You Fall, We Haul.
The Ski Brule Ski Patrol is the volunteer patrol that looks after everyone on our hill. They are the people in the red and white jackets you will see riding the lifts, skiing sweep at the end of the day and turning up within moments if something goes wrong. Every one of them is a registered member of the National Ski Patrol, and every one of them is here because they like to ski and they like helping people.
What the patrol does
- Emergency medical response and toboggan rescue anywhere on the mountain
- Slope safety, hazard marking and lift evacuation
- Opening and closing sweeps of every run, every day we operate
- Training and certifying new patrollers each season
If you need help on the hill, tell any Ski Brule employee or head for the nearest lift shack — patrol will be radioed straight away.
Join the patrol
“Having a medical background or being an expert skier is not required. Willingness to apply yourself and enthusiasm for volunteering almost guarantees your success.”
Skiers and snowboarders are both welcome. You need to be at least 16 by the time your course finishes, and you will need a current CPR for Healthcare Providers certification. Everything else, the patrol teaches you.
How the season works
- Inquire — send the patrol a note through their enrolment form.
- Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) — the National Ski Patrol first-aid course, taught on Saturdays through the early part of the winter.
- Patroller 101 — a one-day orientation here at Ski Brule.
- Ski & Toboggan training — eight weekends of on-snow instruction that qualifies you to run a loaded toboggan.
- Keep it current — maintain your CPR certification and attend the annual refresher.
Once you are patrolling, the commitment is a minimum of ten shifts a season.
What it costs
Expect one-time costs for the OEC course and its textbook, a patrol jacket and a first-aid pack, then annual National Ski Patrol, division and local patrol dues. The patrol publishes the current figures on their site — they change from season to season, so check there rather than budgeting from anything you read here.
What you get
Patrollers receive a family season pass, complimentary meals, guest passes and equipment discounts, lodging in some cases, and access to National Ski Patrol clinics and education you cannot buy anywhere else. Mostly, though, you get a winter spent with people who are very good company on a chairlift.
Guest patrollers
Patrolling somewhere else and skiing Brule for a weekend? The patrol welcomes guest patrollers. Get in touch through their site before you travel so they can get you on the schedule.