Ski California Awarded For Important Snow Safety Video

Ski California released a short YouTube video in February detailing deep snow safety because, as the narrator says over scenic footage of Californian powder days, "every year, some of the world's deepest snow stacks up at ski California Resorts."

The video received NSAA’s inaugural Stoked on Safety award for "Best Use of Video." Watch the award-winning safety video below.

The narration explains that "in a matter of just a few hours or days, it's not uncommon for storms that deliver multiple feet of snow to line up one behind the next, creating an inbounds powder paradise for skiers and riders."

Ski California enlists Travis Ganong, retired US Ski Team racer, to dive into deep snow safety, explaining that he is "ready to spend more time making turns in the deep snow California and Nevada are famous for."

This season, Palisades Tahoe received 423 inches of snowfall on the upper mountain, with Mammoth receiving 367 inches of snow at McCoy Station and above.

While this gives skiers and riders a lot to celebrate (especially in the wake of a surprisingly deep last season as well, making this the second in a row) deep snow poses challenges when it comes to safety.

Ganong explains that with deep snow comes the inherent risk of snow immersion suffocation, which is the suffocation that occurs when a skier or rider is submerged in deep snow and can't move. This often looks like falling into a tree well, which "can be several feet deep if a person falls in head first, gravity pulls their body down, and the loose snow covers [their] airways."

This can be avoided by skiing and riding in a group or with a partner, avoiding tree wells, and digging your partner out if they become buried.

Related: Ski Patroller Plunges Head First Into Tree Well To Educate Skiers

This also involves using the appropriate equipment to minimize risks, including wearing a helmet, beacon, shovel, RECCO reflector, and having a fully charged cell phone with fast access to ski Patrol's number.

The video specifically provides steps to follow if one does fall into a tree well, advising the partner who is buried to yell or use their whistle to get their partner's attention, to do anything they can to keep your head above the surface of the snow, to roll and grab tree branches or the tree trunk if possible, and to keep their feet below the level of their head if they fall in.

Importantly, Ski California's video advises resisting the urge to struggle as "it can trap you further. Do not try to pull your partner out the way they fell in."

"Alternatively, determine where their head is and tunnel in from the side."

This may be old news to seasoned powder hounds and West Coast skiers, but it is important to keep in mind in the thick of winter.

Avalanches are one, but not the only, problem presented when skiing.

Michael Reitzell, Ski California president, said, “it’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by NSAA for our deep snow safety video. On the heels of last year’s win for Best Guest Safety Program for the Ski California digital Mountain Safety Guide, this award was unexpected, but obviously something we’re incredibly proud of. Like the Mountain Safety Guide, the impact this video has had is thanks to the amplification of it by so many of our member resorts."

"We created this content as a tool to help educate skiers and riders, and are pleased that so many of our partners have found it to be valuable to their efforts.”

Deep snow is thrilling, but like any other thrill, it comes with its own set of challenges. Now, there is a short and to-the-point resource to navigate this challenge.

Related: The First Family of Jackson Hole's S&S Couloir

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