How is being on ski patrol?

[descender]

I am interested in the possibility of doing ski patrol next season. For those that have done ski partol give me the good bad and the ugly.

[The Reverend Floater]

Paging SheRa....

[cj001f]

Volunteer or Pro? You've got a full apprentice year ahead of you before you're a patroller.

[divegirl]

Does anyone know of a woman named Cody M. who is from California and was a junior ski patroller when she was in high school? I knew of her in high school, but I didn't ski back then, so I'm wondering if she's now some awesome ripper or something. Would be interesting to reconnect with a common ground.

Thanks!
-dg

[Oarhead]

I do it at lake louise up here in the great white north. I am not a pro, I just do volly. The people are pretty laid back unlike some hills where everybody is on a mission. I could not afford a seasons pass and I have no avy skills for BC so it was logical that I join up if I wanted to get any snow time. I get a season's pass for louise, I am doing the RAC course next month for cheap cheap and I get to ski almost the whole day that I patrol. So far so good, I have to do 3 weekend days a month and the rest of the time is my own so not bad.
Like I said, the people that I have met so far are cool, not some hill nazis that are hoping and waiting for somebody to get injured or to duck a rope. I think that this makes the difference. If the patrollers are waaaaay too keen then I would suggest finding an alternative arrangement.

I am not sure how things work in amurika but this is my experience.

[DougW]

Post the question on powder and Redskea might see it. She's a Pro patrol at Lake Louise who's also patrol back in N.Z.

Oarhead- you probably know her and her freind "Red".

[AKPogue]

I am living the life of a pro up here in AK at Alyeska. Because I am so busy I don't get to post here much anymore, but I do get to check my email a couple times a week so if you want more info about the job email me at dedohnal@hotmail.com.

[EPSkis]

Yep ~ Check in with SheRa...

Did patrol many years ago & debated whether or not to get back into it this year. She gave me some good info & after doing more research & speaking with my local Ops Director, I realized that it would take more of a commitment than I was willing to give.

Especially considering that just to get my FOOT in the door, it would take a year of Volunteer service. Much as I'd love to ski for free, you have to remember that it's a job. Lots of training, and your time on the hill isn't spent looking for freshies ~ keep that in mind.

In case you haven't already been there: National Ski Patrol

[Shredhead]

A lot of my buds love it, but it was just too much work during ski time for me! But I already had a full comp pass, so I didn't have that incentive.

[STD]

like already said, whether you're full time(pro) or volunteer does make a difference.

I would say the biggest factors(for me) were:
the area
the patrollers
ski time

I would never have volunteered at other mountains due to any or all of the above...cuz I llike to ski and I can't stand egomaniacs.

The Good: knowledge/experience, get to help people, pro deals, industry hook ups, bitches

Cons: dealing with blurred elevens, work(depending on area), responsibility, accountability, time commitments(continuing training, education, annual refreshers, meetings, etc.)

[shera]

Being on the volly patrol at Loveland is a great deal for me. Tons of awesome friends, proforms, comps, the opportunity to make a difference both in keeping the costs down and to help people that are hurt. I've gotten a lot of great training with more to come. Our pros are very cool and work well with the volunteers. So I'm satisfied.

But it is a huge commitment of time. And I really don't see myself as a pro. Sometimes I don't feel like being outside all day and the pay isn't the best.

My $.02

[Dr. Crash]

Originally posted by SheRa
Being on the volly patrol at Loveland is a great deal for me. [...] Sometimes I don't feel like being outside all day and the pay isn't the best.

Volly patrol? Pay? Sounds like a contradiction to me, something is escaping me.

drC

[KQ]

Originally posted by descender
I am interested in the possibility of doing ski patrol next season. For those that have done ski partol give me the good bad and the ugly.

Do a search on this page and get the other side of the story - how the skiers view the patrol.

SheRa is right - huge time commitment. Certainly worth doing in your life if you get the opportunity. The knowledge you gain is great and the skiing can be choice but like all things, there is a dark side, it can be thankless (read posts as mentioned above).

[cololi]

The time commitment is the biggest factor. I patrolled for 6 years, and the work is thankless, tough, stressful, irritating, fun, exciting, awe inspiring, and times that I will never forget. you learn a ton of things that you can use, avie safety, first aid, mountainerring skills, respect for the outdoors, etc. It basically sucks the first few years, you usually get all of the tedious work, dealing with rope lines, raising tower pads, shovelling, etc. Occassionally you'll run a toboggan, splint a broken arm, or work an something more serious. The only positive about working a major trauma is the fact that you did all you could, but you always second guess yourself. You get to ski o nthe best days, but you also have to ski in the rain, bitter cold, on bulletproof snow, through 6 inch crust, in heavy, wet spring snow, etc.

If you have the time, I'd say go for it. If you are doing it just to ski, then don't do it.

[half-fast]

check out what patrollers have to do at the area you're thinking of joining. I've volly patrolled since '93 at two areas (not at the same time) and pretty much just ski and respond to the occasional accident (the more you ski-the less your chances of having to work an incident-there are usually patrollers that don't ski that much sitting around at the base lodge or top of the hill who live for working incidents)

the first year is the biggest time committment-the first aid portion is probably the equivalent of taking a three-credit college course (time-wise) the ski and toboggan portion usually takes six weeks or so of 2-3 times a week training (depends on the area)

after the first year-there's a weekend or so worth of refreshers preseason and whatever your mountain requires for on-hill refreshers

plus I get-pro deals-season passes for me and my family and deals at other areas-and there's always someone around to ski with