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I know that ski patrol is an essential organization that helps save countless lives every year but the ski patrollers at my local hill are total shit heads. It is a group of like 5 obese old white guys who can't even ski better than my friend's 7 year old sister. All they do is yell at me for existing and wait for the one time a week an old person hurts themselves so they can hop on a snowmobile to go save them. Is this just a local problem or is a nation wide thing?
nxtyrsfulltiltsAll they do is yell at me for existing
14 year old spotted.
In all seriousness though, they are absolutely essential. On the east and Midwest they may be a bit overzealous with rules and control, but on the west they are bonafide big mountain badasses. These are dudes that go out in sketchy weather in the crack of dawn to travel avalanche terrain and use muthafuckin dynamite to blow up snow. When someone is stuck on highly exposed cliff beds, bleeding out from an open femur fracture, they're the dudes that keep you alive while the helicopter gets there. So yea, it may suck when they enforce the rules, but they deserve your respect, especially in the west
In all seriousness though, they are absolutely essential. On the east and Midwest they may be a bit overzealous with rules and control, but on the west they are bonafide big mountain badasses. These are dudes that go out in sketchy weather in the crack of dawn to travel avalanche terrain and use muthafuckin dynamite to blow up snow. When someone is stuck on highly exposed cliff beds, bleeding out from an open femur fracture, they're the dudes that keep you alive while the helicopter gets there. So yea, it may suck when they enforce the rules, but they deserve your respect, especially in the west
nxtyrsfulltiltsReal Ski Patrol vs Midwest Ski Patrol
fine, but they're still a very important part of skiing. you can still get super injured in the midwest and if/when you do, you'll be happy they are there and know what to do
think of them like cops. completely necessary, if a bit overbearing at times and the job attracts bullies sometimes. well worth the benefit you and i get out of patrol existing
Also realize that most of these guys are volunteers. Not only do they have to have some skills for ski patrolling they also have to be willing to volunteer in advance to miss what might be a good ski day. They deserve respect for that.
Definitely a necessity, especially with what others are saying about skiing out West. I'd be pretty shook if I knew I got stuck and there was no one comin to get me. Some do get overzealous and think they're king dick / best skiier on the mountain but they'll be there when u need them most.
The dudes that patrol on real mountains are some badasses. Not just killer skiers, they are experts in the mountains that are trained to dig you out and save your life.
Ask yourself this question again the next time you wake on the slope, your head ringing and your arm in a couple of pieces next to you. Those 5 obese old white guys are the people who are going to get you off the hill. Maybe you should ask yourself what cause you've given patrollers to "yell at you for existing," and consider the maxim that "respect gets respect."
At whistler and other larger resorts the ski patrollers are the most bad ass people. They wake up at the crack of dawn to bomb all the avalanche hazards, toboggan injured people out of the sketchiest terrain, and deal with asshole tourists. They are never not working hard.
Depends on the resort and their age. If you're 20 and an excellent skier, you're going to beat the 40 year old ski patrol guy whether it's running race gates or shredding difficult terrain, unless you suck. So that's kind of a stupid comparison to make. The 25-30 year old guy that skis every day? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, they're competent enough to drag your half dead body down the hill when necessary. When I go out west they seem cool and to be really good skiers. I met one who recognized my NS sticker once, then proceeded to shred down pretty quickly.
I wouldn't want to pull that sled unloaded down half of that terrain, let alone with an overweight Texan who considered himself an expert skier, went into the most difficult zone on the mountain and got wrecked.
As for interactions, some people are dicks, but some people also do stupid things. Not getting yelled at by them isn't hard. You can't complain they call you out if you're going 50mph down the beginner zone where half the people are going perpendicular to the fall line at 5mph.
Hills with no real consequential terrain usually ends up with a ski patrol staff that is mostly intermediate skiers with first aid know how that don't really understand the true nature of skiing (freedom, exploration, pushing yourself to the edge of your comfort zone - basically what 'we' call 'freeskiing' - It's all just skiing tho).
