'Whiteout' conditions reported on day of tree well accident

Tragedy struck the slopes at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Saturday when a 54-year-old California man died after falling head first into a tree well.

According to authorities, Douglas Spring was skiing with his son in an off-piste area between the double-black diamond Bighorn run and Gray Wolf on the north side of Big Mountain. When the son arrived at the bottom of the ski run and his father failed to show up, he returned to the top and retraced their route. He eventually saw his father’s skis sticking out of the snow.

Whitefish ski patrol responded at 12:23 p.m. and continued with CPR efforts while Spring was transported to North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic.

The incident is under investigation by the U.S. Forest Service and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office. The resort also is conducting an investigation.

In a statement released Monday, resort officials said any death on the slopes is felt deeply by the skiing community.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends affected by this tragedy,” the statement said.

The incident is the first tree-well related death in the U.S. this season. Also on Saturday, a 63-year-old skier at Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia, Canada died after falling into a tree well.

According to the Northwest Avalanche Institute, about four tree-well related deaths happen each year in the U.S.

Previous tree-well deaths on Big Mountain occurred in 1978, 1979, 1990, 2010 and 2011.

One of the most notable was in 1979 when Forest Service silviculturist and outdoor photographer Danny On died in a tree well on Big Mountain.

The Danny On Memorial Trail on Big Mountain is named after him.

Most tree well accidents happen during or just after a big snow storm, the avalanche institute reports.

Whitefish Mountain Resort reported 7 inches of new snow Saturday and nearly 20 inches of new snow since Jan. 8. Winds were whipping out of the south and visibility was reduced in the morning hours due to fog and blowing snow.

Resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus described the weather at the summit as “whiteout” conditions.

“In general, research tells us these incidents occur more often during big snow years — like we’re having this year,” Polumbus said.

Paul Baugher, director of the Northwest Avalanche Institute and tree-well accident researcher, says most deep snow immersion accidents happen after storms drop two feet or more fresh snow.

“That’s a good dump of powder,” he said.

While tree wells account for about 70 percent of deep snow immersion deaths, they can occur anywhere off-piste, such as in a creek bed or below a rock outcropping.

“Sometimes a skier just lawn darts into the snow,” Baugher said. “If no one is there to help, they can’t get themselves out.”

Baugher says resorts have become more proactive with warning skiers about the dangers of tree wells and deep snow.

“People are getting the information and that’s good,” he said. “Education is powerful and that’s the answer.”

Polumbus said signs warning about the danger of tree wells are posted at the summit of Big Mountain and near the Bighorn slope where Saturday’s accident occurred. She also notes the resort posts on its daily snow report a list of tree-well safety tips.

According to the guidelines, skiers are advised to avoid deep snow and trees, and to ski with a partner.

Baugher says skiing with a partner isn’t enough — it’s staying within sight of a partner that is critical.

The Northwest Avalanche Institute reports that more than half of deep snow immersion victims were skiing with partners.

“Maintaining partner contact is really important,” he said.

That’s tough for skiers on a powder day, Baugher added, when the excitement level is elevated with the snowpack.

Saturday’s death on Big Mountain comes less than two weeks after a German family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Missoula alleging Whitefish Mountain Resort was grossly negligent in its handling of tree wells and that the negligence directly resulted in the death of their son, Niclas Waschle, in 2011.

Waschle fell head first into a tree well near T-bar 2 before dying three days later at the hospital due to asphyxiation and suffocation as a result of the accident.

Resort officials say that while Waschle’s death was an emotional and tragic event, the lawsuit is “groundless.”

Baugher says there is no practical way for ski areas to eliminate the inherent risks of powder skiing.

“The inherent risks of powder skiing are not going away,” he said. “There’s nothing ski areas can do about it other than maybe close the area. It’s going to be an ongoing issue where you have people that are confronted with the inherent risks.”

Yet, he says, there are steps skiers and resorts can take to mitigate those risks.

“Arm yourself with knowledge and stick to a plan,” Baugher said.

“Ski areas are getting the information out, especially in the western U.S. We’ve come a long way in the last 10 years.”

Learn more about tree well and deep snow immersion safety at www.deepsnowsafety.org.