lowrider Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 The recent death of two people in BC this past week has prompted me to make an appeal to fellow riders to ride with a buddy not just anyone but someone who has your and their best interests in mind. Like an avalanche time is against you if it happens to you and the people you ride with are your life line. They will be of no use in rescuing you if they are 500 yards down the run and their idea of helping is to go look for patrol. Protocall at some resorts might be that if your an adult they may not begin to search until they have checked at the bar. Believe it or not some missing people end up being found in the bar. If a child is missing search begins immediately . Adults are supposed to be more responsible so getting lost is not the same priority as a lost child would be. In my opinion the only one responsible for ending up in a tree well is the person in the tree well but the consequences fall heavily on the people operating the resort communications and patrol infrastructure. The resort employees fallow the protocall they train for it may or may not fit your situation. Please plan when you head down a run with your buddy and know where your riding partner is at all times. Resort employees often blame themselves for not finding the victims sooner while in reality it is not possible. As MCC approaches please be extra careful Turner Mt. is not as big as Whistler but with only 100 - 150 people it is possible to do a lap and not see another rider. Buddy up and stay safe ! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dredman Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 Tree wells typically get 1-2 people a year at Whitefish. Turner’s vegetation type is not the same at Whitefish, and less conducive to tree well accidents, still possible but much less likely. Spruce and alpine fir that have branches all the way to the ground make the nasty tree wells. Turner is mostly Douglas Fir, Larch, and lodgepole pine. Turner has also done a great job limbing up the trees in the gladed runs. Great points on keeping an eye on your buddy when riding off piste! Stay Safe! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 As I've said before, it's (at least for me) important that you should be able to release your bindings at any time when you're in danger. I run Intecs with webbing attached to the release. The webbing then runs up the inside of my pants leg, inside my jacket and into my mitts ending in a synthetic double carabiner. To release all I have to do is extend my arm which activates the Intec release. The plus to this is I can step out anytime without bending over, and coming into the lift line, there's no awkward moments trying to balance while sliding in. I'll take a picture and include it shortly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 Plastic clip slips into release and then 2 clips for adjustment. 5/8" Webbing about 7' from REI or your local climbing store. Plastic carabiners from REI, Eddie Bauer etc. because the Double Carabiners are much easier to hold in the palm of you hand and they don't transmit cold. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dredman Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 This was a picture from 2008 of @johnasmo going the right way into a tree well at Whitefish. Going in head first can be a one time affair. Play with caution! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eboot Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 12 minutes ago, dredman said: This was a picture from 2008 of @johnasmo going the right way into a tree well at Whitefish. Going in head first can be a one time affair. good buddy - there to take the pics!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban Carving Gooding Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 I stay on the groomers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 we lost a local skier in a well at schwietzer just last month. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st_lupo Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 On 1/10/2022 at 7:39 PM, dredman said: This was a picture from 2008 of @johnasmo going the right way into a tree well at Whitefish. Going in head first can be a one time affair. Play with caution! All’s well that ends well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowburn Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 9 hours ago, b0ardski said: we lost a local skier in a well at schwietzer just last month. Very sad to hear. 9 hours ago, b0ardski said: we lost a local skier in a well at schwietzer just last month. We had one person last year as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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