Abstract
To the Editor:
The final week of 2010 was bittersweet for snowriders. Massive storms pummeled the western mountains in North America with big fat flakes. Skiers and snowboarders flocked to the deep powder snow on holiday break. Unfortunately, in a 2-week span between December 2010 and January 2011, 6 died of snow immersion asphyxiation (SIA), also called nonavalanche-related snow immersion death, in deep snow and tree wells. Fortunately, a seventh skier was able to extricate himself from a tree well, but just barely.
Back in 2003 and again in 2010, I speculated that avalanche safety equipment may be useful to prevent SIA deaths.1,2 With this string of cases, avalanche rescue equipment was used in two cases: one of the deceased was recovered with an avalanche beacon, and one skier survived tree well immersion while using an artificial air pocket device (Avalung II, Black Diamond Ltd, Salt Lake City, UT).
A 32-year-old snowboarder was on a guided backcountry trip at Retallack Lodge near Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada. According to news reports, the snowboarder was descending a slope and fell head first into deep snow. When she was noted to be missing, a guide located her with an avalanche transceiver. She was pulseless and apneic. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was unsuccessful. 3
The survivor was a skier at Whitefish Mountain Resort, in Whitefish, Montana, the location of 2 of the 6 deaths. He fell head first into a tree well, placed the Avalung II mouthpiece in his mouth and was able to breathe while extricating himself, according to his account posted on the Black Diamond Ltd website. 4
The 6 deaths in California, Montana, and British Columbia were likely suffocation. The unlucky were found inbounds, out-of-bounds (ticketed lift-access snowriders who exit the ski resort), and in the backcountry. They were skiers and snowboarders. They were of varied skill levels. One died in a deep snow-covered creek. The two commonalities: deep snow and stormy weather.
Snow immersion asphyxiation occurs when skiers and snowboarders fall upside down in deep snow or in the cavernous tree wells around big conifers, are unable to right themselves, and suffocate. Lethality is often rapid, as fast as 15 minutes. And it is very difficult, if not impossible, to extricate oneself. Struggling can cause one to sink deeper. Removing skis does not seem to help either. The primary key to safety is avoidance: ski and ride within your skills, use the proper tool (deep powder requires long, fat skis or snowboard for flotation), and employ a buddy system—stay in voice and visual contact.
If you get sucked into a tree well or fall in deep snow, try to tuck, roll, and land upright, grab the tree trunk or a branch, and yell to alert your partner. If buried upside down, stay calm, and create an air pocket, which is probably of paramount importance. A gentle rocking motion may help pack down snow to aid in extrication and to create an air pocket; or movement may cause one to sink deeper.
Avalanche safety equipment is carried by most backcountry skiers and snowboarders and ski and snowboard mountaineers. These include a transceiver, shovel and probe, and sometimes a specialty backpack like an Avalung or avalanche airbag backpack such as the Float 30 made by Backcountry Access (Boulder, CO), or comparable models produced by Mystery Ranch (Bozeman, MT), ABS Avalanche Airbag System (Gräfelfing, Germany), and Mammut (Seon, Switzerland).
An avalanche transceiver may speed rescue if the victim's location is unknown or if he or she is totally buried—as with the case above. An Avalung may prolong survival, allowing time for rescuers to locate a victim or allow for him or her to self-extricate. It is less likely that an avalanche airbag backpack would aid in nonavalanche immersion. Airbag backpacks are deployed at the onset of an avalanche to help prevent burial. It would be likely deployed after one is caught in a tree well and buried.
Five of the 6 deaths occurred either inbounds or just out of bounds; the survivor was within the winter resort also. However, these avalanche safety tools are not typically carried by those recreating inbounds at winter resorts. Several barriers make carrying this equipment problematic while skiing and snowboarding at winter resorts. Equipment is expensive, requires substantial time to become proficient using and is, cumbersome to carry while riding a chair lift. However, contrary to a long tradition of not carrying avalanche safety equipment while skiing inbounds, more winter resort skiers and snowboarders are carrying safety gear.