Best and Worst of Ski Patrol.

this keystone ski patrol dude was staring at my hellbents one time. it wasn't exactly a pow day

I think ski patrol are like any other figure out authority. If you do dumb shit in front of them, or do something illegal, or something that is clearly wrong...you will get in trouble. Just like the police or any other person who upholds the law. 99.999999% of ski patrollers aren't out to get you. Yes im sure there is a couple who are on a power trip...but there are always bad eggs in any job regardless of what it is

They never let me ski naked so yes I hate em

KravtZI think ski patrol are like any other figure out authority. If you do dumb shit in front of them, or do something illegal, or something that is clearly wrong...you will get in trouble. Just like the police or any other person who upholds the law. 99.999999% of ski patrollers aren't out to get you. Yes im sure there is a couple who are on a power trip...but there are always bad eggs in any job regardless of what it is

What my question is asking isn't whether you've had a ski patroller do something shitty but rather what interesting encounters have you had with them. Funny or serious encounters included

I think the majority of ski patrollers are good people and love their job. They certainly aren't doing it for the money, or the loads of bitches, or the epic powder lines. (Although they do get some freshies the majority of their time is actual work, your not going to be hot lapping that 2ft blower in mid December). But they do get to spend their entire season skiing the mountain they love, keeping people safe, and waiting and ready to act when a tragedy occurs. Each department will say they are the most important and in the end they all work together to make a resort successful, but in my eyes the patrollers are the backbone of the mountain.

Of course you'll have that one guy who winds up on the team for the wrong reason, power hungry or for a sense of entitlement but I feel like that scenario is pretty rare in the ski industry in the first place. The old patrollers are the most bad-ass and down to earth people you will ever met. If you get a chance hop on the chair with them next season, some of their stories will blow your mind and give you a whole new appreciation for what they do on the mountain.

Love the full timers/patrollers as a lifty because they know what they are doing. Not a fan of the volunteer/weekend crowd of patrollers. The majority of them are all geriatric old fucks that can barely load sleds onto the chairs, are very rude, and are there for the free skiing and benefits.