Thinking about finally patrolling? Thoughts?

[zion zig zag]

Bunion; why is wanting to progress to guide not a good reason to patrol? I've seen a lot of people take that path and it has worked out well for them. I know three heli guides, two mountaineering guides, and several rangers (RMNP, Tetons, Denali) who all started with patrol. I think that goal is fine as long as you take it seriously, work hard and learn everything you can.

[brannen]

cool.
i guess i should have prefaced the whole thing by adding that i WILL eventually join patrol, just not sure if now is the time, or in the future.

Your patrol experience will vary greatly depending not only the specific patrol but also on the specific team that makes up your shift. In general, the patrol experience is much more about providing great guest care, including a strong focus on/interest in OEC, than it is about skiing.

this i understand, i guess i was looking for peoples specific opinions on teams and squads theyve been with. i guess i was expecting the kind of response i would give if someone asked about raft guiding as a job. i wouldnt generalize and say that "raft guiding is a serious job about getting people down the river safely while informing them of the aspects of whitewater." it is another job where different places require different certifications, you get limited time to free boat, you can do it around the world and so on. i have successfully recruited buddies to join the force, and talked a few out of it. so far alot of these posts are not really along the lines of what i was looking for, but i wasnt being all that specific.

i was gonna elaborate more, but im tooooo lazy. . . . .

[Bunion 2020]

3Z

"but would like to get some 'professional' experience patrolling, possibly to look good on future guiding applications. "

is a far cry from "as long as you take it seriously, work hard and learn everything you can. "

Had that been worded differently and with just a modicum of passion or certainty I would share your opinion.

Another one of the things I really take pride in is the number of people I have helped to mentor that have gone on to do other, bigger things beyond patrolling.

Several have become professional forecasters including the current head of the CAIC, several have become guides or RNs and a couple of MDs.

The statement came across as half-assed. That is all.

[noparking]

you might want to aim a little higher then just getting a WFR, i know of places that if that's all you have your won't be considered. Might want to look into getting your emt-b as well.

[summit]

A man walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender says, "that'll be a nickel." The man exclaims, "wow! I'll take a pitcher!" The bartender replies, "that'll be a quarter." The man is ecstatic, but as he begins drinking he looks around and asks the bartender, "well this is the greatest bar ever, so why are those guys at the end of the bar not drinking?"

The bartender answers in a very matter-of-fact tone, "they are ski patrollers. They are waiting for happy hour."

[Meadow Skipper]

Your patrol experience will vary greatly depending not only the specific patrol but also on the specific team that makes up your shift.

You know, that's a good point. I think it's a lot like wildfire crews - some seasons you have a great crew with a lot of cool folks, some years it's a buncha of dicks. And to take the analogy a little further, some places your boss will be cool, other places...not so much.

And I've worked with more than one person who wanted to use it as a quality entry in their CV for something like guiding...and it seemed to work

[GrumpyPilot]

if his motivation is to schralp the gnar, throw bombs and work in a foreign land i recommend applying as an apprentice warlord in the hindu kush. i hear they take the winter off so there will be plenty of free time to get after it.

LMAO....

[fatkid]

if you ski like this....

you should probably go patrol in florida. good luck with that.

[covert]

i was gonna elaborate more, but im tooooo lazy. . . .

[hapenstash]

I like patrolling because I get to do a lot of avalanche control. Another good reason to do it would be to see a lot of trauma. So if you want to be a paramedic or a nurse, its a good option. It could also help you be a guide. But if you want to shred gnar, why would you think guiding would be a good fit?

I get to ski gnar at work, but I get kind of self conscious about it. I also got a lot more conservative about skiing generally just because I think about safety more. Not everyone has this problem, though.

[bodywhomper]

the good friend of mine that patrols waited several years of continual invitations to join a patrol before accepting the invitation and applying. he's still doing it. during those years before joining, he continued to live in his van or a cramped home, sometimes travel a bit during the mid-winter, roll through odd mid-winter evening jobs, and ski most days. for him, joining patrol equaled settling down, dramatically increasing his responsibilities in life, and was a dramatic shift in his lifestyle. he still patrols at the same hill and has been over a decade.

guiding and patrolling seem to go well together; a willingness to work in adverse but aesthetic conditions for low pay, ability carry a ton of shit, knows first aid. the ones that i know were dedicated patrollers as their top priority (professionally speaking) and started guiding as a secondary thing, often on the shoulder season of the mountain-based construction season. all of them started guiding based on invitations from the guiding companies (most often a patroller co-worker), i.e. if fell in their lap.

[powdork]

Since when are patrollers not dirtbags/ski bums? I guess now they all wear 3 piece suits to work, and have nice 401k's. I must've missed that memo.

i think it's more about being proud about what you do. a tipped busboy prolly makes about the same or more per hour as most patrollers (though it's hard in ski towns for service workers to get full time hours at just one job). i think most would be more comfortable telling people they are ski patrol than a busboy.

[sftc]

if you ski like this....

you should probably go patrol in florida. good luck with that.

Is that the teli stance of the OP? Good Lordy, I'm praying on a Sunday morning that he's dropping a teli-knee to the Lord and asking for some forgiveness on his absolutely fucked up angulation overall.

cool.
i guess i should have prefaced the whole thing by adding that i WILL eventually join patrol, just not sure if now is the time, or in the future.....
i was gonna elaborate more, but im tooooo lazy. . . . .

Please stop Baiting the Bunion, it will not end well.
With your attitude I look forward to stopping by the Meadowlands and saying Hi the next time I'm in Newark.

[powdork]

Is that the teli stance of the OP? Good Lordy, I'm praying on a Sunday morning that he's dropping a teli-knee to the Lord and asking for some forgiveness on his absolutely fucked up angulation overall.

when the powder snow gets deep, he just has to pray he can make it the bottom of teh blue runz

[Bunion 2020]

This thread has been very illuminating for me.

I start interviews for a few positions this week and next.

I have a better idea of a few new questions and subjects that we will discuss.

Thanks Brannen.

[brannen]

haha, yeah bunion, glad i could help you weed out some people. . . .

for him, joining patrol equaled settling down, dramatically increasing his responsibilities in life, and was a dramatic shift in his lifestyle. he still patrols at the same hill and has been over a decade..

this sounds about right

and as far as patrollers not being dirtbag bums, im not trying to offend any that are, (this will make my work ethic sound even more suspect), i guess i consider a job you can miss a shift with little or no explanation a little less responsible and more dirtbaggish. not that i am guilty of this or anything.

and as far as my ski form, that is a glorious tele turn, although im not wearing teles. . . . if you would have read previous posts youd know that i am firstly a gnar-blader and mono-skier, duh. point b - it doesnt matter how your form looks as long as you look good doing it. . . . . .



oh, and i like the WHO

[covert]

it's a big shift in responsibilities from dirt-bagging but that doesn't have to be an oppressive thing.

[Dhelihiker]

My opinion is live in your car and sell weed to HS kids, PM me for details.