Ski patrollers want people on the hills to make their job easier.
But when the inevitable happens and someone is hurt, there are more than 4,600 volunteers in blue and yellow across the country to make sure that person is safe.
“The safer people ski, the less work we get to do but the more skiing we get to do, which is really why we’re out here in the first place,” Canadian Ski Patrol communications director Geoff Scotton said. “We love to ski and we love to help people.
More than 20 patrollers from coast-to-coast love helping people so much that they made the trip to Loch Lomond Ski Area over the weekend to learn new skills to take back to their resorts. From toboggan techniques to rescue and extrication, volunteers were busy using the local ski hill as a training ground.
“Right across the board all of the skills that are displayed on the snow, which is a big piece of what we do,” Scotton said.
Patrolling is a great way to learn new skills, it takes up to 80 hours just to get the basic training required, and meet new people.
“It’s the most fun thing you can do with your ski boots on,” Scotton said. “But we’re very very serious about our competency in first aid and rescue.”
While ski patrol does have standard procedures, different terrain means patrollers sometimes have different methods depending on what resort they’re at. The National On-Snow workshop was also a great way to get together and discuss those different techniques.
Originally from Thunder Bay, Nancy Askin has been a patroller for 37 years. Now the vice-president of education for the national organization, she said it’s great to see best practices from all across the country.
“Different terrain and different elements allow you to have a little more flexibility,” she said.
