A day in the life: what it’s like to be on ski patrol
Published at | Updated at
JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming — Carving a path in the snow, breathing in the fresh mountain air, and spending the day with people you love. For Rachel Kunkle, an 18-year veteran of the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol, life doesn’t get much better than that.
“I love the people I work with and I love problem-solving with those people, whatever it might be,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of wonderful and crazy days here.”
Kunkle told EastIdahoNews.com she works full time with a group of 80 to 90 ski patrollers who she describes as her “favorite people in the world to spend time with” on a mountain that offers roughly 5,500 acres of combined inbounds and backcountry ski areas. Around 39 people are scheduled each day. Additional patrollers are scheduled during storm events to help with avalanche hazard mitigation.
“One of our main jobs … is trying to address hazards before we open and we try to prevent injuries by marking hazards with bamboo and rope lines,” Kunkle said. “Then our second most important job is responding to those injuries or accidents when they do happen.”
Kunkle has seen a wide variety of accidents throughout the years, everything from responding to broken bones to even people in avalanches.
“You always remember responding to your friends or anyone you end up knowing. Sometimes, some of the most memorable experiences … are when people really are happy to see you arrive and you just get an instant connection because they know that you are going to get them out of a bad situation. I think it’s a really immediate intimate connection of trust,” she explained.
A new generation is rising
The ski patrol is a tight-knit group of people where a new generation is rising.
“We have an amazing crew of people and the children—when all the patrollers have kids, it kind of happens in waves and so the kids who are close in age do grow up hanging out with each other and getting to know each other and doing ski school together and skiing on days off together,” Kunkle said.
Kunkle has raised her 10-year-old son Henry Hartz around ski patrol and has taught him the importance of safety on the mountain.
“I haven’t really been able to help anyone who has a broken leg or something but if someone falls in front of me, I will help them get up and help them get all their gear,” said Henry. “I have thought about it and I might become a ski patroller when I grow up!”
Henry told EastIdahoNews.com that he has been skiing ever since he was two years old.
“He is a fantastic skier. He is also a great snowboarder and I think one of the best things you learn while spending time on the mountain is situational awareness. Every day is different and every slope is different and I think it helps kids learn in general, pay attention to what’s happening around them,” Kunkle said. “Henry has definitely grown up around ski patrol. He knows all my friends really well. They’ve seen him grow up the last 10 years. He’ll come to work with me often on the days that he has ski school and he’ll help sometimes.”
Henry has spent a lot of time at Jackson Hole, skiing and snowboarding with his mom and his friends. It’s a unique job that not very many kids can say their parents have.
“It’s very different from an office job. It’s way more active!” Henry explained.
Kunkle said it would be fun to start a tradition in the family to become ski patrollers.
“I think it would be amazing. Most importantly, I want Henry to be passionate about what he does. I think he would be good at it. He is kind and compassionate and a good skier,” she said.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort released a video called, “Children of Patrol” which features Henry and Kunkle along with other ski patrollers that have raised their children around ski patrol. Watch the video below.
How to become a ski patroller
In order to become a ski patroller, Kunkle said you would need to go through training in the Outdoor Emergency Care Program (OEC). It’s a nationally recognized program offered by the National Ski Patrol. According to the National Ski Patrol website, “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.”
According to the Eastern Division of the National Ski Patrol, you would also have to go through a CPR course. Click here for more information.
Kunkle said it’s important to have great skiing skills. It’s a job she’s passionate about and looks forward to every winter.
“It’s a wonderful way to make skiing a life,” said Kunkle.
