becoming a patroller?

[north east will]

im a senior in college. i thinking about moving to a ski town for a few years when i graduate. from what i hear it is pretty easy to get a job but what if i want to be a ski patroller? what do i have to do to qualify? what should i do this summer (emt training?) to prepare?

thanks

will

ps why no search function on this board? i read other vbulletin boards and you can search.

[Rambo]

well it depends on where you are going to patrol and if you are trying to get paid or not.
I would call the hill you are going to try to get in at and talk to the patrol director at the hill. most hills make you go thru a canidate season where you kind of tag a long with another patroler and learn about bieng a patroler.then most likely you will have to go thru a OEC (outdoor emergency care) class which is 2 to 4 months long depending on the schedule. after that you are an auxilary partoller which means yo ucan treat patients but you can not handle teh tobogan. you will then have to pass a basic ski and tobogan test which you will be trained to do. after that you are a basic patroler. you can then get a senior certification which is mostly learning to be a superviser and handeling any type of trerrain on with a tobbogan. from there you can become a certified partroller as well. you can be paid at any leval above basic patroller.

From my understanding alot of the pro patrollers out west and east are off duty emt's and paramedics.

I am currently getting my senior and my trainer certifications.

good luck it is alot of fun and you meet a lot of nice people. rember we are really out numbered so stand up for us every chance you get.

if you have any other questions email me I will try to answer them the best I can.

Erik

[stickmansurf]

Will

Some advice....head west, young man!

After spending 3 glorious years in Colorado, I now reside back on the east coast. It's just a different world. I lived in the Vail Valley where patrollers on snowboards (both at Vail and Beaver Creek) were pretty common. Some worked the sled, some didn't.

As far as training is concerned, a lot of patrollers worked in some way, shape or form for one of the local fire departments. EMT training was provided by the college that I used to work at (Colorado Mountain College) and usually paid for by the fire department.

If you plan on going west, go in the summer, get a place to live and become a part of the community. It will change your life.

Oh, and the powder........

Aloha,
Stickman

[north east will]

rambo--so you are basicly saying i cant get paid my first season? thats unfortunate.

[Rambo]

I think it depends on the patrol you are going to. most likely not unless you are an emt but even then I dont know for sure. ther is alot of training involved. OEC Ski and toboggan and Chair evacuation just to name a few our ours here in michigan is all volunteer so I dont know may paid patrollers. sorry
Erik

[Fleaman]

Being a volounteer patroler in Canada, I know a few paid Pro Patrollers. If you join the National Ski Patrol, get the basics down by taking their course . Along the way you will meet the Paid guys and learn how they did it. Huckin a toboggan with the board is pretty easy, especially on the steeps and bumps. Just make sure you get tons of speed for the flats. Some Areas will pay the volounteers to patrol during night skiing and midweek, sometimes cash and sometimes lift tickets which you can sell, but they frown on selling them. Dont expect to get rich by patrolling, if I am correct, the rate is pretty poor. Some guys I know are independently wealthy and dont really have jobs, but they Pro Patrol for the fun of it.

[Pat Donnelly]

Did you change your e-mail addy? Tried to reach you a few times . . . return to sender.

[north east will]

i dont know if that email address comment was addressed ;) to me but no my email address is thesame

im not looking to try to get rich patrolling, if this was possible im sure everyone would do it. i just want to survive and maybe have health insurance.

will