Boolla mukaa cuuphamuu (SIS) fi budaa gadi fagoo qorra ukkaamsuu lubbuun jiraachuu¶

boolli mukaa (ykn Snow Immersion Suffocation / SIS hazard) bakka duwwaa dhokataa, kan hin jabamne kan qorra laaftuu, damee gadi aanaa fannifamee fi qilleensi jirma muka konifer erga qorri cimaan roobee booda marsee jiruu dha. Namni iskii ykn isnooboordii taphatu tokko naannoo muka yeroo hunda magariisa ta’etti qarqara qabatee mataa isaa dura boolla dhokataa kana keessa yeroo kufu, golgaan naannoo isaa qorra budaa goggogaa akka cirracha lubbuu qabuutti gara keessaatti kufee, iskii ykn isnooboordii isaanii ammoo dameewwan olitti argaman keessa seenuudhaan dukkana guutuu keessatti garagalchanii kiyyootti galcha. Akka Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) fi National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Ameerikaa fi Kanaadaatti, non-avalanche Snow Immersion Suffocation tilmaamaan du’a ispoortii qorraa daangaa keessaa hunda keessaa dhibbeentaa 20 hanga 25 yeroo budaa gadi fagoo keessatti, akkasumas yaalii lubbuun jiraachuu keessatti, tola ooltonni boolla mukaa keessa kaa’aman keessaa dhibbeentaan 90 hiriyaa malee of baraaruu hin dandeenye muka sanaan alatti dhaabatee.

Qajeelfamni kun namoota iskii, warra isnooboordii, warra qorraa, fi warra duubatti yaabbatan yoo boolla mukaa ykn kiisha budaa gadi fagoo keessa kuftan sekondii 5 jalqabaa keessatti maal gochuu akka qabdan, maaliif dha’uun qorri battalumatti akka walitti qabamuu fi ukkaamfamuu fida, akkamitti hiriyyoonni boolla gubbaa tarkaanfachuu mannaa gama gadi bu’aa irraa garagalanii garagalchuu akka qaban, akkasumas guyyoota budaa irratti akkamitti kiyyoo boolla mukaa ittisuu akka danda’an keessa deema.

Amma kana godhi¶

1. Yoo gara boolla mukaatti kufaa jirta ta'e: utubaawwan kee gadi dhiisiitii hatattamaan jirma mukaa ykn damee mukaa qabi. Yeroo naannoo mukaatti yaabbattu harka kee gonkumaa qaphxii harka utubaa iskii keessa hin kaa'in. Yeroo kuftu, mataa fi garaan kee gara bakka duwwaa isa gadiitti akka hin kufneef, jirma mukaa jabaa ykn damee gubbaa furdaa sana hammachuudhaaf harka lamaan diriirsi.
2. Yoo qorra keessa garagaltee buute: Miila kee HIN dha'in, HIN rukutin, ykn HIN sochoosin. Qorqorroo budaa laaftuu fi hin jabaanne keessatti, qabsaa'uun sirriitti akka makaanikaal simintoo raafamaatti hojjeta: rukuttaa hunduu qorra kiiloo giraama dhibbaan lakkaa'amu damee armaan olii irraa rukutee garaa fi fuula kee irratti cimsee paak godha, gadi fageenyaan si liqimsa. Miila keessan hatattamaan qabbanaa'aa.
3. Jalqaba afaanii fi hidhii kee fuulduratti kiisha qilleensa hafuura baafachuu uumi. Osoo qorri hin qubatin harka fuulduraa tokko qaxxaamursii ykn harka kee fuula kee fuulduratti kooppii godhii bakka xiqqaa seentimeetira 10 hanga 15 (inchii 4 hanga 6) ta’u naannoo afaanii fi hidhii kee dhiibuuf, akkasumas qoma kee tuck ykn gaiter/collar morma kee ol harkisi akka hin kufneef yeroo afuura baafattu ujummoo qilleensaa keessanitti.
4. Tasgabbaa'aa, suuta hafuura baafadhaa, fi fiigicha keessan afuufaa (yoo afaan keessanitti dhihoo ta'e). Panic hyperventilation kiisha oksijiinii xiqqaa keessan saffisaan nyaachuun qorra naannoo fuula keessanii hafuura ho'aatiin baala, kunis deebi'ee qabbanaa'ee gara qilleensa hin galchine ice glaze ("ice mask") ta'a. Yoo harka tokkoon jirma mukaa bira gahuu dandeesse, akka gadi fageenyaan hin siqneef qabadhu, hiriyaa kee eegi.
5. Yoo hiriyyaa ala taate: GONKUMAA qarqara boolla sanaa irratti hin tarkaanfatin ykn miidhamaa sana boottii/iskii isaaniitiin kallattiin ol hin harkisin. Gara qarqara mukaa isa gubbaa boollaatti tarkaanfachuun qorra toonii tokko kallattiin mataa hiriyyaa keetii irratti kuffisa, akkasumas iskii wedged ykn snowboard irratti gara oliitti harkisuun mataa isaanii boolla keessa gadi fageenyaan oofuu qofa.
6. Hatattamaan Ski Patrol ykn tajaajila balaa tasaa bilbilaa cinaacha irraa ykn gara mataa isaaniitti gadi bu'anii qota. Konkolaachiftoota dhiyoo jiran akka gargaaraniif iyyi, riizoortii Lakkoofsa hatattamaa Ski Patrol bilbili (ykn lakkoofsa balaa tasaa naannoo keessanii bilbilaa: 911 guutuu Gamtaa Awurooppaa, 999 Yunaayitid Kingidam keessatti; keenya ilaalaa lakkoofsa balaa tasaa galmee), mataa miidhamaa bootii jala barbaaduu, fi tunnel gara keessaatti cinaacha/gadi bu'uu ujummoo qilleensaa naannoo fuula isaanii jiru qulqulleessuuf osoo hidhaa isaanii hiikuu dura.

