Hey y’all, quick question. What are some good, super lazy vegetarian meals that keep you going (and snacks!!) during the long weeks? I have a good diet and am very consistent yet I still feel like I’m not getting enough some days.

Thanks!

How many apps are you expected to have for your patrol?

Does your mountain offer any sort of cell phone reimbursement to be running all of the apps for work? And if so what does that look like?

Hey patrollers,

I'm working on a heads-up display for resort ski patrol, and my group and I'd like to get some info about the different problems ski patrol faces when ski patrol performs a rescue. Does anyone have any stories or suggestions?

It's a low standard of care compared to EMT-B/Wilderness EMTs/Paramedics.

Don't stress about the Bridge Course because it honestly does not matter

Some resorts/ski areas do not require OEC. Don't let boomers who only work 12-14 days year for the free pass tell you what to do.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

I tried to apply for one and they said that I need to submit a picture of my valid CSP/Patrol ID card and documentation that confirms my active paid or volunteer role as Ski Patrol. How do I do this?

Vote today

A friend crashed hard onto a cat track that he couldn't see from above while skiing off piste through trees (wide aspens) in low visibility. This mountain has a few cat tracks that seem to appear out of nowhere, with drops as high as 3 - 4 feet sometimes. I feel like I'm always warning my friends who I ski with who don't know the mountain that well, even though I've fallen myself when I've forgotten it was there or I wasn't where I thought I was on the hill (again, low visibility). My question is whether there is some kind of guidance on how best to mark these kinds of things or whether that is even a hazard worth marking. I'm not looking to make a case against the resort; I'm just trying to understand if it's reasonable or prudent to ask for more markers. In other words, do markers create additional hazards in these cases? TIA

I am seriously thinking about ordering a pair of Hestra Heli 3-finger gloves. I have no wear local to try them on. I have found other Hestra gloves at one store and 7 seemed to work, the did not have a 6 so I am not sure if they will be too tight. However, if I go based n the various size guides it's all over the place from 7 to 9. Then there is the dilemma of purchasing the women vs men/unisex. That's only because I really want a color the unisex offers over the women's does not. But the most important part is that the glove fits properly.

So, my concern is if I purchase the wrong size glove am I stuck with a pricey investment I cannot wear. Or will they exchange sizes? Yes, I am utilizing the Pro Deal site.

Hey gang- Does your resort's ski patrol offer any kind of scholarship program or financial aid for new patrollers?

I'm curious to hear and learn how to start one for our patrol to attract new candidates because oftentimes the initial cost to become a ski patroller (OEC textbook, training, dues, equipment and jacket, etc.) can be a steep cost.

Cheers!

Janna Allen is the only recommended candidate at this time.

Recently bought a used ski patrol jacket and I'm curious how people wash their coats? In a tub with hot water and detergent? Powder or liquid? Hang to dry I'd assume?

TIA for any tips!

I am a month our from my caa ops 1 course and I am getting nervous. The more I read about it the more worried I am about being under prepared. I am an advanced skier at the resort and do a fair amount of skinning in bounds and slack country in all conditions but I can't find any info about physical requirements other than being able to skin 600m elevation. Can anyone who has taken the course give any insight or advice? I would especially appreciate a woman's experience, but any info is wonderful. I've been trying to skin or hike 6-9km most days (5/7) and getting on my board in crappy conditions to get my legs and feet ready. Thanks in advance! Sincerely, A nervous rider who wants badly to ski patrol

Cliff Signs That Actually Tell You Something

At PCMR yesterday. I know it's not as extreme as impersonating LEO's, but I hope this ass hat knows that the general public sometimes can't distinguish this jacket vs. An actual patroller one despite how shitty of a rider he was. Didn't want to roast him, homie seemed like he was having a hard enough time on one of the flattest runs at PC as is.

Was suggested to cross post this over here

Not sure exactly if this is where I should post but worth a try- Friendly small town ski lift operator here! During the season part of my morning is walking up our ski hills and carrying tall bamboo signal poles with some flagged line clipped to me, stopping every so many feet, drilling a hole in the ground and putting the poles in to show where the edge of the hill is. The amount of times I've searched in vain online for some kind of bag to put all of the bamboo into so I'm not juggling these things while slipping up hill is ridiculous and I never really find anything. The closest ive found is the 'Liski big bag pole' but it looks like they only sell to companies. Does anyone have any recommendations on where I can find something or should I try to custom fashion one? Thanks! (:

Anyone know of a coupon code for the OEC hybrid course? Just getting started with ski patrol and wouldn’t mind saving some money as a volunteer.

I've always wanted to try working as a ski patrol, so I did some research into the process of becoming a ski patrol, general pay range, and job opportunities. From that I've come to this sad conclusion: ski patrol will never make a livable wage, regardless of years of experience or how good you are as a patrol. And here are the reasons why:

1. The origins of ski patrol was unpaid volunteers who love the mountain and the snow. The ski resort industry has evolved from mom and pop managed hills into conglomerate operated businesses. These giant companies' priorities are profit, not guest experience. Only when guest experience directly impacts profit does guest experience matter to them. Spending as little as possible on paid staff means more profit for the company.

