60 Inches New Snow in Catskills - More on the Way

[highpeaksdrifter]

I got completely buried in a fall at Hunter on Friday, inhaled some snow and everything. I was a bit freaked for a second, especially after the first swipe of my hand to dig the snow away from my face resulted in more snow falling in the hole.

I had that happen to me at Hunter like 30 years ago. I got a little chill up my back when I read your post cause it freaked me out too and I still remember it. I wasn't sure which way was up or down. Lasted only seconds but it scared me for sure.

 

[bvibert]

I had that happen to me at Hunter like 30 years ago. I got a little chill up my back when I read your post cause it freaked me out too and I still remember it. I wasn't sure which way was up or down. Lasted only seconds but it scared me for sure.

Luckily for me I wasn't that deep. I saw the snow come down over my face as I fell and I could still see some light through the snow once I stopped moving. It was still scary though, I seriously wondered if I was going to be able to get myself out. Once I got my face cleared I was okay though.

 

[legalskier]

"A deep snow or tree well accident occurs when a rider or skier falls into an area of deep unconsolidated snow and becomes immobilized. The more the person struggles the more entrapped in the snow they become. If a partner is not there for immediate rescue, the skier or rider may die very quickly from suffocation - in many cases, they can die as quickly as someone can drown in water. Deaths resulting from these kinds of accidents are referred to as a NARSID or Non-Avalanche Related Snow Immersion Death. The odds of surviving a deep snow immersion/NARSID accident are low; especially if you are not with a partner. In two experiments conducted in the U.S. and Canada in which volunteers were temporarily placed in a tree well, 90% COULD NOT rescue themselves.".
http://treewelldeepsnowsafety.com/

I got immersed a couple of times at Belleayre Saturday, just over my waist; what a chore to get out.