Ski patrol seeks candidates with public good in mind
If you’re in the market for a life-changing experience, the Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol (MSSP) has a proposition for you. MSSP’s annual skier/boarder test is scheduled for March 4 at 9 a.m. Learn more at mssp.org.
To find out if I had the right stuff, I spent a night shift cruising with patrollers at Mt. Spokane. I discovered that a commitment to unselfish community service means more than ripping on snow.
Ski patrol training is demanding and time consuming. Graduates have the skill and confidence to respond in any emergency. But candidates must first prove themselves on the hill. Hot dogs need not apply.
“We’re looking for strong, controlled skiers in all weather and all conditions,” said patroller Bill Hofer. “But we’re not trying to determine whether you’re a great skier or not. A lot of the test covers basic skills you need to control a toboggan. We need to train you to get down the mountain safely with your patient and your partner.”
Every year 10 to 15 spots open on one of the largest all-volunteer ski patrols in the Northwest. MSSP wants candidates 18 and older, but will accept kids as young as 15 if they have elders to sponsor them.
“We’re really looking for folks in the community that have other connections,” said patroller Bob Streich. “Anyone with the ability and desire is welcome, but we want to find good people who represent the mountain and the patrol well.”
Streich expects up to 60 people will try out. About half will have the skill to train with the toboggan.
“There’s a lot of fallout along the way,” Streich said. “Some who qualify on the hill change their minds by the time classes begin. Some drop out during training. The 15 that survive are the cream of the crop.”
Candidates who pass the on-hill evaluation are invited to enroll in Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC), a program created by the National Ski Patrol similar to training for Emergency Medical Technicians. Veteran MSSP members and area health care professionals conduct OEC classes starting in September. Students pay their own way.
Mastering the objectives takes 80 to 100 hours of class and study time. The course includes first aid for ski and snowboard injuries and hypothermia, plus CPR certification, an understanding of anatomy and physiology, and emergency evacuation training. Classes meet two or three days a week for 10 to 12 weeks.
Candidates also spend 16 hours working the Ski Swap, MSSP’s annual fundraising event held the last week in October.
When the snow flies, the entire patrol trains on the mountain every Saturday and Sunday until Christmas. Accepted patrollers buy their own gear. Each member works a minimum of four shifts a month.
Patrollers get a season pass and equipment discounts, but Streich said no one is there for the perks.
“You have to have an interest in working with the public,” he said. “You have to have an interest in volunteerism. If you do it for the free pass, it’s going to be the most expensive free pass you ever had.”
All the patrollers I talked to said the MSSP lets them be a part of something larger and more important than their individual selves.
“This is an incredible organization,” Hofer said. “The bonds that tie everybody together are very strong. We’re a family here. We love to ski, we love to have fun and the mountain needs us.”
After a potluck dinner with patrollers in the chalet, I joined Streich for his final sweep down Two Face at the end of the evening. On the descent we paused for a while in the peaceful quiet with the mountain all to ourselves – maybe the best perk of all.