Snowboarder Death At Whistler
TomK
02 Dec 2003
When a snowboarder falls into a treewell, they almost always go in head first and get stuck with the board above them and snow filling in around thier head.
The inner slopes of the treewell are very soft and fluffy and you just can't get your airway clear to breath. Horrible way to go.
With skis, it seems about half and half headfirst/skifirst.
With skis you can often reach the bindings with a ski pole to release them and then get yourself back upright and work you way out. Boarders dont have that option.
If you fall down into one head first only 1 out of 10 will be able to make it out unassisted (results of a controlled test with a bunch of very experienced and fit backcountry folks).
Think of an Ant Lion's pit trap. ( http://www.antlionpi...m/antlions.html )
Here's a link to a video of a guy falling into a small well.
http://www.cascadeclassics.org/SouthCascad...TreeWellBen.mpg
Even more than avy hazard or simple trauma, tree wells are a big reason I don't take runs in the trees alone.
The inner slopes of the treewell are very soft and fluffy and you just can't get your airway clear to breath. Horrible way to go.
With skis, it seems about half and half headfirst/skifirst.
With skis you can often reach the bindings with a ski pole to release them and then get yourself back upright and work you way out. Boarders dont have that option.
If you fall down into one head first only 1 out of 10 will be able to make it out unassisted (results of a controlled test with a bunch of very experienced and fit backcountry folks).
Think of an Ant Lion's pit trap. ( http://www.antlionpi...m/antlions.html )
Here's a link to a video of a guy falling into a small well.
http://www.cascadeclassics.org/SouthCascad...TreeWellBen.mpg
Even more than avy hazard or simple trauma, tree wells are a big reason I don't take runs in the trees alone.
SkiBachelor
02 Dec 2003
I wonder if snowboarders can get out if they had clicker bindings, although they arn't as popular today as they used to be.
TomK
02 Dec 2003
SkiBachelor, on Dec 2 2003, 05:48 PM, said:
I wonder if snowboarders can get out if they had clicker bindings, although they arn't as popular today as they used to be.
Clickers still require you to get your hand down to the binding to release it, so no.
I've got a boarding buddy with clickers - great for getting his loose foot latched down while he rides the chair, but no release capability without touching his toes.
I watch him real close when in tree well country, he leads or more often is a middle man on those runs.
