TREE WELLS CAN KILL

PINECREST, CA--Snow sport enthusiast, who get to close to trees, can fall into "tree wells" and die a nightmarish death.

Tree wells are big holes that heat from trees make. These holes surround the trees and once you land in one, it's hard to get out: most of the time you land upside down, in the hole , and you cannot move to turn right-side up. You will die either from suffocation--from the lack of oxygen, or from breathing in carbon dioxide--or from hypothermia, the lowering of the body temperature.

Because of the recent big snowfall in the Sierras, wells can be expected to form near anything that gives off its body heat. Skiers and snow enthusiast should stay away from trees, buildings,etc, for their own safety.

The old safety story is: Always, always ski or snowboard with a partner or a friend. There are many reasons for this: A partner can dig you out before you suffocate, and then treat you for hypothermia, which almost always happens at tree well accidents. The latest tree well death happened in February 2009 in the Central Sierras.

Remember, always have a partner when you participate in a snow sport.