Snowboarder Killed After Being Buried in Deep Snow at Park City Mountain, UT A 55-year-old male snowboarder from Hawaii lost his life at Park City Mountain, Utah, on Wednesday, March 19, after being discovered buried in snow on an intermediate trail. The incident occurred in the Canyons Village area of the resort, near the Alley run off the Super Condor Express lift. Related: Seattle Skier Dies in Tragic Tree Well Accident at Mt. […] Industry News SnowBrains | March 20, 2025 0 Comments
Seattle Skier Dies in Tragic Tree Well Accident at Mt. Bachelor, OR A skier tragically lost his life at Mt. Bachelor on March 17, 2025, after falling into a tree well and becoming trapped in deep snow. The victim, identified as 34-year-old Benjamin Shelkey of Seattle, Washington, was found unresponsive by fellow skiers who worked desperately to free him before beginning CPR. The emergency unfolded at 3:04 p.m. when Deschutes County 911 received […] Industry News Brent Thomas | March 18, 2025 0 Comments
79-Year-Old Man Found Alive after Spending the Night in a Tree Well at Blacktail Mountain, MT A 79-year-old male skier was found alive after spending an entire night lost at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area in Montana. The man had taken shelter in a tree well—a hollow space that forms around a tree trunk when snowfall accumulates on its branches, preventing snow buildup beneath. To stay warm, he used pine branches as insulation and started a small […] Industry News Brent Thomas | February 24, 2025 0 Comments
Big Snow Can Also Bring Big Problems: Snow Immersion Suffocation Powder days are great, one of the many reasons we ski and ride. Whether it’s 6” or 16”, cutting fresh tracks and taking face shots make everything worthwhile. The rare storms, where we count snowfall in feet, not inches, will have us talking about it for years. Remember that storm in Feb 2023… Related: VIDEO: Pro Skier Shows Us the […] Brains SnowBrains | February 14, 2025 3 Comments
New Snow Safety Video to Raise Awareness About Deep Snow and Avalanche Risks TRUCKEE, Calif.—[January 24, 2025]—The High Fives Foundation announces the release of its latest snow safety video, designed to promote awareness and education about the hidden dangers of winter sports. From avalanches to tree wells and deep snow immersions, this engaging video highlights life-saving protocols that every skier and rider should know. B.A.S.I.C.S. 2025 campaign, Deep Snow, features key safety principles […] SnowBrains | January 25, 2025 0 Comments
Skier Dies After Falling Into Tree Well at Mount Bachelor, OR A skier died after he was found unresponsive in a tree well at Mount Bachelor, OR, on Friday. The man has been identified as Birkan Uzun, a 28-year-old skier from Seattle. Ski patrol officials found Uzun unresponsive in a tree well on Thursday and took him to the resort’s first-aid clinic, according to the Bend Bulletin. He was then taken […] SnowBrains | January 4, 2022 1 Comment
Snowboarder Found Buried in Deep Snow in Ravine in Closed Area of SilverStar Mountain Resort, BC Police are investigating the death of a snowboarder at SilverStar Mountain Resort, BC, at the weekend. The victim, who was riding alone, was discovered buried in deep snow in a ravine in the closed Putnam Creek area of the resort. A passing skier saw his snowboard sticking out of the snow. The area was closed due to poor conditions. “The initial […] SnowBrains | December 21, 2021 0 Comments
Woman’s Scary Tree Well Experience Reminds Us It’s Not Just Avalanches That Can Kill During Heavy Snow With periods of heavy snow the safety focus is often on avalanches, and quite rightly so as the tragic fatality at Crystal Mountain, WA, on Saturday highlights. However, there are other dangers that come with deep snow. One of those is snow immersion suffocation, most commonly caused by falling into a tree well. The Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center […] SnowBrains | December 13, 2021 0 Comments
21-Year-Old Skier Died Tuesday in a Tree Well at Bridger Bowl Ski Area, MT A 21-year-old skier died in a tree well at Bridger Bowl ski area, MT on Tuesday. The resort had seen 11″ of fresh snow in the previous 48-hours. Related: Big Snow Can Also Bring Big Problems: Snow Immersion Suffocation Responding patrollers performed CPR in an attempt to revive the as yet unnamed skier, but were unfortunately unsuccessful. Bridger Bowl released the […] Industry News SnowBrains | February 18, 2021 0 Comments
Backcountry Skier Dies in Tree Well Near Whistler, BC | 3rd Death in the Area This Week A man has died after falling into a tree well while skiing in the Whistler, BC backcountry, reports Squamish RCMP. Over 30″ of fresh snow had fallen recently on the area. Related: Tree Well And Deep Snow Suffocation Safety Information Paramedics and Whistler Search and Rescue were called to the Brandywine Bowl skiing and snowmobiling area around 4:45 pm on Thursday. […] Industry News SnowBrains | January 4, 2021 0 Comments