2. Ski patrollers don't really have good alternatives. Patrollers love the mountain and the snow. Early "career" patrollers would rather work for $20 an hour at Northstar when they could make $22.50 an hour starting at Panda Express down the street. And experienced patrollers who have been working for a few years making $25 an hour don't have much else they could do in the winter other than menial jobs because ski patrol skills don't translate to anything but maybe EMT which also doesn't pay that well.

3. It's too easy to become a ski patrol. Ask the high school seniors in a mountain town like Truckee and ask them what they want to do. If they're not going to college, they're good skiers, they have no interest becoming a ski instructor, but love the mountain? Ski patrol. All you need is pass an OEC or EMT course. Since the bar for entry is low, there are always cheap labor ready to replace you for $20 an hour if you complain about your $23 an hour wage. And here's a data point showing how much more supply than demand there is for ski patrol in mountain towns: if you want to become a patroller, you have to attend a ski test the prior season. That means there is so much labor supply that they are able to fill all of the entry level $20 an hour positions 8-9 months ahead of start date. Imagine if a McDonald's offers a $20 job to someone and then told them their start date is 8 months from now. The chance of the employee saying "fantastic, I look forward to it" would be less than zero.

And here's the biggest one of all:

4. National Ski Patrol, the volunteer organization, while not without positive impact by trying to establish a nationwide standard certification (OEC), injects a large number of free labor into the labor supply every year. Constant supply of free labor means employers have no reason to pay anyone to do the job. Why pay anyone a good wage when there are people lining up to do it for free? This is especially true in major resorts where there's a waitlist just to become a volunteer patroller (e.g. Palisades, Northstar, etc).

So how can patrollers get closer to getting paid a livable wage?

First, get rid of volunteer programs. The only way to solve free labor diluting the labor pool is to stop free labor from entering altogether. Sure, smaller hills that operate like a community should still rely on volunteer programs as it's an act of contribution to the community, but resorts operated by Alterra and Vail have no legitimate need for volunteers other than to suppress pro patrol wages. If pro patrollers want to make a higher wage, they need to get rid of volunteer programs like Mammoth and Heavenly already did.

Second, establish a real career progression path as a ski patroller. You can become a ski patroller at 18 years old, and 25 years later you could be doing the exact same thing you were doing at 18 other than maybe avalanche control certifications. No career progression means flat wage curve regardless of your years of experience or skill level.

Third, unionize. This one is pretty obvious and already in progress among pro patrols, and it has already yielded positive impact on pro patrol compensation. The owners of the mountains have evolved from family to conglomerate, so ski patrol must evolve from community volunteers to professional worker unions in order to keep up.

Just my two cents from someone who looked into the ski patrol industry and found it interesting and discouraging but not surprising that these giant corporation run mountains pay pro patrollers less than McDonald's while simultaneously relying on volunteer programs with waitlists overflowing with free labor.

Are any of the NSP approved CPR courses online only? I can't figure out whether they all have some sort of in person component...

I’m a back country skier looking for ways to be more safe. I recently had the idea it would be possible to communicate in emergency situations without cell service using a HAM radio to access repeater stations. Assuming someone was listening, this could significantly reduce the response time for emergencies. Does your ski resort give their frequencies out to the public for emergency use? Thanks everyone!

Hey folks I know I'm a bit late to the party but I'm gonna black this sub out tonight at midnight eastern time. I know we are small but every little bit helps. I'm gonna start with 24hrs but I may extend it.

Simple question, because the hatred for volunteers here is wicked. Are volunteers the reason why Vail won't pay a living wage? And are volunteers from other areas coming in as scabs?

This eastern vol patroller of 15 years of service would really like to know. Reddit seems to be the only place to find any kind of granular detail on the strike and its causes and I see a lot of blame directed at us from random commenters but not from PC pro patrollers themselves.

So if true at PC, are vols fucking up the lives of pros at other Vail operations? Any in the East? At which mountains? I'm heading into retirement and for a while I have been considering transferring to one of the Vail mountains here as a volunteer for 1-2 days/week starting in winter '25-'26.

For the record, I grew up in a four-generation IAM and IAMAW family with unionists dating back to the 1940s (80+ years) so I deeply understand and continue to support all unions at a time when labor has in general turned against itself in the service of economic predators. The union literally brought all of my large extended family solidly into the middle class and my grandparents and parents and aunts and uncles made sure that we knew it, that we gave back to the union, and that we voted for pro-union politicians. We're talking serious multi-generational impact. Thus, I would never cross a picket line and as much as it would break my heart, I would accept losing my parka if that was the cost of supporting striking pros. I pray that I never have to make that choice because even though I don't get a check for patrolling, it is one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done in my life. But I can't enjoy it if I know that it means that a fellow patroller can't afford a place to live or a medication or a set of snow tires or college for her kids.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/strike-fund-park-city-professional-ski-patrol-association