Dhangala’aa murtii lubbuun jiraachuu fi baraarsa hiriyaa gaa’elaa hatattamaa¶

Ati kan yaabbatu boolla mukaa keessa kufe yookiin hiriyyaa hiriyyaan kee damee jalatti akka bade reefuu arge yoo taate, tartiiba kana hatattamaan hordofi.

flowchart TD
    A["Rider Naannoo Muka Conifer ykn Kiisa Budaa Gadi Fagootti Kufe"] --> B{"Yeroo Ammaa Gahee Kamirra Jirta?"}
    B -->|"Ani Yaabbataa Boolla Mukaa Keessatti Kufeedha"| C["Hatattamaan Utubaa Iskii gadi dhiisii Jirma Mukaa ykn Damee Ulfaataa Qabi"]
    C --> D["Kufaatii Funnel Qorqorroo Ittisuuf Miila Dha'uu fi Rukutuu Hunda Dhaabuu"]
    D --> E["Harka ykn Harka Duraa Afaan & Hidhii Irratti Kubbaa Kiisha Hafuura Baafannaa Bocuuf"]
    E --> F["Yoo Ga’uu Danda’e Jirma Qabduu, Suuta Hafuura Fudhadhu, Qotiinsa Hiriyaa Eegaa"]
    B -->|"Ani Hiriyaa Alaa Kan Rider Bade Argeedha"| G["Muka Sirrii Irratti Sirreeffama Mul'ataa Cimaa Taasifadhu (Iskii Qajeelaa ykn Utubaa Rim Alaatiin Mallattoo) ."]
    G --> H["Lakkoofsa Hatattamaa Paatroolii Iskii Riizoortii / 911 / 112 bilbiluun Namoota Dhihoo Jiranitti Iyyi"]
    H --> I["Funyaan Boollaa Gubbaa Irratti HIN Tarkaanfatinaa fi Iskii Miidhamaa ykn Isnooboordii Irratti Ol HIN Harkinaa"]
    I --> J["Mataa fi Gad fageenya Garaa Miidhamaa Baruuf Harka Jirma Irratti Suuta Suuta Qoradhu"]
    J --> K["Tunnel Inward Horizontally Gama Gadi Bu'uu Irraa Kallattiin Gara Fuula Miidhamaa"]
    K --> L["Dura Afaanii fi Hidhii Irraa Qorqorroo Qulqulleessi, Sana booda Hidhamtoota Gadi Lakkisiitii Baasi"]

