COURTESY OF BEN LEECH
Skiing Without Ski Patrol Is Risky Business
While your coffee is still brewing, local ski patrollers are suited up and planning for the day ahead. Their focus? Your safety. From chipping ice off the bottom of toboggans to throwing explosives to mitigate an avalanche, ski patrol is on the scene before the sun is, ensuring your day is full of only good memories. While ski patrollers come from various backgrounds and interests, they all have one thing in common—a steadfast love of skiing. This common bond connects them and the mountains they patrol. “You get an intimacy with the mountain. And you really understand the conditions… so much so that you become an expert that allows you to be the best skier you can be,” said Sugar Bowl ski patroller Dan Mirkin. Ski patrollers are CPR certified and armed with advanced first aid knowledge gained through the Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) course offered by the National Ski Patrol (NSP). The OEC course consists of intensive training on assessing, treating, and comforting injured skiers and riders. Mike Sinclair, an aspiring ski patroller, recently took the OEC course and was surprised by the thorough instruction he received. “The quality of training is far beyond what I expected. We have everything from physicians to long-term National Ski Patrollers to
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