For many in Southwest Colorado, there is no greater pastime than skiing through the trees in fresh powder.

However, weaving through the trees can come with risk in the form of tree wells. A tree well is a hole in the snow around the base of a tree created when branches shelter the spot from snowfall and consolidation. This creates the possibility for skiers to fall into tree wells, and they can have a hard time getting out without help.

If they fall in head first, it creates a situation where they could suffocate and die.

In an instance last weekend, Fort Lewis College student Byrne Dobrient had to dig his friend, Ethan Wright, of snow at Purgatory Resort. This came after Wright was riding his snowboard through the trees on Poet’s Glade and found himself face down in about 5 feet of snow.

Both students were members of FLC’s downhill ski and snowboard team and were experienced on the mountain.

Dobrient, who was ahead of the Wright at the time, looked back to see Wright face down with his feet and board stuck in the tree. Moments later, Wright’s head popped out of the snow and he was yelling because he was unable to dig himself out.

Dobrient was able to shuffle his way back up the slope to Wright in order to help get him out of the tree well. Dobrient gave Wright his ski pole to help get his face out of the snow because at this point Wright’s mouth had become filled with snow.

“I had to unstrap him and get him to roll out of there. And I stuck my pole down, right where his face was buried in and I have extra long ski poles,” Dobrient said.

Dobrient said that his poles are 135 cm, or roughly 4.5 feet, and his pole went all the way down into the snow where his friend was buried.

Dobrient said that the incident wasn’t as dire as it seemed, but it was still scary. Dobrient said it took roughly two to three minutes to get Wright out of the tree well.

“Like, he probably wouldn’t have died or anything, but he was definitely kind of freaked out,” Dobrient said.

However, this incident highlighted the importance of safety when skiing through the trees. Dobrient said this is why it's important to ski with someone in these instances.

“He must have gotten his nose buried in the deep section of snow and it threw him forward,” Dobrient said.

He said it's important to always ski with someone when going through the trees and if skiers do get stuck in a tree well, they don’t panic.

This isn’t the first time Dobrient has garnered attention for heroic efforts.

Last year, Dobrient helped rescue a friend who had broken down in outside of Moab. On a separate occasion, he helped a group of three who were stuck in snow on Highway 17 in Northern New Mexico. This led to Dobrient being dubbed FLC’s “good Samaritan.”

Purgatory Resort has been diligent about raising awareness for on-mountain safety regarding tree wells via social media.

Last year, an Oklahoma man died at the resort after falling into a tree well near Upper Bull Run Trail. Recent winter storms have increased the danger of tree wells on the slopes.

Purgatory reports it has received 39 inches in the last six days. The National Weather Service seven-day forecast indicates Durango and its surrounding areas could receive more snow on Friday but it will likely be a dry week.

“With deep snow conditions, Purgatory Resort's ski patrol and staff want guests to know about the dangers of tree wells and deep snow immersion hazards, which can present serious risks to skiers and snowboarders,” Purgatory spokeswoman Theresa Graven said in an email Monday. “The easiest way to avoid a tree well is to remain on groomed trails and avoid deep snow and tree well areas. If you venture into the trees or ungroomed terrain, ride or ski with a partner and keep your partner in sight at all times.”

The resort encourages skiers to visit deepsnowsafety.org to learn how to mitigate the risks when skiing or riding in deep snow both on open trails and glades off trail.

According to data from the website, 90% of people involved in Tree Well/Snow Immersion Suffocation hazard research experiments could not rescue themselves.

tbrown@durangoherald.com