How a tree well forms and why conifers look safe from above¶

Many skiers and snowboarders assume that if there is 2 meters (6.5 feet) of fresh snow on the open ski run, the snow stays flat right up to the trunk of every pine, fir, spruce, or hemlock tree. In reality, low-hanging evergreen branches act like a giant umbrella:

1. The branch umbrella: As meters of snow fall over the winter, the wide, downward-sloping lower branches of fir, spruce, hemlock, and cedar trees catch the falling snow and prevent it from reaching the ground around the base of the trunk.
2. The hidden 2-to-3-meter (6-to-10-foot) void: Directly beneath the bottom branches sits a deep, conical pit of air, tangled dead branches, and loose, uncompacted feathers of dry snow extending all the way down to the bare forest dirt or rocks, even when the surrounding snowpack is 3 meters (10 feet) deep.
3. The visual illusion: From 5 meters (16 feet) uphill, the snow-covered outer tips of the tree branches blend smoothly into the smooth powder slope. A rider carving a turn too close to the outer branch skirt ("skirting the tree") breaks through the thin crust of branch tips and drops straight into the hidden vertical shaft headfirst.

Step-by-step survival protocol if YOU fall into a tree well¶

If you lose control or catch an edge and feel yourself pitching headfirst under the branches of a conifer tree, your actions in the first 3 to 5 seconds before the snow settles determine your survival.

Step 1: Fight to stay upright or arrest your slide on the trunk¶

• Never wear ski pole wrist straps in the trees: If your hands are looped inside pole straps when you fall into a tree well, the poles catch on branches and pin your arms backward over your head so you cannot reach your face to clear snow. When skiing glades or off-piste powder, always hold your pole grips without putting your hands through the wrist loops.
• Hug the trunk or thick inner branches: As you crash through the outer boughs, lunge with both arms for the solid wooden tree trunk or thick inner limbs and wrap your arms or legs around them like a climbing koala. Even if your skis drop below you, keeping your head and shoulders hooked over a branch above the pit saves your life.
• Try to roll onto your back or side (tuck and roll): If you are pitching over your handlebars in deep open powder away from a tree, tuck your chin and roll onto your side or back so your face points toward the sky rather than burying face-down.

Step 2: Stop all kicking and create your breathing space¶

If you are already inverted inside the tree well and snow is cascading around you:

1. Freeze your legs immediately: Every human instinct screams at you to kick your legs and try to swim upward. Resist that urge completely. Because your skis or snowboard are 150 to 185 centimeters (5 to 6 feet) long and locked inside stiff branches above you, kicking your legs cannot move you upward, it only shakes the tree canopy and packs hundreds of kilograms of loose snow tightly down around your head and ribcage.
2. Lock an arm across your face ("The Boxer Guard"): Bring one or both hands immediately to your face. Sweep a hollow cavity around your mouth and nose, and hold your forearm or cupped hands a few centimeters in front of your mouth so settling snow stops against your arm instead of pressing flat against your lips and nostrils.
3. Spit out any snow in your mouth before inhaling: If snow entered your mouth during the tumble, spit it out or sweep it out with a gloved finger before taking a deep gasp of air so you do not aspirate powder into your windpipe.
4. Expand your chest as the snow settles: Take a deep breath and hold your elbows slightly outward for the first 10 seconds while the loose snow settles around your torso; this leaves a important 2-centimeter (1-inch) expansion gap around your ribcage so you can still breathe in and out once the snow stops moving.

Step 3: Can you ever self-extricate if you are completely alone?¶

In landmark field tests conducted by tree-well researcher Paul Baugher (Northwest Avalanche Center), 90 percent of test subjects placed into real tree wells could not get out on their own. For the 10 percent who managed to self-rescue, or if you broke the #1 rule of powder skiing and rode into the trees alone, here is the only technique that ever works:

• Only move with slow, deliberate, millimeter movements: Never jerk or thrash.
• Keep one hand anchored on the solid tree trunk or a thick root/branch: Use the tree trunk itself as your only solid ladder rung.
• Do NOT try to push against the loose snow wall: Instead of trying to climb up the snow, see if you can slowly reach up along your own leg to pop your ski binding heel piece or unbuckle your snowboard ankle straps, only if your upper body is already wedged securely against the tree trunk so releasing your feet will not cause your body to slide 1 meter (3 feet) deeper down the bottomless shaft.
• Check if you can wriggle further DOWN or SIDEWAYS along the bare trunk: On steep slopes, the downhill side of the tree well often has a thinner wall of branches and snow than the uphill side. Sometimes a trapped rider can pull themselves against the bare bark of the trunk and push sideways out through the lower downhill skirt of branches rather than going up.

