Can you suffocate
in an avalanche?
It is true that you only suffocate in snow, you cannot drown
as drowning is where your lungs fill with water, and snow would have to melt to
be water no longer making it “snow”.
Suffocation in snow is a condition, known as Snow Immersion Asphyxiation (SIA) or Non-Avalanche Related Snow
Immersion Death. Most snow related suffocations occur due to skiers falling in
tree wells headfirst. (see below for diagram of tree well.) Deep snow accidents
occur when a rider falls into an area of deep unconsolidated snow and they
become immobilized. If the individual struggles in the snow they will either
sink further or become more trapped as the snow solidifies like concrete around
them. It is advised that “If you get sucked into a tree well or fall in deep
snow attempt to tuck, roll, and land
upright, grab the tree trunk or a branch, and yell to alert your partner. If
buried upside down, stay calm and create an air pocket, which could buy you
some precious minutes of oxygen”.
See to the left the individual is 6ft tall however you can only just see their head out of the tree well.
The key to surviving SIA is by travelling with a buddy and
carrying an avalanche beacon. If an individual does not travel with a buddy the
chances of survival after entrapment become very slim. In some cases people can
die due to snow suffocation as quickly as they can drown in water (usually as
fast as 15 minutes). Most cases of SIA are recorded in December and January due
to the weather conditions in this season. Many people concern themselves that
they may become get hypothermia when trapped, however your body will not
survive long enough to get this when submerged.
Asphyxia is a term referring to breathing insufficiency leading to
inadequate intake of oxygen and inadequate exhalation of carbon dioxide. The suffocation
begins as snow blocks your respiration, thus your heart will accelerate, trying
to feed oxygen to your body. When your heart beat reaches 220 beats per minutes, the
heart will stop working as a pump, therefore no blood can be carried. You will
feel as if you're fainting as your brain gets no oxygen. Unless immediately
defibrillated, your heart then stops working all together.
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The odds of surviving a deep snow
immersion accident are low; especially if you are not with a partner. In two
experiments conducted in the U.S. and Canada in which volunteers were
temporarily placed in a tree well, 90% could not rescue themselves.
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%
of Tree Wells & Deep Snow
involved in SIA cases |
Posted by: Jess
28.2.2012
Sources:
Not sure what I can add to this! Maybe will have to cancel any visits to seeley copse if snow greater than 6ft deep. Interesting stuff.
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering what an avalanche beacon was? How would this help in this situation?
ReplyDeleteLauren
An Avalanche Beacon is strapped around the torso underneath the skiers clothing, they are specialized to finding people or equipment buried underneath the snow.
ReplyDeleteThe transceiver is normally kept in transmit mode and emits a low power pulsed signal. After an avalanche of notification of emergency it can be switched to receive mode and allows searchers to locate any missing transmitters using techniques which are thought to be similar to radio direction finding. The beacon cannot be considered a prevention for potential burial, but can be used as a way to reduce the time buried.
Jess