Any tree skiers out there? This is well worth watching and thinking about.
This is something that skiers in North America are much more clued up on.
It’s amazing how you can get stuck in a tree well, this video documents a great example of how impossible it would be to self rescue.
So my top tips for Tree skiing are:
1) Try to avoid falling in a tree well.
2) Always have a shovel. (You should have one for avalanche safety reasons)
3) Always ski in a workable buddy system so you can rescue each other.
I think this group deals with the situation pretty well.
With the benefit of hindsight: If I was the lead rescuer I’d try to be a bit more communicative at the start, and organise at least 3 or 4 shovellers to evacuate an area just below where the guy is buried, then dig in from there. It’s pretty obvious early on that it will take a few minutes to get them out, so I’d try to use the group resources a bit better. But he did a fine job really under the circumstances.