At mountains with avalanche terrain, off piste (tree skiing, alpine bowls, back 40 type shit, etc), ski patrol staff is usually full of 'real' skiers that know what's up when it comes to what this sport is really about. Sure, the big resorts will have 'yellow jacket' folk that are lame, but they usually aren't actually ski patrol. The more legit the terrain at a ski area, the more legit the patrol staff is.
Really though, if you're putting others at risk unnecessarily (ex: doing high speed switch carves on a busy groomer) you're gonna get called out, irrelevant of how rad you think you are. Respect earns respect.
All the paid patrollers here are badass and good at what they do, some have egos but that's fair when they're out every morning throwing explosives on super sketchy terrain. The volunteer patrollers here are awful though. They are either overzealous college kids who got their wilderness first responder and spend more time studying for school in lift shacks than actually patrolling, or people having a mid life crisis and feel the need to be "important". Over half of them can barely pull a toboggan and they all have the most entitled attitudes for being essentially worthless. And most don't even respond to serious injuries, if you have a nosebleed or something they'll show up and act like hot shit but if you're sitting in the trees with your tibia snapped, they'll ski up, go "oh shit" and call a pro because they suck at their "jobs".
My dad patrolled for like 15 years. That's actually how he got our families passes for a long time. I always got to kick it with them in the shack and eat lunch with them when I was growing up. Sometimes my dad would tell me on the ride home that like someone had a seizure on the lift and fell off and intense shit like that. I got mad respect for patrollers.
nxtyrsfulltiltsIt's a damn shame that according to the poll, 25% of the people who voted said the ski patrollers near them are dicks
It really just depends on the mountain. Some mountains have an awesome culture with mostly good people, others have way too many egos and pricks. For the majority of hills though, just show respect and you'll get it back. Patrollers are people too.
Nothing but respect for the guys and gals who clip in well before most of us are up making coffee and taking our morning shits, doing control work in sometimes brutal weather so us chair rats can have a nice day of inbounds pow slaying. Not to mention carting someone down in a meatsled down a mogul field doesn't look too fun either. And the fact that they get you out of some bad situations with keeping you stable and okay for whenever youre banged up and need ambulance/air transport helps too. The ones where I mostly ski (snowbird, deer valley) aren't bad at all. mostly like the ones at the bird because they don't fuck around but the ones where I work/ski are straight out of the movie hot dog. They really only keep a handful of hardcore patrollers there for minor control work/explosive control work and that's it, the rest are just dickhead med students or something. but id be annoyed with my job too if half of your patrol work is done downloading billionaires in a sled because theyre too tired to ski,
Most volunteers ive met in my area are just in it for the pass and free ski benefits for the family, nothing really more. I had the unfortunate pleasure of being carted down by two dipshit volunteers at PC when I had a bad concussion and they're really lucky I only had a head injury, if it was spine the way they handle me on the backboard could have seriously caused permanent damage and wasn't cool. its not an easy job but at least get people who have some experience. that sorta left a bad taste in my mouth. my sisters a part time patroller/EMT/ski coach and actually had to tell some volunteer to step away from the scene till actual patrol gets there when one of her kids got hurt because the dude had no idea what he was doing.
Personally without proper certs and training and stuff, Volunteers are a gigantic liability I feel like.
DeebieSkeebiesMost volunteers ive met in my area are just in it for the pass and free ski benefits for the family, nothing really more. I had the unfortunate pleasure of being carted down by two dipshit volunteers at PC when I had a bad concussion and they're really lucky I only had a head injury, if it was spine the way they handle me on the backboard could have seriously caused permanent damage and wasn't cool. its not an easy job but at least get people who have some experience. that sorta left a bad taste in my mouth. my sisters a part time patroller/EMT/ski coach and actually had to tell some volunteer to step away from the scene till actual patrol gets there when one of her kids got hurt because the dude had no idea what he was doing.
Personally without proper certs and training and stuff, Volunteers are a gigantic liability I feel like.
