Winter 2024/2025: Ski Patrol

Job Description
Job Title: Ski Patrol
Job Status: Seasonal
Compensation and Benefits:

• Compensation: Proposed hiring rate of $21.00+, actual pay will be adjusted based on experience.
• Benefits: This is a seasonal position eligible for season pass for employees/dependents and privileges at several other resorts. Several discount programs (i.e. food beverage, retail/rental, tickets, etc.) also available.

Ski Patrol Try-Outs:

• Saturday, 3/23
• Wednesday, 3/27
• Friday, 4/12

Job Summary:
The role of the winter/summer patroller is to ensure a reasonably safe skiing/biking environment. To provide medical assistance and evacuation, guest safety, search and rescue support, trail work, lift evacuation, daily duty station responsibilities, equipment maintenance, and other assigned duties. Each task requires a high level of decision making. Computers (proficiency in Microsoft Office programs), technical rope experience.
Winter

• Must be an expert skier or rider
• Hold current (or be enrolled in) Colorado or National EMT (or higher) and current CPR certification
• Patrol or mountaineering experience preferred
• Must be 21 years old
• Must have valid US driver's license.

Summer -- In addition to winter requirements

• Scheduling flexibility; work weekends, holidays, events and Camp Woodward and other activities
• Intermediate mountain biker
• Have a mountain bike to use at work
• Lift Evacuation cable rider / gondola proficiency
• Collaborate with mountain bike trail crew to assist with trail maintenance
• Work on patrol related summer projects as they surface

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Medical assessment, stabilization/treatment and evacuation. All staff must be at least EMT-B certified and trained to respond to any likely eventuality in a winter alpine environment. Training in the Mountain Emergency Plan, triage, and multi-system trauma.
• Reporting/Documentation: Incident investigation procedure, preservation of the facts, forms and records. All staff will be familiar with (and held accountable for) the complete documentation of a given event that might include standard reporting, photographs, witness statements, diagrams, etc. This is a very labor-intensive, time-consuming activity. Considerable training is required, as well as the necessity to remain sensitive to the needs of family and friends of the injured party.
• Establish a reasonably safe skiing/biking environment, i.e. trail checks, trail openings/closings, early season preparation, boot packing, maintenance, obstacle marking, signage, sweeps, and special race preparation.
• Snow safety: All staff will be familiar with the terrain at Copper Mountain Resort. Observation of ever-changing snow stability, snow pit profiles, ski cutting, and boot packing of avalanche starting zones.
• Search and rescue: All staff must know about the formulation of a preplan (Mountain Emergency Plan), practice drills, and execution. Use of handheld and avalanche charges. Skilled in the use of all avalanche/search and rescue equipment. Locating lost parties on the mountain.
• Lift evacuation: Responsible for the evacuation of people from a lift in the event of an extended breakdown.
• Skier education: Enforcement of Skier Safety Act, i.e., boundary management, safe skiing, speeder control. Being visible to the public for skier information. Host program: base area public relations, distribution of surveys, skier information services, and VIP tours.
• Training/development: All staff will participate in training and demonstrate proficiency in all areas of patrolling. This constant and ongoing process includes medical preparation (medical lectures), avalanche related skills, lift evacuation, snowmobile certification, mountain/company policies, inter-agency relations and contacts, etc. Ski/biking improvement through all terrain with varying technical terrain and conditions.
• Construction, maintenance, preventive maintenance inspections of equipment (duty stations, toboggans, medical, search and rescue, explosives, radios, emergency medical vehicle, rescue beacons, and snowmobiles).
• Duty station assignments: PHQ, Timberline, Six Patrol, Tucker Patrol, Dispatcher(s), Patrol Room Orderly, and snowmobile driver.
• Weather Department: This department is responsible for maintaining ongoing historical records, daily observations for marketing, snow safety, and the development of a Daily Trail and Information sheet to include interaction with Copper Slope Maintenance, USFS and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
• Computers: Accident records input for the development of reports submitted to the insurance carrier, weather and snow safety factors, forms and records, and word processing. Weather facsimile for the development of weather forecasting.
• Community Education: Hosting avalanche schools (national avalanche schools, AAI, C-RAD dog program). Teaching CPR classes. Patrol and SAR lectures for school and ski groups, Cub Scouts, etc.
• Integration with other Copper Mountain departments for smoother functioning within the company. Orientation of employees in areas of mountain safety awareness.
• Summer: familiar with summer trail and road system, Understand lift breakdown, lightning and wildland fire procedures. May be required to assist lift operations

