Frequently Asked Questions

Patrollers at Timber Ridge are all volunteers and are not paid. You are more-likely to see paid patrollers at large destination resorts, many of which also have volunteer patrollers.

Each patrol has its own guest patroller policy. As a general rule, a patroller is registered to an individual patrol and performs all the patrol duties for that ski area. There are patrols who encourage visiting patrollers, but others are more restrictive. As sister patrols, Timber Ridge and the Bittersweet Ski Patrol have a more open policy in terms of visiting patrollers.

If you are a senior patroller from an area outside our section, the Timber Ridge Ski Patrol invites you to sign-on for a shift. Please stop by the patrol building and ask to speak with the shift’s Hill Leader.

After your candidate year, you will be asked to choose from one of three schedule options.
Weekdays – patrolling one day each week from 9 am to 6 pm.
Weeknights – patrolling one afternoon or night each week from 4 pm to 8 pm or 6 pm to 10 pm plus ten weekend shifts.
Weekend Only – patrolling fifteen weekend shifts.

There are four shifts on a weekend - two on Saturday and two on Sunday.  All patrollers patrol one holiday shift per season. So, in summary, patrollers average approximately 100 hours on duty each season.

Yes. There are many different professions represented on the patrol. We require successful completion of the Outdoor Emergency Care course which provides you with the skills you will need to assist injured guests.

Speak to any patroller or simply visit the recruiting page (add link) of this web site.

Outdoor Emergency Care is the NSP’s award-winning training program for patrollers and others in the recreation community who deal with emergency situations. This nationally recognized program is designed to help you manage the toughest emergencies, in all seasons. Developed in the late 1980s by the National Ski Patrol, Outdoor Emergency Care is a training program that is tailored to the nonurban rescuer. Over the years, OEC has evolved to address the needs of other outdoor-based emergency care providers too, including wilderness medical technicians, river rafting and mountaineering guides, members of search and rescue groups, mountain bike patrollers, and parks and recreation employees. Today, OEC is considered the standard of training for emergency care in the outdoor environment and is recognized by resorts and recreational facilities in all 50 states. To master the OEC objectives, a candidate typically needs to devote 80 to 100 hours of class and study time to the course.

The Timber Ridge Ski Patrol is an extremely diverse collection of volunteers who share a common love of the outdoors, snowsports, and helping others in need. Patrollers range from doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, to firemen, teachers, lawyers, engineers, programmers, accountants, builders, and business people of all stripes. All are brought together by a willingness to help the public spend time on the snow in a safe manner. Our patrollers - all students in the "work hard, play hard" school - are outgoing, friendly, and work well as a team.

Basically, patroller responsibilities include preventing accidents by marking obstacles, safety education by enforcing the skier’s responsibility code and helping injured skiers with prompt transportation and skilled emergency care.

The National Ski Patrol is an international, federally chartered, non-profit organization of more than 28,500 volunteers and professionals working for local ski areas to make skiing safe and enjoyable for all. NSP develops training criteria for non-medical roles, including toboggan handling, avalanche rescue, and mountain host programs. NSP educates members through nationally funded education materials and programs, division newsletters, and local clinics. Through its divisions, NSP conducts training events to supplement those provided by local ski areas. This cooperative effort ensures that members are serving the needs of area management while staying in tune with a nationally standardized system. The national office is located in Lakewood, Colorado and is staffed with full-time employees to handle administrative duties.

We allow all levels of skiing/riding experience.  We have a team of instructors that will help with your skiing/riding/tobogganing skills.  If you are not ready to operate a rescue toboggan at the end of your candidate program, you will be registered as an auxiliary patroller.  You can obtain the Alpine Patroller classification anytime you are ready.

While you don't have to perform skiing/riding skills at an expert level, you do need to be certified as an Outdoor Emergency Care technician, regardless of your medical training.

Every ski area has different policies.  We ski free at our own area.  Generally, other ski areas do not grant privileges to non-area patrollers unless they have made special arrangements.

The Timber Ridge Ski Patrol encourages EMTs (all levels), nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers to apply for membership.  Because of our rescue, transport, and emergency care protocols, our methods and techniques are significantly different from those with which you may already be familiar, so we strongly encourage you to attend our course called Outdoor Emergency Care.  While we will consider requests to challenge this course, we do not encourage them.  Our instructors can help develop a flexible attendance schedule for those subjects with which you are already familiar.

All patrollers pay national, division, and regional dues on an annual basis.  Patrollers are also responsible for acquiring their own ski/snowboard equipment, clothing, parkas, and first aid packs.  Candidates will have various course fees for training.

Camaraderie with other patrollers who have an interest in helping others and a love of the outdoors and winter sports; Preferred pricing on ski or outdoor related products offered by NSP official suppliers and ski equipment manufacturers; Benefits extended to patrollers of Timber Ridge Ski Area currently include: Discounts in the cafeteria, Discounts in the ski shop, Family season passes after a time period; The personal satisfaction of selflessly assisting others who are in dire need; Increased self-confidence and independence in the face of emergency situations; Valuable training in techniques of emergency management; Membership in a nationally recognized organization - the National Ski Patrol; Free subscription to Ski Patrol Magazine

The Timber Ridge Ski Patrol is responsible for opening the ski hill in the morning.  This is a time to prepare toboggans for easy access, watch for hill hazards, and notify management of any equipment issues that may have been found.  During ski area operational hours, patrollers are expected to cover the slopes and watch for skiers/riders in need of assistance and provide emergency care when needed.  Shifts at the end of the ski area operational time period are responsible for closing the lifts, putting equipment away, and 'sweeping' the hill - being the last off the hill while checking for downed skiers in closed areas.

Because of the extensive OEC course requirements, we at Timber Ridge generally do not accept high school students as candidates for ski patrol. Taking OEC along with high school work – or any work for that matter – can be overwhelming. We do, however, make exceptions for the children of current patrollers. We do this because the patroller parent, through personal experience, fully understands the maturity level and time commitment required for successful completion of OEC. As a local policy, candidates must be 18 years of age.