My home mountain dropped the EMT cert requirement as well as the wages and now all the ski patrol have no idea what theyre doing. The nice part I guess is they'll NEVER pull your pass for ducking a rope but the idea of them handling me or someone else with a serious injury seems like a nightmare. Still do more than most resorts I've been to in Europe...
The ski patrol at my eastern resort are not even the problem, the yellow jackets of my resort are pretty much assholes looking for a free pass and a way to yell at kids to feel like they still have some authority. They sit at high traffic areas and enforce the slow skiing sign and shit. Ski patrol should be respected but honestly those yellow jacket equivalent guys are never chill for no reason and should be beaten up by mfm
Don't be a dick. That's all you have to know to get the respect of patrol. This is coming from a patroller. 90% of patrollers you meet are guys that love skiing and love helping those in need. Many come on their days off from the ambulances or fire departments and are genuine people. I wish people would stop seeing us as mountain cops. We wear a cross, not a badge. Obviously there are rules to enforce, like the trail is probably closed for a reason. Not because "we just want the powder for ourselves". A little respect goes a long way. Stop by your local patrol and ask to shadow for a day, you might just like it.
Hell, I still take laps through the park when I work. Won $10 on Tell a Friend Tour while working.
Honestly most of the ski patrol I've rode up lifts with were chill as hell. Sure their ability levels vary from resort to resort, and mellower resorts like in the midwest, southeast, and western NY tend to have more intermediate ski level type patrol, but they're still essential (as someone said like the cops. Some people hate them until you need them). At the very least you should be able to confidently and efficiently ski anything on the mountain you're patrolling imo, or at least have a safe plan for treating and evacuating people from gnarly terrain that you wouldn't ski. As well as do training simulations at regular intervals; I would hope resorts would ensure this (might not always happen though). If anything, yellow jackets are the douche bags. Some of the shit patrollers do out west saving and protecting people is just gnarly as fuck. It blows my mind when these guys are carting people down steep terrain on a sled. Don't forget occasionally patrollers die during avalanche work from explosions. It's a dangerous job. Also let's get a shout out to avalanche dogs. They're patrol too!
I do agree that these guys should have some sort of EMT/Paramedic or ATLS certification along with ACLS and PALS. And add in all the avalanche training for western resorts.
To the guy that had a head injury and had a rough ride down the mountain, that sucks. They should always assume a neck injury in a fall until proven otherwise.
National Patrol (volunteer) vs Pro
National get paid in lift tickets. Tend to be guys and gals that live a few hr away from the mountain and have some amazing egos. Most have moved into the yellow jacket club. Pro's are just that. They take that shit seriously because it is. They play with bombs and could care less if you're skiing backwards. Their home is the mountain and all of us are their little kittens they are there to protect.
National = Hall monitor
Pro = Principal .... Can be a dick but would rather be dealing with shit that will keep you alive under their watch.
OregonDeadAlso realize that most of these guys are volunteers. Not only do they have to have some skills for ski patrolling they also have to be willing to volunteer in advance to miss what might be a good ski day. They deserve respect for that.
Really? What draws them to volunteer? Experience for other endeavors?
they are douchebags who think they're better than everyon else on the mountain because they're better than 95% of the mountain but if you're in that 5% you're probably a douchebag too anyways so take a good long look at yourself and say "today i'm not going to quetsion the ski patrol i'm just going to obey whatever they say because they are probably more ionvested in the interest of everyone on the mountain than i am in myself." even though you are probably ridiculously invested in yourself but maybe you shouldn't be.
Ski patrollers on Hood are homies, not all of them are old fat dudes all in pretty good shape, there’s a good amount of them that are female and if I ever get injured I’d love to have them come rescue me. They all kill it at their job, one of my favorite patrollers named Minty can do it all. He can detain drunk dads with ease, he keeps calm under pressure and at the end of the day he is a well rounded ski patroller like any other on Hood.
Also Bachelor isn’t my home mountain but those patrollers seem pretty cool too, their uniforms are sick asf.
