An Ounce of Prevention with Mike Teague

Ounce of Prevention

National Ski Patrol

By Mike Teague

Members of the Appalachian Ski Patrol participate in the annual skills training refresher. Patrollers train on airway management and oxygen use. Patroller Dee Thomas, Beech Mountain

Welcome to the North Carolina High Country! Whether you are a resident or a visitor you will find the NC High Country to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. This holds especially true for those like myself who enjoy our mountains during winter months.

Our area is blessed with three beautiful and fun ski slopes that allow for easy access to winter snow sports. As visitors and locals alike enjoy these facilities, safety and incident response at each of our resorts must be accounted for. This is where members of the National Ski Patrol come into play.

The National Ski Patrol was founded in 1938 by Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole. Since its founding, the National Ski Patrol has grown to over 30,000 patrollers and 650 different patrols throughout the nation. I want to take this opportunity to give some insight into the duties of our local ski patrols and why they are so important. I want to also provide you the path if you are interested in becoming one of our heroes on the snow.

Just like the resorts themselves, each local ski patrol operates independently. The three patrols of Appalachian, Beech and Sugar mountains make up the Blue Ridge Region, which is part of the Southern Division of National Ski Patrol. This network allows for direction from the National office down through to the individual patrols, but also allows for independent operation that is tailored to each resort’s unique needs.

Each ski patroller receives training in Outdoor Emergency Care (medical) as well as training in skiing, toboggan handling, chairlift evacuation and a vast array of additional safety related topics. The National Ski Patrol qualification levels are candidate (for new patrollers), auxiliary for those who specialize in medical care, basic for those who have met the requirements for both medical and toboggan handling, senior for those who have taken their basic skills, strengthened and refined them, and lastly certified for those who show a mastery of these skills and more.

After receiving training, an active ski patroller will work several days a year at their “home” resort. While some qualified patrollers will develop their hobby into a part-time career—called pros—most of the patrollers you will encounter on the local slopes are volunteers. These volunteers will spend hundreds of hours each winter helping to provide both an enjoyable and safe environment for the skiing public.

Joe Donadio is the Patrol Director for the Appalachian Ski Patrol and the Professional Director for the Southern Division of the National Ski Patrol. In his 35-plus years of service Mr. Donadio has worked to make Appalachian Ski Patrol a strong and cohesive unit. In talking about the strengths of current patrol members, Mr. Donadio says, “Our Patrollers are EMTs, Paramedics, Rescue Technicians, Fire Department and Law Enforcement Personnel, if not before they become Patrollers, soon thereafter. Patrollers are now taking the necessary skills that we acquire through NSP training and incorporating them into professional fields that serve within our local communities. We are not only Ski Area employees, we are service driven professionals who continue to meet the demands of an ever changing society, as well.”

A normal day for a ski patroller begins with first tracks! “First tracks” is what it sounds like—ski patrollers make the first tracks in the snow of the day. While this sounds like fun (it is a little), there is plenty of work to do. The entire skiable area must be checked for hazards. These hazards must be removed or reduced before the resort can open to the public. After the resort opens for the day, the patroller will ski with the public, making sure to monitor for any additional hazards and changing conditions. The entire time the patroller is working they must be prepared to respond to any reported accident, injury or medical condition that occurs on the resort’s property.

There are days when the ski patroller will spend a good portion of the day in the first aid room attending to injured and sick guests. While these days do happen, especially during high skier traffic times such as weekends and holidays, there is still plenty of time spent outside on the slopes skiing with the public and/or training to improve your skills.

Each fall, patrol members spend several hours refreshing and improving their medical skills online at the National Ski Patrol’s learning center. Additionally, each patrol will hold an in-person refresher day that everyone on the patrol attends to hone their medical and rescue skills under the qualified leadership of the patrol’s medical instructors. This is usually a long, but fun, day as we get to see old friends (more like family) who we haven’t seen since the end of the previous March.

So, why do people become ski patrollers? Joe Donadio believes “it is the love for skiing/ boarding combined with a desire for helping others. It is the bloodline of every National Ski Patrol member.”

Additionally, Mr. Donadio goes on to express what 35 years with National Ski Patrol has meant to him: “Family, camaraderie, and friendship have driven my Patrolling career. Throughout different aspects of my life, the ups and the downs, our Patrol has always been a constant for me. Ski Patrol has grown from a part-time hobby into a year round profession for me. I enjoy the family diversity with the many different challenges of Patrol leadership that I experience every season.”

What is the first step if you are interested in becoming a local ski patroller? It’s pretty simple, really. Reach out to one of the three local ski patrols and fill out an interest card. At App Ski Mtn., once this is done you will be asked to come back to the mountain for a ski day with the Patrol Director or one of his Assistant Patrol Directors. If your interest is still there, and you are approved by the Patrol Director, you will begin your training the following summer by taking the Outdoor Emergency Care class. This course in the foundation for the medical skills used by patrollers throughout the ski season. Once you pass the OEC course, you will begin resort-specific training on the snow as a Candidate Patroller.

As you can see there is a lot that goes into providing rescue, emergency medical care and a safe skiing environment on our local slopes. If you have interest in joining the National Ski Patrol, please reach out to one of your local patrols. We are always looking to foster interest and strengthen our patrol.

I hope to see you on the slopes this winter!

Frequent CML contributor Michael Teague is the Assistant Chief of the Boone Fire Department and a member of the National Ski Patrol.