Ski Patrol
Who is Your Holiday Valley Ski Patrol?
We are a highly trained team of skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts with a common passion for service, safety, and the great outdoors. 90% of HVSP members are volunteers. We are teachers, scientists, skilled tradespersons, business leaders, firefighters, engineers, medical professionals, and more. We are a fun-loving, compassionate, adventurous, and somewhat competitive family. You will never find a group more willing to help the public and each other.
Regardless of the weather, as volunteers, we patrol two scheduled shifts each week. Our first priority is to respond to persons who may be injured. We patrol the slopes, staff first aid rooms, search for missing persons, complete reports, inspect slope conditions, close trails, and offer many types of information and assistance to resort guests.
When a call comes in, we respond with confidence that comes from experience and solid training. After months of classroom and on-snow training and testing, a candidate becomes a patroller and enters our mentoring program to build practical experience. HVSP members average 20 years of ski patrol experience. All of us refine our skills annually through ongoing training in skiing or snowboarding, toboggan handling, first aid, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automatic external defibrillation (AED), lift evacuation, snowmobile operations, and more. Over 35 of our members are trained instructors in one or more of these disciplines, and many help to train and test National Ski Patrol instructors for various patrols.
Many of our members have received National Ski Patrol awards for contributions to safety, patient care, training, and leadership within the NSP. HVSP members serve as trainers and in leadership roles for the National Ski Patrol. One of our members, Dr. David Johe, serves as the National Medical Director of the NSP. Our patrol is even a past recipient of the NSP Patrol of the Year Award, having been singled out from hundreds of ski patrols.
The Holiday Valley Ski Patrol is a self-sustaining non-profit rescue organization. Members personally pay annual dues and training fees, purchase and maintain our ski equipment and first aid packs, and pay part of the cost of our easily recognized red and black uniforms. Along with Holiday Valley's support we raise funds to help cover the cost of radios, rescue toboggans, first aid supplies, specialized splints, oxygen, and training materials. Despite our many expenses, our services are always provided free of charge.
We are proud of the prompt, professional services provided by the Holiday Valley Ski Patrol. We hope that you will enjoy your visits to Holiday Valley more just knowing that we are skiing and snowboarding with you and your family.
Your tax-deductible contributions are also most appreciated, and inquiries about membership are welcome. Visit the Upper Ski Patrol Room at the base of Yodeler, contact the Holiday Valley Ski Patrol, P.O. Box 370, Ellicottville, NY 14731, email us at patrol@holidayvalleyskipatrol.org, or chat with us on the slopes.
How to Apply for Membership in the Holiday Valley Ski Patrol
Applicants must be comfortable skiing or snowboarding all Holiday Valley terrain under control in varied conditions and must be physically able to participate in extensive toboggan-handling training in the moguls. Interested? Please complete our application online. For more information, visit our web site www.holidayvalleyskipatrol.org.