing or riding close to a partner, riding in control, making sure to avoid not just large trees with the obvious tree wells, but also grouping smaller trees that may have unconsolidated pockets within the collection of that grouping,” Thomas said.

Where larger tree wells may be obvious and easy to avoid, there are smaller trees that lurk beneath the 100 inches of snow that might accumulate off-trail on . Some of the smaller trees that skiers and snowboarders see poking out of the ground are actually 15-20 feet tall, and can have a lot of unconsolidated snow among  their branches below the surface.

But while skiers and snowboarders — or anyone who does outdoor winter recreation  — should be wise to the danger of tree wells, that doesn’t mean it should completely stop the fun. Be aware of the risks and take precautions. 

“It’s impossible to forecast for the hazard itself. It’s just something that is omnipresent,” said Thomas. “There is a possibility of falling into a tree well at any time, but that’s something that each rider or skier needs to take consideration when they venture off groomed terrain.”

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