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Item: Mt. Spokane powderhounds on patrol: After 70 years, volunteer ski group still innovating/Cindy Hval, SR Voices.
More Info: Throughout the day the ski patrol provides assistance to those in need. “We’re essentially EMTs,” said Edwards, referring to the advanced Outdoor Emergency Care training the members are required to take. “We can typically respond within five minutes.” But they do much more than help injured skiers. They conduct search-and-rescue operations when needed, ensure guests are skiing safely and answer questions about the mountain/CindyH, SR Voices. More here.
Question: Have you ever been assisted or rescued by the ski patrol?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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thawtfulreader on February 06 at 8:30 p.m.
Question: Have you ever been assisted or rescued by the ski patrol?
No, but I heard thru the pot-vine that Olympic Gold Medal winner Snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, a Canadian who was on a goodwill trip to the States which included a day at Mt. Spokane, was tasered by the ski-patrol when someone complained about him smoking a pinner on Chairlift 4, and he refused to submit to Ski Patrol Authority and be strip searched.
He was reported to have begged the Ski Patrol members: “Don’t tase me bro, eh?”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iVYjSpwjt1rVX-3nM2wRdPUKs8VQ
Bob on February 06 at 9:04 p.m.
Yeah, New Years 1973. Me and my brother and his friend skied to the base of Chair 4, unfortunately, this was the year before Chair 4 was operational so we were stranded and lost. Had no idea where to go since the runs weren’t open and we’d never been there. Ski Patrol and Mt Spokane personnel on Snow Cats found us after dark, cold and freaked out. They were kind of a-holes to us, gave us rides back up the mt and to Lodge 2 on the Snow Cats where are worried parents were waiting.
Here’s the thing, Mt. Spokane never roped off the runs going over to Chair 4, never put up any signs. If we’d froze to death or been assaulted by insane snow trolls from Blanchard and cooked over bonfires it would have been completely their fault. My parents could have sued and made a fortune and they and the surviving 3 siblings would have been able to take cool vacations and buy sweet ski boats. Damn you Mt Spokane Ski Patrol for saving us!
Seriously, total jerks, though. I also especially enjoy them cutting long lift lines when they have no service calls going, God forbid these red jacketed EMTs on snow posers (I can outski any of them in my sleep) have to WAIT IN A LIFT LINE.
I guess that’s a perk maybe. But seriously, glad to have them up there and to the ones who aren’t A-holes to young teens who get lost due to no fault of their own - kudos!