Partner rescue: how to dig someone out of a tree well without killing them¶

Over 80 percent of tree well victims die simply because their partners kept skiing all the way down to the bottom of the chairlift, waited 15 minutes at the lift line wondering "Where is Dave?", and then rode the chairlift back up to start looking, by which time 30 minutes had elapsed and the victim had already suffocated.

When you ride within visual and voice contact of your partner and see them tumble into a tree well (or see a single ski tip, snowboard base, or glove sticking out beneath a conifer tree), you have under 15 minutes to get air to their face.

CRITICAL PARTNER EXCAVATION RULES FOR A TREE WELL:
1. NEVER step onto the top rim of the snow cone around the tree (collapses snow onto the victim's face).
2. NEVER grab the victim's boots, skis, or snowboard and yank upward (drives their head deeper and breaks legs/spine).
3. ALWAYS approach from the DOWNHILL or SIDE of the tree and tunnel INWARD HORIZONTALLY straight to the victim's head.

Step-by-step partner excavation protocol¶

1. Mark the tree and call for backup immediately:
   • Plant your own skis or poles upright in the open snow 3 meters (10 feet) uphill of the tree so approaching Ski Patrol or other riders can spot the exact tree instantly (in a dense forest of 500 identical fir trees, taking your eyes off the tree for ten seconds can make you lose the spot).
   • Sagalee guddaadhaan "HELP. SKIER IN A TREE WELL HERE." iyyi abbootii fardaa fiigicha irra darban alaabaa gadi buusuuf.
   • Namni lammaffaan (ykn yeroo socho’u sagalee guddiftuu keessan fayyadamaa) Ski Patrol Emergency Direct Line kan riizoortii sanaa akka bilbilu taasisi (yaabbachuu dura bilbila keessanitti saganteessuu; kaartaa daandii waraqaa fi masaraa olka’iinsaa hunda irratti maxxanfama) ykn maqaa daandii sirrii fi lakkoofsa masaraa olka’iinsaatiin 911 / 112 / 999 bilbili.
2. Miilli miidhamaa akka gadi fageenyaan hin siqneef tasgabbeessi:
   • Yoo boottii miidhamaa, iskii, ykn isnooboordii damee gubbaa keessatti walxaxaa ta'e arguu dandeesse, ol hin harkisin, akkasumas ammallee hidhaa isaanii hin hiikuin yoo iskii snagged sun qofti qaama isaanii meetira biraa gadi gara jala boollaatti akka hin gadi buune kan qabate ta'e.
   • Kanaa mannaa, yoo baraarsi lammataa jiraate, osoo ati mataa isaaniitti tuneel gootu miidhamaan sun gadi fageenyaan akka hin siqneef, bootii/miila miidhamaa suuta jedhanii akka qabatan ykn akka rukutan taasisi.
3. Shovel avalanche keessan walitti qabuun DOWNHILL SIDE irraa tunnel in godhaa:
   • Look at the angle of the victim's legs to estimate exactly where their head and chest are resting against the tree trunk (usually 1 to 1.5 meters / 3 to 5 feet below their boots).
   • Step around to the downhill side (or lower flank) of the tree well, staying completely off the upper snow lip.
   • Use a collapsible aluminum avalanche shovel (or your hands/snowboard if you have no shovel) to cut a horizontal doorway straight inward through the lower branches and snow wall at the level of the victim's head, shoveling the snow downhill away from the tree so it cannot slide back in.
4. Clear the airway around the mouth and nose FIRST:
   • The moment your gloved hand touches the victim's helmet, jacket, or shoulder, stop using the metal shovel blade near their head so you do not strike their face.
   • Sweep the snow away from their mouth, nose, and chest with your hands, pull down any snow-packed neck gaiter or scarf, and scoop any snow plug out of their mouth.
   • Check immediately if they are conscious and breathing:
     • If they are conscious and breathing: Keep their airway wide open, reassure them, widen the horizontal trench around their torso so their chest can expand freely, and only then release their ski bindings or snowboard straps above so you can slide them gently out through your side tunnel.
     • If they are unresponsive and not breathing (or only gasping): Extricate them onto a flat stamped platform immediately while protecting their neck, open the airway, give 5 initial rescue breaths (because tree well cardiac arrest is caused by hypoxia / asphyxiation, rescue breaths paired with chest compressions are critical if you are trained; if you cannot give rescue breaths, start continuous CPR harka qofaan hojjetamu at 100 to 120 compressions per minute immediately) and continue until Ski Patrol arrives with oxygen and an AED.