Patrol is super underrated. Avy control is dangerous and requires knowledge and skills that 99 percent of resort goers do not have. Plus, your first aide skills are nearly at EMT level, there is some training that goes beyond what they do in terms of difficult extractions, tree pits, burials, chair lift evacuation, etc.
My home mountain would be dangerous AF to the point of being unskiable a large portion of the winter without ski patrol.
Rather than being an asshole you should say, "thanks for breaking that cornice off at 4 am so I didn't get taken out by an ice chunk the size of a school bus today."
snowpocalypseNational Patrol (volunteer) vs Pro
National get paid in lift tickets. Tend to be guys and gals that live a few hr away from the mountain and have some amazing egos. Most have moved into the yellow jacket club. Pro's are just that. They take that shit seriously because it is. They play with bombs and could care less if you're skiing backwards. Their home is the mountain and all of us are their little kittens they are there to protect.
National = Hall monitor
Pro = Principal .... Can be a dick but would rather be dealing with shit that will keep you alive under their watch.
I had never heard of the national patrol in 20 years of skiing until my friend told me about his recent run in with them. This makes so much sense now. We ski at a tiny hill with ~260' of vert. My friend was skiing alone and filling into chairs that weren't full, which as far as I'm aware is pretty standard practice just about anywhere in skiing. Some old guy from the national patrol went ballistic on him, pulled him out of the line, told him he was snaking the lift line, and told him that he better not see that again and that he's on the national ski patrol. He then flashed his "badge" or national ski patrol patch or something like a cop would. It sounded absolutely ridiculous. Dude didn't even know how a lift line worked.
Grew up skiing there. Patrol are complete dickheads there. I was like 8 coasting the bottom where it gets flat to get back to the lift, patrol is following me blowing a whistle and yelling at me to stop. I stop and he runs into me and knocks me over then proceeds to yell at me for being out of control and going to fast. My dad came over and set him straight lol.
Rum_HamGrew up skiing there. Patrol are complete dickheads there. I was like 8 coasting the bottom where it gets flat to get back to the lift, patrol is following me blowing a whistle and yelling at me to stop. I stop and he runs into me and knocks me over then proceeds to yell at me for being out of control and going to fast. My dad came over and set him straight lol.
Hilarious. I wonder if its still like that...do you still ski there?
Also after I found the link to this video today I went on Blue's website and opened a chat window and sent it to the person responding to chat, Kelly. She showed it to the office and they thought it was funny. Great use of a half hour.
nostreboRHilarious. I wonder if its still like that...do you still ski there?
Also after I found the link to this video today I went on Blue's website and opened a chat window and sent it to the person responding to chat, Kelly. She showed it to the office and they thought it was funny. Great use of a half hour.
Nah I go to CU now so I ski in summit. But it used to be full of kids like that
I've skied at a handful of mountains where ski patrol were just power tripping, morale-lowering people. And in every instance there was a direct correlation to the management. If the management was good, ski patrol was amazing. If the management was bad, ski patrol was terrible. I've seen management change and ski patrol mentality follow suit in one season. And it makes perfect sense - if morale is low, staff gets temperamental, angry, short sighted...
I should note - the patrollers that I've been particularly annoyed with never slacked on the important part of their jobs. They still locked down avy control and if somebody broke a leg, they were there. But taking out irritation with management on the local kid who wants to cruise down a blue run switch at the end of the day, away from everybody else, isn't okay either.
1: this is great
2: in the few seasons since i stopped instructing, ive never been talked to by a patroller, ive been yelled at by a yellow jacket or two but that was some bs, anyway, point is if you are in control and clearly aware of your surroundings/ or If when you poach you dont make a scene you will probably never get in trouble with them, I have straightligned past patrollers before and aslong as I rip a rew nice turns or shoot into the trees quick they ski right by and wave, my friends father was a volunteer patroller who was actually a doctor off slope and he told us as kids that it wasnt about us but the example we set for others.
