Five Questions for a Ski Patroller
1My name is Tobias, and for our class project on jobs in our town, I interviewed Marisol Bautista, a ski patroller at Blue Hollow Ski Area. I was nervous when we sat down in the patrol hut, so Ms. Bautista broke the ice by asking me to guess which tool she uses most. The answer was a roll of tape! We both laughed, and after that the questions felt easy. Here are her answers.
2What does a ski patroller do? Our main job is to keep people safe on the mountain. When a skier gets hurt, we give first aid and bring the person down the hill in a rescue sled. But helping hurt skiers is just the tip of the iceberg. Every morning before the lifts open, we check the trails, mark rocks and bare spots with signs, and close any trail that is not safe. At the end of the day, we ski every trail one last time to make sure no one is left on the mountain.
3Why do you spend so much time on signs and pads? My first boss liked to say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Wrapping a lift tower in a thick pad takes us ten minutes. Healing a broken wrist can take a skier many weeks. We would much rather stop an accident than treat one.
4What happens if someone skis on a closed trail? That skier is on thin ice. We close trails for good reasons, such as hidden rocks or snow that could slide. A skier who ducks under a closed-trail rope can lose their lift ticket for the rest of the day. Most people follow the rules once they understand why the rope is there.
5Do you ever have to hurry? We move quickly, but we never rush. When we pull a rescue sled, one bump taken too fast could tip it over. Haste makes waste, so we stay steady and careful all the way down. On busy holiday weekends, though, we are snowed under. Last winter, my radio crackled with a new call almost every ten minutes.
6Were you nervous when you started? Very! The night before my first day, I almost got cold feet. I wondered whether I was really ready to help people in an emergency. Then my mom reminded me how many months I had trained, so I went. I'm glad I did, because I have loved every winter since.
7Before I left, Ms. Bautista gave me one more piece of advice for young skiers. "Pride goes before a fall," she said. "Pick trails that match your skills, not the ones your friends dare you to try. Showing off on a trail that is too hard for you is a good way to get hurt."