... Then, when the innocent skier or boarder comes by too close to the tree, the black hole sucks him or her in. The unwitnessed event cannot be analyzed by their partner or SAR, both who assume the victim did something stupid. ...
Ignorance is not innocence. As the people at
http://treewelldeepsnowsafety.com/ point out:
"...a tree well is a hole in the deep snow, which is clearly marked by a tree. You can easily identify and avoid these areas."
The "unwitnessed event" can be easily analyzed by the presence of the tree. As Ken's postings on shelter building point out, a knowledgeable traveler can use a tree well as a temporary shelter. The same knowledge can be used to avoid acquiring permanent and final shelter.
Dale B. Dalrymple
