Ski Patrol

If I would of known that it was ski smart and ski in control perhaps even I could of been on the Steamboat Patrol.

Here’s an old clip that was made waaaaay back in ’86 about the Steamboat Ski Patrol. There was lots of help and cooperation from Patrol and Ellen, a choreographer friend. What? You’ve never seen a ski patroler dance in ski boots? Well, here’s your chance… Now I want to see a ski patrol broadway show or musical!

Champagne powder

photo – TetonAT.com TGIF friends, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are 1 week closer to ski season! In celebration of Friday I compiled a list, in no particular … Read More

Sustain a serious injury skiing and you’ll want to get off the hill quick and into the care of medical specialists. That’s where the Ski Patrol Olympics come in hand, training the men and women in red with the skills needed to rapidly extract a victim from the accident scene…

Ok, not exactly… But the Ski Patrol Olympics are certainly good for entertainment and some good-spirited competition. This year Mammoth Mountain played host to this one-of-a-kind event. Competitions include a randonée race, beacon search, big mountain GS race, toboggan race, bamboo throw, simulated bomb throw, Recco search, and an avalanche rescue dog search competition.

When seconds count... June Mountain Patrollers getting their "victim" off the hill as quickly as they can.

Whether well publicized or not I was not aware that the 2012 Ski Patrol Olympics were to be held at Mammoth Mountain – the past two years the event has been hosted by Squaw Valley. Either way, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the running of yesterday’s Toboggan Race (if there’s one competition to catch perhaps this is the one), thus the presentation of the above video.

All I have to say is, “that looks like onehelluva good time!” Fortunately no one was injured (that’s the whole idea, right?), and good times were had by all. Next time around it would be great to see the Ski Patrol Olympics properly publicized – this is a really fun event and a great opportunity for ski and snowboard enthusiasts to come out and cheer on the men and women that serve.

The Snow Guardians documentary project needs your help. F9 Films, through the collaborative volunteer efforts of many talented cinematographers, photographers and editors, is on the verge of unveiling its latest feature film. Snow Guardians vividly captures the stories of Ski Patrol and Search & Rescue Teams as they commit to the challenging and dangerous life of making the unrelenting mountain environment safer for winter recreationists everywhere.

This unique, captive winter recreation and exploration project is reaching a critical stage. As F9 Films prepares to assemble and distribute this film they must also confront a modest financial hurdle. They now turn to you, the public, to help them realize their goal of bringing Snow Guardians to audiences everywhere.

EXCERPT FROM THE SNOW GUARDIANS KICKSTARTER FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN WEBSITE:

“The expanded interest in the backcountry has resulted in a growing number of adventurers seeking enjoyment outside a ski resort. The imperfect science of avalanche study and prediction may be the only thing standing in the way of life and death for a growing number of backcountry adventurers. The film will also be a highly educational yet gripping story to help educate people traveling into the backcountry on the science and skills needed to survive.

We are on our second season shooting a documentary about Ski Patrol & Search and Rescue teams with the help of 14 talented filmmakers in Montana. Across the West, there had been 13 avalanche deaths this season as of Feb. 16, and with the boom in backcountry winter sports there is a critical need in avalanche safety training. Our film will provide a much needed overview of the training and equipment needed to venture off the beaten path all while being visually breathtaking enough to entertain all generations of snow adventures…

The project has turned out as an amazing visual compilation of the life and science behind backcountry snow safety. We hope that it will not only be great to watch but provide needed education on backcountry safety to save lives. Now its time for you to help, your contribution is critical to help us complete the project.”

Ski Patrollers and Search & Rescue teams put their lives on the line every day. For that alone we all owe these dedicated professionals a debt of gratitude. If the trailer is any indication, Snow Guardians will be inspirational, riveting and acutely educational, all at once. Directly or indirectly we all stand to gain from the realization of this project. The Snow Guardians Kickstarter Fundraising Campaign ends Monday, March 26th. Give today if you can.

A 39-year old Keystone ski patroller died in avalanche while off duty skiing near Wolf Creek ski resort on Thursday.  He is believed to originally be from Australia or New … Read More

Snowbasin ski resort in Utah has released a statement denouncing the behavior of a ski patroller who kinda went off on a snowboarder the other day.  The incident was captured … Read More

Ever have a Patroller tell you to SHUT THE F*^K UP?  This Snowbasin Patroller got real fiesty recently with a recent patron of the resort.  Skip to 1:50 for the “Shut your fuc*^king mouth” part.  I never quite got the attitude with some patrollers, I mean you’re skiing all day and throwing explosives…why the stick up the ass?  95% are pretty chill guys, but the other 5%, WTF?  I got busted poaching some trees at the Bird last winter just on the wrong side of the ropeline and there were two tools hanging out with wire cutters just waiting to bust me.  Don’t you have anything better to do?  I honestly didn’t get what this kid did wrong.  I guess he did have a weird look about him, is that boarder grom profiling? What is the consensus, ski piggies or chill mtn folk?

A common motif is SH#T when discussing early season snowpack in the rocky Mountains. We’ve got sketchy snowpack all the way from the Interior of British Columbia to the mountains of Utah and Colorado.

An early season Fracture Line in UT.

Check out this video of Avalanche Control at Kicking Horse Mountain. Skip 41 seconds in (0:41) to see the action. The music is somewhat dramatic for “early season” avalanche control, but it does the trick, I mean I was hooked. [Editor Note:] Being a ski patrol is pretty bad ass, Yep I’ve had my problems with the granola-based ski patroller who, on many occasions, has pissed me off. BUT being a patroller is cool, and they do live a better life than you.

Ski Patrol get to: Shoot large guns, ski, throw dynamite, ski, drink beer, get first chair (before you even get up),  always have first run, play with dogs, ski, sit around in their hut and act cool, ski, drink beer, sell t-shirts, have fires, ski, drink beer, dig snow pits, learn about aspect and slope,  get to ride in helis, find dead bodies, break cornices, watch avalanches, ski cut, drink beer, play with their dog’s puppies, drink beer, ski, and help you if you’re hurt.

You thought you were cool dangling a bandanna out your back pocket?  Think again, wus-f#$ker.  The patrollers down here in Patagonia ski with Machetes in their hands and they straight swing the motha-f#$kas while skiin’. Yeah, that IS badass.

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This video is from the Ski Patrol Olympics in Squaw Valley, 2010.

The 2nd annual Ski Patrol Olympics will be held at Squaw Valley once again this year from April 27-28.

Events include a bomb throwing, bamboo-javelin tossing, GS race, randonee race, pulling-a-sled race, and a who-can-find-the-avy-beacon-fastest race.  New this year is an avy dog competition.  This will be really fun to watch for dog lovers.

You definitely wanna ogle at the pulling-a-sled race and you can do so from the bottom of the Cornice II bowl.  A lounge and BBQ will be set up there.

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