Steve Olsen, 57, gives his weekend group instructions before heading up the mountain at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort in Wenatchee, Washington. Volunteer ski patrollers suit up in the ready room while other patrollers are out on avalanche control. “They were probably out here around 5 a.m. and out on the mountain at daybreak,” Olsen says. “Those of us who are out on early morning avalanche control navigate with headlamps and feel.”
At the top of chair 2 overlooking the cloudy Wenatchee Valley, patrollers head to the most luxurious spot on the mountain, the top shack. Named after Steve Burchett who was killed in an avalanche, The Steve Burchett Chalet is the dispatch spot for the patrollers; stocked with Krispy Kreme donuts, hot cocoa, warmth and good company. First on the mountain, patrollers inspect the mountain before the chairs start rolling. “We make sure there are no ruts in the groomed runs, make sure the netting is up and in tact and we have to make sure the mountain is safe and ready for the public,” Olsen said.
Olsen puts up the volunteer ski patrol sign in attempt to attract more volunteer ski patrollers. Pro patrol staff, Shawn Ottley has been around many different mountains, and appreciates the Mission Ridge patrol staff. “I have never seen a better pro patrol and volunteer patrol staff that get along better than here [Mission Ridge], it’s pretty awesome,” Ottley says.
Inside the top shack, ski patrol listens for the phones to ring or their radios to buzz. “I got patrollers all over the mountain right now, it’s a two component task; skiing and medical,” Oslen says. “The biggest part of ski patrol is mountain familiarization, that’s what takes the longest.” As soon as the calls come in, the patrollers take off. Reminded by photos of fellow patroller taken by an avalanche, Jim Jack, on the mantel, the patrol takes their job seriously.
Peter Sanderson and Tess Morris pull a toboggan from the shed underneath the top shack. Once dispatch gets a call, the team sends patrollers down the mountain to address the issue. “Altitude is greatness, as long as you have altitude you can get anywhere,” Oslen says. “If you’re below them, it’s a really long slog up the mountain.”
Tess Morris, first female head ski patrol for Mission Ridge, gives a first time skier a ride down the mountain. “We get a lot of courtesy calls, people get too scared, they lose a ski or a lot of times we get little kids that need rides down,” Morris says. “So we go out and get them.”
Morris holds on to a toboggan as she heads up to the top of the mountain after helping out a struggling skier. Morris has spent the last seven years on the patrol and is well into her first year as the boss.
Shawn Ottley gives rescue dog, Avie, a pep talk before going out for a training exercise. Another patroller buried their sister in snow to simulate an avalanche scenario in order for Avie to practice potential future tasks. “She’s only 2-years-old so she is still training,” Ottley says. “She gets distracted easily so it’s good for her to get out and get some reps in.”
LEFT: The day winds down and the patrollers come in to debrief before the last tasks. Eating the last of the snacks and looking forward to live music and beer at the bottom of the hill. The long day of the ski patroller ends and the preparation for the next day on the mountain starts.
RIGHT: Patrollers head out to do the last sweep of the mountain after the last chair unloads. On the mountain by 8 a.m. and off around 5 p.m., the cold hands, frosty breaths and tired eyes look forward to rest after a long days work.
