Skiing and snowboarding in Colorado can be an extreme sport. Dangerous conditions exist in the mountains, including within resort boundaries. Knowing how to recognize terrain, ski within your limits, and stay safe in all conditions matters.
Steamboat has a world-renowned reputation for tree skiing and its signature Champagne Powder. Skiing in the trees and in deep snow is an individual choice that carries real responsibility and inherent risk. A fall into deep snow or a tree well can be suffocating and fatal.
This page covers what those hazards are, how to avoid them, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Emergency Contacts: Save These Now
- Steamboat Ski Patrol Dispatch: 970-871-5911
- Emergency: call or text 911
- Most resort employees can reach patrol directly by mountain radio, which is often the fastest route if someone is nearby
Put the patrol number in your phone before your first run, not while you are standing over someone.
The Four Rules For Skiing Trees And Deep Snow
From the resort:
- Be aware of deep snow conditions, tree wells, and other natural and man-made obstacles. Do not ski or ride too close to trees in deep or windblown snow.
- If skiing or riding in deep snow or near trees, stay with a partner and remain in visual contact.
- Stay close enough to either pull or dig out your partner.
- If your partner becomes immersed, first try to clear an airway, then call Ski Patrol at 970-871-5911.
The Rule Most People Do Not Know
Do not leave your partner to go find help.
This is the mistake that turns a survivable situation into a fatal one. Someone head-down in a tree well can suffocate in minutes. If you ski off to find patrol, you are very unlikely to get back in time, and you may not be able to find the exact spot again.
Stay. Clear their airway first. Then call for help from where you are.
Shout for other skiers if anyone is within earshot. Use your phone. But do not ski away.
If You Fall In
Self-rescue from a tree well is extremely difficult, which is why partners matter so much. If it happens to you:
- Do not thrash or struggle. Violent movement collapses more snow down on top of you and packs it tighter.
- Protect an air space around your face with your hands and arms immediately, before doing anything else.
- Grab branches or the trunk if you can reach them, and try to work yourself upright slowly and deliberately.
- Make noise. A whistle carries far further than a voice, and takes almost no effort when you are short of breath.
- Rock gently to create space rather than fighting the snow.
Carry a whistle and keep your phone in a zipped chest pocket, not in a pants pocket. If you end up inverted, you will not be able to reach your legs.
Tree Well FAQ, From The Resort
What is a tree well?
Trees are an important and integral part of the natural mountain environment and exist across ski areas, predominantly in ungroomed terrain. A tree well is an unstable hole or depression that forms around the base of a tree when low branches prevent snow from filling in and creating snowpack around the trunk.
How do I know if a tree well exists?
Usually there is no easy way to identify a tree well by sight, because branches often block visibility of what hole may exist. Individuals should assume a tree well accompanies every tree.
What is the difference between aspens and evergreens?
The biggest difference is that aspens typically do not have low-lying branches, which are what hide tree wells and help them form around evergreens.
How do I prevent falling into a tree well?
The risk is largely avoidable and preventable. Precautions include but are not limited to:
- Avoid skiing or riding too close to trees, particularly evergreens, in deep snow or after heavy snowstorms
- Assume all trees have a potentially hazardous tree well
- Do not ski or ride alone
- Keep your partner in sight
- Be aware of your surroundings
Are tree well accidents more likely in Morningside Park?
Absolutely not. No matter where you ski or ride on the mountain, tree skiing is not groomed and hazards may exist at any time during the season.
Are tree wells the only snow hazard to worry about?
No. Be aware of encountering deep, ungroomed snow anywhere on the mountain at any time. Pay particular attention after heavy snowfall.
What do I do if someone falls into deep snow or a tree well and cannot get out?
If your partner becomes immersed, first try to clear an airway, then call Ski Patrol at 970-871-5911. Do not leave them.
I heard there are no friends on a powder day?
The old adage could not be further from the truth. Always ski and ride with others, and remember that deep snow, tree wells, and other obstacles may be encountered at any time, anywhere on the mountain.
Local's Tip: never ski or ride alone. Always go with a buddy, and actually keep them in sight. "Somewhere on the same run" is not visual contact.
How do I reach Patrol?
Steamboat Patrol Dispatch can be reached by phone at 970-871-5911, or via most resort employees by mountain radio. In a life-threatening emergency, you can also call or text 911.
Beyond Tree Wells: Everyday Mountain Safety
Your Responsibility Code
This is the framework for skiing anywhere in Colorado, and it is enforced.
- Always stay in control, and be able to stop and avoid people and objects
- People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them
- Stop only where you are visible and not obstructing the trail, never below a rise
- Look uphill and yield when starting downhill or merging
- Use devices to prevent runaway equipment
- Observe all signs and warnings, and keep off closed trails
- Know how to load, ride, and unload every lift safely
- Do not use lifts or terrain while impaired by alcohol or drugs
Ropes And Closures
Ropes and closure signs mark avalanche paths, cliff bands, unmarked hazards, and terrain that has not been made safe yet. They are not suggestions. Crossing a rope can also carry legal consequences in Colorado.
New And Expanded Terrain
Steamboat has brought significant advanced and expert terrain inside the ski area boundary in recent seasons, including Mahogany Ridge and Fish Creek Canyon, long known as sidecountry. Managed terrain is patrolled, but it is still steep, ungroomed, and heavily treed. Everything on this page applies there doubly.
Check the current trail map and conditions before heading into unfamiliar terrain, and confirm what is open on the day.
Weather, Altitude And Visibility
- Flat light and storms make terrain features disappear. Slow down and stay on familiar runs.
- Cold and wind bring frostbite risk fast. Cover exposed skin.
- Altitude affects judgment and stamina more than people expect. See our guide to adjusting to high altitude.
- Helmets. Not legally required for adults, but strongly recommended and included with most rentals.
Going Outside The Boundary
Terrain beyond the ski area boundary is not patrolled and not avalanche controlled. If you are heading into the backcountry:
- Check the Colorado Avalanche Information Center forecast the same day, every day
- Carry a beacon, probe, and shovel, and know how to use them under pressure
- Take an avalanche course before relying on your own judgment
- Consider hiring a certified local guide
- Never go alone, and tell someone your plan and expected return time
Stay With Steamboat Lodging Company
A good basecamp matters more than people think. Somewhere you can retreat to mid-day, dry your gear properly overnight, and rest well between days on the mountain.
- Ski-in ski-out lodging
- Walk to slopes properties
- Mountain area rentals
- Private homes and townhomes for groups
Browse all Steamboat Springs lodging and check our lodging deals.
Contact Steamboat Lodging Company
Phone: 970-457-4785
Email: Contact us here
Office: 1169 Hilltop Parkway, #101A, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
More Steamboat Planning Resources
- Adjusting To High Altitude In Steamboat
- Packing For Your Steamboat Ski Vacation
- Winter Driving, Shuttles & The Free Bus
- Best Ski Runs For Kids At Steamboat Resort
This guide is general information, not professional instruction, and is not a substitute for avalanche education, guiding, or lessons. Tree well and deep snow safety information is sourced from Steamboat Resort. Resort policies, terrain status, and patrol contact details are subject to change. Always follow posted signage and patrol direction, and confirm current conditions at steamboat.com.