"Tree Wells Cause Deaths At Steamboat"

As more and more snow continues to fall in the mountains, skiers need to be warned of the dangers of tree wells. The unstable holes that form around the base of trees create snow pack around the trunk. Skiers and snowboarders have died from falling into tree wells and suffocating. There have been six deaths at Steamboat Ski Resort since 2000, four have been caused by suffocation.

Ski areas are beginning to post signs explaining tree wells and warning skiers about areas that could be dangerous. The problem is that most ski resorts are too large and just posting signs might not efficiently reach people. There are so many trees between runs and in out of bounds areas.

It is scary to think that it is possible to fall into the snow and not be able to unbury yourself. Jared Daniel fell into a tree well at Steamboat and it took about 15 minutes before his friend and others who came to help were able to free Daniel from the snow.