(MT) -- Storms are stacking up for the Pacific Northwest and the volunteers of
the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol are issuing warnings.

The news spread quickly about the 15-year-old skier who died Dec. 22 at
Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho after falling into a tree
well.

“Skiing or riding off the groomed trails is a blast on a powder day,” said Mt.
Hood Ski Patrol’s Brian Barker. “But if you fall into a tree well in deep powder,
you may not be able to get yourself out. (The Idaho) death is a sad reminder
that tree wells can kill.”

The warning is a simple one: always ski or snowboard with a partner if you
plan to leave the groomed trails at a ski area.

“Ski or ride with a partner,” Barker said. “It’s more fun and you’ll have
someone watching your back just in case the powder gets too deep.”

Tree well or deep snow accidents occur when a skier or snowboarder falls into
an area of deep unconsolidated snow and becomes immobilized. Due to the
nature of the loose snow, the more a person struggles the more entrapped
they become. If another person is not there to provide assistance, the trapped
skier or snowboarder can suffocate.

This kind of death is called a NARSID, or Non-Avalanche Related Snow
Immersion Death.

To learn more about tree well safety, visit the Northwest Avalanche Institute’s
Web site at www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com.

The Mt. Hood Ski Patrol is one of America’s busiest volunteer ski patrols,
providing nearly 2,500 days of service to four ski areas on Mount Hood.

The patrol is one of the oldest in the country, founded in 1937 by a group of
men who wanted to help injured skiers.

Seventy years later, the patrol boasts more than 200 volunteers who help
thousands of injured skiers on Mount Hood every year.

The ski patrol is a non-profit volunteer organization. None of the patrollers are
paid for their hard work nor are they reimbursed for their expenses. They
spend countless hours of their free time patrolling Mount Hood’s slopes and
keeping up to date on the best medical training available.

To learn more about the organization, visit the Web site at
www.mthoodskipatrol.org.