How to prevent tree well and deep snow immersion tragedies¶

Every single tree well fatality is preventable by following five non-negotiable powder-day rules endorsed by the National Ski Areas Association (deepsnowsafety.org) and MountainSafety.info:

• 1. Keep your partner in direct visual sight at all times (Not just "meet at the bottom of the lift"): Riding "with friends" does zero good if you split up at the top of the run and meet at the chairlift ten minutes later. In the trees or on deep powder days, ride in short leapfrog pitches keeping your partner within direct line of sight (or constant voice call-and-response every 15 seconds) until both of you exit the trees.
• 2. Take your hands OUT of ski pole wrist straps before entering any glade or off-piste run: Pole straps turn your ski poles into anchors that pin your arms above your head in a tree well and dislocate thumbs/shoulders on branches. Let your poles go the instant you lose balance.
• 3. Wear a loud pea-less survival whistle clipped right next to your chin: Tape or clip a 120-decibel pea-less plastic whistle (such as a Fox 40) onto your jacket zipper pull or backpack sternum strap just 10 centimeters (4 inches) from your mouth so you can reach it with your teeth even if both arms are pinned against your chest.
• 4. Carry an avalanche transceiver (beacon), collapsible metal shovel, and probe, even IN-BOUNDS on deep powder days: Many skiers leave their avalanche beacon and shovel in the car when skiing inside resort boundaries. On any day with 30+ centimeters (12+ inches) of fresh snow or when skiing resort tree glades, wear an active 3-antenna digital avalanche transceiver (457 kHz) in SEND mode and carry a pack with a metal shovel. A partner with a transceiver and shovel can pinpoint and excavate a completely buried rider under a tree in 3 minutes instead of spending 20 minutes guessing which tree they fell under.
• 5. Give conifer trees a wide berth, never cut turns under the branch drip-line: Stay out in the open white lanes between trees rather than hugging the trunks, control your speed so you can stop before hitting obstacles, and watch out for small 1-meter (3-foot) "baby" evergreen tops sticking out of the snow, that tiny green treetop is actually the crown of a 6-meter (20-foot) tall tree with a giant hidden well underneath the snow surface. For related winter mountain emergencies, read our skiing, snowboarding, and slope accidents, . avalanches, fi wilderness hypothermia and cold qajeelchitoota.

Gaaffiiwwan yeroo baay’ee gaafataman¶

Maddoonni sakatta'aniiru¶

• Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC, United States) & Paul Baugher (Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol Director): Tree Well and Deep Snow Safety (deepsnowsafety.org), Empirical Tree Well Immersion Survival Research and Partner Excavation Protocols.
• National Ski Areas Association (NSAA, United States) and Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA, Canada): Deep Snow Safety and Snow Immersion Suffocation (SIS) Prevention Guidelines.
• International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR / CISA-IKAR, International / Switzerland) and Wilderness Medical Society (WMS, United States): Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Avalanche and Non-Avalanche Snow Burial Victims.
• Avalanche Canada and Canadian Ski Patrol (Canada): Tree Wells, Deep Powder Immersion, and Asphyxial Burial Resuscitation Standards.
• European Resuscitation Council (ERC, European Union) and American Heart Association (AHA, United States): Special Circumstances of Resuscitation, Accidental Hypothermia and Asphyxial Arrest Ventilation Protocols.

Qajeelfamoota walqabatan¶

• Balaa skiing, snowboarding fi slope
• Avalanches jedhaman
• Lafa onaa haaypooteermiyaa fi qorra
• CPR harka qofaan hojjetamu