Paid Ski Patrol?

[Ride Delaware ?]

I know most of the ski patrollers in our area are volunteers... Farther North, say Killington, Stowe, Sugarbush, Mount Snow etc etc, are there paid ski patrollers? I'm pretty sure there are, I just want to check since I was thinking of possibly living up north in the 2010-2011 season and wanted to know if that was a possibility...

[RidgeRacer]

I'm pretty sure that they are, probably more so at the larger resorts (Killington, Stowe etc.) If not and you're looking for a job on the snow, You can always teach for a few extra bucks and free skiing.

Edited September 26, 2009 by PA Ridge Racer

[Freeski919]

Yes, the patrols at most of the major mountains up north are full time, paid professionals. Frequently, there will be a corps of full-timers that is bolstered by volunteers on the weekends. At Okemo, they are called 'Safety Ambassadors', and they wear a blue cross on the back of their uniforms, as opposed to the professional patrollers, who wear a white cross. Joining patrol is a great idea if you're going north, but if you want to be paid to patrol up there, you can't show up in October. At most mountains, patrol training starts in spring, and goes through the summer until ski season opens. If you're going up for 10-11 and want to patrol, you need to start applying during the middle of this season, and be prepared to move up there this May, and have a job lined up for the summer up there.

 

If you're not able to commit off-season time to the patrol gig, you can look for a job instructing. They typically start taking applications in August, and start interviewing in October. The down side to instructing is that you only get paid when you teach. And you don't get paid all that much, either. But either with patrol or instructing, you can't beat the lifestyle.

[AtomicSkier]

TeleBen and Mtnbiker99x are both paid patrollers at Camelback.

[snoskier]

Go up and visit the mountains you want to ski and/or call and ask to speak to the patrol director. Most pro patrols want you to already have OEC certification and/or EMT. Some will train you over the summer, but most want you to have the medical training already.

Edited September 27, 2009 by snoskier