VIDEO: Snowmobilers Dig Out Moose Trapped in DEEP Tree Well [arve url="https://youtu.be/H1FYIG8Rwdc"] SnowBrains | March 30, 2020 Likes Tweets 0 Comments
Tree Well And Deep Snow Suffocation Safety Information Brought to you by Ski California Tree well and deep snow suffocation is a serious problem in the Western USA and Canada. Incidents occur with deep snow accumulations and tree well immersions, where a skier or snowboarder falls into an area of deep, unconsolidated snow and becomes immobilized. Since 2001, there have been more snow immersion deaths in California than any other […] Brains Chris Wallner | February 11, 2020 22 Comments
2 Men Killed in Tree Wells in Separate Incidents at British Columbia Resorts Two people died in tree wells at two separate British Columbia ski resorts over the weekend, as more snowsports accidents lead to fatalities in a tragic weekend. The first happened just after noon on Friday at Whitewater Ski Resort, near Nelson. A passing skier discovered the snowboarder in a tree well in an out of bounds area. They immediately started […] Industry News SnowBrains | January 21, 2020 0 Comments
37-Year-Old Man Died in Deep Snow at Alta Ski Area, UT A Seattle man died Thursday at Alta Ski Area, UT after he was found unresponsive near a tree in deep snow, according to authorities. 37-year-old Sean Brennan was found unconscious near the Sunspot area by skiers at around 2:30 pm. The skiers performed lifesaving efforts before he was transported to Alta Medical Clinic, where he was pronounced dead. Related: Tree Well […] Industry News SnowBrains | January 6, 2020 0 Comments
Body of Missing Snowboarder Found in Tree Well at Northstar, CA The Placer County Sheriff’s Office reported on Saturday that a snowboarder from Vallejo, California was found dead Wednesday at Northstar California Resort, reports KOLO. 40-year-old Danieson Crowder went snowboarding by himself last Monday. When he didn’t return from the trip, his family reported him missing on Wednesday, said Placer County Sgt. Dave Hunt. “Northstar California, Northstar Ski Patrol, and the […] Industry News SnowBrains | March 18, 2019 0 Comments
Male Skier Died in Tree Well at Mt. Bachelor, OR this Weekend | Third Such Death in 12-Months A man skiing at Mt. Bachelor, OR fell into a tree well and died on Friday afternoon, according to a report from resort officials. The male skier was found unresponsive in the tree well shortly before 3 pm, Drew Jackson, the resort’s director of marketing and communications, told KTVZ. The skier was later identified as 53-year-old Kenneth Brundidge of Oregon City, […] SnowBrains | March 6, 2019 0 Comments
Man Died After Falling into Tree Well on Mount Hood, OR on Saturday A Timberline Lodge spokesman says a skier has died after falling into a tree well on Mount Hood, OR. The Oregonian reports the 42-year-old man, whose name has yet to be released, was skiing with a friend when he fell into the tree well on Saturday. “All of us at Timberline are heartbroken by the loss experienced at the mountain […] SnowBrains | February 25, 2019 0 Comments
9-Year-Old Boy Found Dead at Big Sky Resort, MT The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that a 9-year-old boy was reported missing by his father at 2:51pm on February 19th, 2019 and was found deceased shortly thereafter. The boy was found in a tree well. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office reports that the boy died of blunt force injuries caused by hitting a tree. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office […] Industry News SnowBrains | February 23, 2019 0 Comments
Mount Ashland, OR Patroller Passed Away Saturday After Falling into Tree Well A member of the Mount Ashland, OR ski patrol team passed away on Saturday after falling into a tree well. Johnathan “Johnny” Patrick Likeke Walker, 23, was skiing behind 2 other ski patrollers at the time of the accident. His fellow ski patrol members were aware of the accident, and climbed back up the slope, dug him out and started first aid […] Industry News SnowBrains | February 22, 2019 0 Comments
Snowboarder Dies At Sun Valley After Falling Into A Tree Well According to Idaho News, a 34-year-old man from Maridian, ID was found unresponsive in a tree well on at 1:30pm on Saturday, February 25th, 2017. Derek Klein was found in a tree well near Can-Can Ski Run. Members of the Sun Valley Ski Patrol performed CPR on him and they took him to River Run base area, where he was transferred […] Industry News Chris Wallner | March 3, 2017 1 Comment
Industry News
Brains
