Ski Patrol

M

m1k3vb

Member
Hey, I was just wondering if ski patrol gets paid, and if so how much, and what you need to do to become one. Cheers.
 
You need to take a course.

Pay depends on where you are. Most small mountains are entirely volunteer. Some of the bigger mountains out west I think are the opposite.

If you volunteer some places you only need maybe 20-25 days of commitment a season and you can get free or dirt cheap tickets all over the place.
 
In the midwest it's mostly volunteer (with the exception being Mount Bohemia), in the west they get paid. Probably in the east too.

You need OEC (Outdoor Emergency Care) or EMT training. Some places will only accept one or the other, some places will accept either one. You also need CPR training. OEC/EMT is a course that takes several weels (I think 6-8 weeks). CPR is a few hours or less just one day. Don't get OEC or EMT without looking into which one your local ski area prefers or requires.

Some ski areas take a while to start patrolling at. Snowbird will only hire someone as Ski Patrol if they work at Snowbird as Winter Trail Crew first. It's essentially the entry level Ski Patrol. Alta will only hire people who have patrolled somewhere else for ~10 years first. Other ski areas might have similar requirements. Some will hire you right away if you show them you'll be good enough. They might require you to ski with them the season before to show them that you're a good enough skier (that's how Arapahoe Basin does it).
 
12950061:Sh4dow said:
In the midwest it's mostly volunteer (with the exception being Mount Bohemia), in the west they get paid. Probably in the east too.

You need OEC (Outdoor Emergency Care) or EMT training. Some places will only accept one or the other, some places will accept either one. You also need CPR training. OEC/EMT is a course that takes several weels (I think 6-8 weeks). CPR is a few hours or less just one day. Don't get OEC or EMT without looking into which one your local ski area prefers or requires.

Some ski areas take a while to start patrolling at. Snowbird will only hire someone as Ski Patrol if they work at Snowbird as Winter Trail Crew first. It's essentially the entry level Ski Patrol. Alta will only hire people who have patrolled somewhere else for ~10 years first. Other ski areas might have similar requirements. Some will hire you right away if you show them you'll be good enough. They might require you to ski with them the season before to show them that you're a good enough skier (that's how Arapahoe Basin does it).
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Also, this is all specific to the US. Not sure about other countries, but I assume that at mountain areas they get paid. Not necessarily small ski hills (like the midwest).
 
When I became a patroller I had to complete an OEC class. And to the question about payment: you have to make it your job and put in 50+ days of patrolling. At my mountain in order to volunteer you have to do 12 duty days
 
In perisher they're volunteers but they have to take a course and correct training and they get a free ticket for that day and another pass for another day.
 
I am currently a paid patroller for a rather large mountain in British Columbia, but have also worked at a smaller hill. Pm if you have any questions.
 
It's required that you wear a headband and sunglasses everyday and use really long poles without straps. It's also a plus if you ski just dynafits all the time. Make sure to call lift maintenance on the radio a lot to tell them that the uphill side of tower 11 looks out of alignment. A lot of places out west only have pro patrol and they start at like $13/hr I think.
 
12950114:ECSTASKI said:
In perisher they're volunteers but they have to take a course and correct training and they get a free ticket for that day and another pass for another day.
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You do realise that there is a difference between the guys in Red and the gimps in blue and yellow!

Patrol is paid. Volunteers are not
 
Says you're from Ontario. In Ontario it's pretty much entirely CSPS which is a volunteer organization. The patrol are hill employees so they get whatever the hill pays, so depends on the hill. Probably just a bit over minimum though. Also generally weekend patrol is unpaid volunteer work and weekday and nights is paid. Need to do the CSPS course to be a patrol. It's nothing too intense. A bit better than basic first aid, cpr, aed, plus all the patrol specific stuff like toboggans. Somewhere in the $200-300 range for the course and all the certifications.
 
Sounds like where your at Op ski patrol is mostly volunteer. I know my mnt starting patrolers make 13hr and get $1,000 stipend every other year to buy new hard goods(skis,boots,bindings).
 
Ok cool, thanks for the info. I'm moving out west next season, so patrol might be something I start working towards eventually. Or maybe ski instructor, we'll see.
 
Alright, I'm on my actually computer so I can type out a pretty decent reply.

To be a PAID patroller on any mountain in British Columbia or Alberta you must hold an 80 hour first aid course. The three main courses that are acceptable are your Occupational First Aid level 3 which is worksafe approved, Outdoor emergency care which is a course run by the american national ski patrol. The last course which isn't accepted by everyone is your 80 hour wilderness first aid.

Most patrollers who just have their first aid certificate will get paid around $12-14 an hour. Now if you worked at hill that has more avalanche terrain and such you would your Canadian Avalanche Operations level 1 as well as your first aid to get a job there, so places like Whitewater, Red Mountain, Fernie, Revelstoke you would need it.

A big misconception is that to be on paid/patrol staff you have to be a volunteer first at the mountain. That is only relevant for Revelstoke and Whistler/Blackcomb. Other resorts would rather you build up experience with midsize mountains like Silver Star, Mount Washington or the north shore mountains and apply because any pro patrol position is so much more experience than a volunteer position who only comes in 3-4 times a month.

Don't be afraid of applying for patrol at the smaller mountains as every mountain pretty much needs a paid staff member in case of chair evacs, workplace injuries and creating policies. So don't be afraid to look into places like Manning Park, Hemlock, Apex, Shames mountain.

Being a Patroller is a very rewarding job, there really is nothing better than skiing powder before the public is on the hill, helping someone when they're hurt and then skiing some more in the afternoon.
 
Being on patrol is much more than about getting paid, it's more of a thing to do because you love it. I currently patrol at Mont Ripley in Michigan and the patrol is like one big family. I'm a student at MTU who owns the hill and there are a lot of other college students but we also have some seniors, some local guys, and even a couple professors at the University. Being apart of patrol is just a great thing because of the community that comes with being a patroller. People have this idea that patrollers are fat guys in red jackets who are trying to be dicks to everyone but its really not the case, all of the patrollers are just trying to have fun and keep everyone safe.

I would say if you want to patrol don't do it for the money, if you want a job on a hill to make decent money I would say to be an instructor or a liftee.

Hope this helps dude, patrolling is awesome
 
12950191:Skibumsmith said:
It's required that you wear a headband and sunglasses everyday and use really long poles without straps. It's also a plus if you ski just dynafits all the time. Make sure to call lift maintenance on the radio a lot to tell them that the uphill side of tower 11 looks out of alignment. A lot of places out west only have pro patrol and they start at like $13/hr I think.
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It's also required to say its too windy outside and close down lifts when you can spin that bitch in 70mph as long as you slow it down just before the sheave train, trumpet or halo can take care of the rest of the swinging.
 
Sounds like a bunch a 12yo who don't know what they're talking about up in here. You start out around here at 11/hr and get a 25c/hr raise once you start throwing bombs. You need a OEC, WRF, or EMT-B to get a paid job depending on your location. If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer. For the idiots who think patrol like acting like "cops" chances are you're dealing with vollys b/c pro patrollers don't get paid enough to care, or you did something to deserve being talked to.
 
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