THE TREE-PIT/WELL SNOW SHELTER

“You’ve been out snowshoeing all day, and now it’s getting dark. You’re lost in deep snow in an evergreen forest. You have no tent, and a storm begins to blow in. What do you do?”

Step 1-a: Of Course, First, Continue Reading This, Rather Ridiculous Introduction, as Quoted From Another Site.

 “In a situation as dire as this one, you may need to make the decision to camp out overnight, especially if the weather becomes worse. Instead of fighting your way through deep snow in a whiteout when you don’t know which direction you’re traveling, look for the nearest tree well to begin building a tree-pit shelter.

 A tree well is the sunken area surrounding a tree in deep snow; normally, snow will accumulate less around the base of a tree trunk, which makes this area easier to excavate and build into a tree-pit shelter.

Choose a tree well that’s already deeper than the surrounding snow, and look for a tree that has bushy branches overhead, which will help prevent new snow from falling directly into your shelter. Next, look around carefully for other items you’ll need, including downed tree trunks or poles, branches, and cones from any type of conifer tree. Once you’ve gathered these raw materials, here’s how to build your tree-pit shelter:”

Step1-b: Calculate Your Chances of Survival, If, you Actually try to Follow the Above Instructions.

Step 2: Read MY Comments, Following, About This “Dire” Situation.

A tree well/ snow immersion suffocation accident can happen when an otherwise SURVIVOR; (after a disaster, getting lost, plane crash, vehicle breakdown, (etch. )skier or snowboarder falls – usually head first – into a tree pit/well or deep loose snow and becomes immobilized and trapped under the snow and suffocates.

In loose, powder, snow, especially if in an inverted position, you can, easily, become trapped under the snow. Breathing becomes difficult as the loose snow packs in around you. Without immediate help from your partner, you may suffocate.

Prevention of falling into a tree pit/well, or areas of deep snow, is all-important because the odds of surviving deep snow immersion are low.

90% of people involved in Tree Well/ SIS hazard research experiments could NOT rescue themselves. If a partner is not there for immediate rescue, the skier or rider may die very quickly from suffocation - in many cases, he or she can die as quickly as someone can drown in water.

A tree well is any void or depression that forms around the base of a tree can and contain a mix of low hanging branches, loose snow and air.  Evergreen trees in particular (fir, hemlock, etch) can have large, deep tree wells that form when low hanging branches block snow from filling in and consolidating around the base of the tree.  These voids can be hidden from view by the tree’s low hanging branches.

There is no easy way to identify if a particular tree has a dangerous tree well by sight therefore, treat all tree wells as dangerous.

In simple terms, a tree well is a hole or void in the deep snow, which is clearly marked by a tree.  You can easily identify and avoid these areas.

I repeat myself, this is just a more elaborate snow-pit.
If you are in a cold, snow covered area of Canada, where evergreens grow; and you have some kind of digging tool, (use your hands--just don't get them wet),you can make a tree pit shelter.
To Make This Shelter:

• Find a tree with bushy branches that provides overhead cover (not beneath a cliff or overhang from which snow or rocks may fall. I was actually in an Arctic exploration camp that shortly after--fortunately--we had abandoned the site, was wiped out by an avalanche.).
• Following  proper, prudent precautions, dig out the snow around the tree trunk untill you each the depth and diameter you desire, or until you reach the ground.
• Pack the snow you have dug out around the top to lend support-avoid working with your head in a downward position.
• Only, if readily available-highly unlikely-find and cut other evergreen boughs. Place them over the top of your pit to give you additional overhead cover.
• Place more evergreen boughs in the bottom of the pit for comfort and insulation
• REMEMBER, WHILE IT MAY WELL SAVE YOUR LIFE; IF NOT SHOWN PROPER RESPECT,THIS TYPE OF SHELTER CAN BE ALSO TAKE IT.

© Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved