If you’re struggling to understand why having experienced ski patrollers on the mountain is so important, maybe this video will help. I’m not saying these patrollers specifically are inexperienced.
Mistakes happen, and these ski patrollers in France easily could be tired or are just having a rough day in general. But if ski resorts have to fill their patrol staff with full newbies every year, you could probably expect a decent amount of this kind of stuff to go down.
The required training for ski patrollers can differ between resorts and countries, but the job typically requires emergency and safety training, First Aid, CPR, outdoor emergency care, and specific ski patrol related training.
Fortunately these guys managed to get this skier down the mountain in one piece, but it’s pretty obvious how poorly things could go if a sled was released. This is why we’re grateful for the well-trained and hard working ski patrollers that keep our mountains safe.