Other Duties as Assigned:

• This job description is an overview of the scope of responsibilities for these rolls and is not intended to be an inclusive list of job tasks and expectations. With the evolution of POWDR-Copper, the responsibilities of this position may change. The job must be prepared to accept new responsibilities and transfer others.
• Functions as an ambassador of Copper Mountain, modeling and sharing the Copper "culture" with our guests and employees. Upholds the most professional image. Continually strives to exceed our guest's expectations and create memories for our guests and staff.
• This position is a seasonal position and may have fluctuations in hours worked based upon overall business volumes.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Accountability for the care and safety of our guests as well as all other Copper Mountain employees on the Mountain.
• Dispatcher monitors and assigns tasks for a given workday to include incident response, tasks, snow safety, general work, and special projects.
• Patrol room orderly is responsible for vehicular transport of injured skiers to the clinic.
• Coordination with Copper Medical Clinic, public safety, Summit County Sheriff's office, Flight for Life, and Summit County Ambulance.
• Snowmobile drivers are responsible for the safe evacuation of uninjured guests experiencing equipment malfunctions, suffering from fatigue, or are on terrain beyond their skiing ability.

Personal Attributes:

• Is honest and has the highest integrity
• Can handle and manage confidential information
• Professional appearance. Adheres to all grooming guidelines
• Follows established policies and procedures
• Is supportive of Core Values
• Sets the example for others and is above reproach
• Is comfortable to challenge established policies and procedures, but once established, is supportive of those rules.
• Is organized in tasks. Sees projects through to the finish. Has good follow-through and makes it a habit of getting back to people on issues.
• Can handle fast paced, potentially high-pressure environment
• Is flexible with hours and days of work and willing to work any hour of the day, any day of the week
• Prioritizes and re-prioritizes personal time and work, to have good balance in life.

Job Requirements
Basic Requirements:

• Must be able to lift and carry toboggans weighing as much as 70 lbs. Other tasks include skiing in difficult conditions, working in cold and often inclement conditions, high elevations, carrying and transporting unwieldy materials such as tower pads, medical equipment, etc. No history of injuries or physical limitations.
• Must be able to hear and speak clearly to hear beacon signals and skiers requesting assistance, and for communication to occur using radios and telephones.
• Due to the sensitive nature of this position, a criminal background check will be conducted after position is accepted. This background check will be done in accordance with standards enacted under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
• This position may require the use of a motor vehicle and the employee is subject to comply with the Driver's Standards of Copper Mountain
• Must have a valid US Driver's license

Preferred Experience and Special Skills:

• Previous professional patrolling experience, previously employed by Copper Mountain, outdoor leadership skills, or experience within the medical field.
• Computers, ACLS certification, EMT-P, PA and technical rope experience.
• American Red Cross Advance First Aid with CPR minimum requirement
• Strong alpine skiing/ riding and mountain biking skills
• Mountaineering skills preferred.
• Industry experience, i.e. ski instructor, lift op, trail crew.

POWDR-Copper Mountain, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and that race/color/religion/sex/sexual orientation/gender identity/national origin/disability/protected veterans or any other applicable status protected by state or local law, are not taken into account in any employment decision. We offer competitive benefits, employee housing, and a unique work atmosphere. All of our job opportunities are located at Copper Mountain Resort in Summit County, Colorado. 90 miles west of Denver, we are situated in the heart of Colorado's playground. All candidates must fill out an application to be considered for employment.This will be posted for a minimum of 3 days or until the position is filled.
Can you see yourself here- Apply now!