'NARSID' cases draw scrutiny

SANDPOINT — There are few greater thrills on Schweitzer Mountain than gliding through stands of rime-coated evergreens on a pillow of untracked powder.

But the tragic death of a Sandpoint skier in the resort’s south bowl could underscore the changing risk trends at ski areas in the West and western Canada.

Preliminary reports indicate William C. Johnson was skiing a heavily treed area below C Chute on Tuesday when he fell into a tree well, a dangerous void of less dense snow that forms at the bases of trees in steep terrain. A pair of snowboarders happened upon the 15-year-old and rescued him from the hole.

He was unconscious when he was found and could not be revived despite the life-saving efforts of Schweitzer Mountain Ski Patrol and a physician stationed at resort.

A cause of death is pending, although the incident has the unfortunate ring of a Non-Avalanche Related Snow Immersion Death. Such snow-suffocation deaths are attracting growing scrutiny among snow safety professionals.

The Northwest Avalanche Institute in Enumclaw, Wash., embarked on a study to investigate the risk factors in NARSID incidents and develop prevention strategies.

“Currently, the greatest single component of snow immersion risk is that it is substantially under-appreciated,” Paul Baugher, director of the Northwest Avalanche Institute, concluded in the study.

Baugher examined fatalities at ski areas in the western U.S. and British Columbia over the period of 16 seasons and found 51 cases which fit the NARSID definition from 1990 to 2006.

The study found that incidents tend to occur earlier in the season, when snowpack is weak and snow around the bases of trees has not had a chance to consolidate. They also predominantly occur during or just after a fall of powder snow.

The study further concluded that anybody who ventures off groomed slopes is vulnerable to NARSID.

NARSID cases correlated well with out-of-bounds avalanche deaths until the last five years of the study period. By the study’s end, Baugher noted that NARSID cases outpaced out-of-bounds avalanche fatalities by approximately 50 percent.

“It can only be speculated that there is an increased interest in exploring untracked powder within the ski area boundaries,” he wrote.

Baugher also conducted a field experiment at the Crystal Mountain ski area near Enumclaw. It involved five skiers and five snowboarders being placed in a tree well in an inverted position.

Only three of the subjects were able to extricate themselves, results which were in line with statistical evidence. Extrication ranged from difficult to impossible and the time window for the test subjects to manage useful activity such as securing an airway or maneuvering arms and legs was short.

The experiment also suggested that the ability to disengage from skis and snowboards did not guarantee successful extrication.

The study urges ski areas to take steps to educate its staff and customers of NARSID risks and to put up temporary warning signs when snow immersion risk is high. It also counsels skiers and snowboard riders to use the buddy system in off-piste terrain and maintain constant visual contact with partners while descending.

“The good news is that NARSID risk, like avalanche risk, can be managed using awareness, sound personal and partner technique, and ski area risk management procedures,” Baugher wrote.

n More information: www.avalanche.org/~nai/