The first time I skied in Colorado, it was at Steamboat but to get there you had to go over Berthoud Pass (takes you from I70 to Winter Park, then on you go over to Steamboat as it was the week before the tunnel opened). It was terribly dangerous and it turns out they were closing the pass behind us as the conditions were too icy for travel. And we were in some Ford rental car without snow tires!
A week later we returned to the airport thru the Tunnel on its opening day.
Since then they’ve widened Berthoud Pass, closed the ski hill that was at the top of the pass, and greatly improved access to Winter Park. Still, I used to be able to get from Golden to the MJ parking lot on Fridays in 1 hour (I only worked until 10 on Friday mornings). Now, because of traffic, lucky to make it in 2 hours. Parking might require a reservation, and the tickets aren’t $13.
My DC child is a ski and bike patroller at a small east coast resort (if you patrol on a weekday, you get paid. Holidays and weekends are volunteer. All bike patrollers get paid.)
She pays for:
dues to the national association
dues to the resort/their “chapter” (a small amount)
her own patroller ski patrol branded jackets/outerwear, backpack, etc.
They are certified and have to maintain that certification annually. Ski patrollers have different levels of certification like avalanche, etc. High levels of certification are not needed at her little resort but definitely are at the bigger ones.
Their basic certification covers outdoor emergencies, so they are responsible for all guests at the resort (she was trained on how to deliver a baby for example). And they are on duty during nighttime fireworks (about 4 x/year), new years torch parade, bonfires, festivals, etc.
She makes like a dollar more than the lift operators (and patrollers also run the lifts when needed). The ski instructors (mostly teens, mostly uncertified) are given jackets and lockers.
She has seen some really, really bad injuries (mostly when bike patrolling). Patrollers, literally, can have people’s lives in their hands - major head injuries, broken necks, compound fractures, heart attacks.
Career patrollers at the larger resorts deserve to make so much more.
My brother was a patroller (Pro) for 45 years. Sure, many are kids who do it for 5 years or so and then go on to other things, but the hills couldn’t run without the ‘lifers’ who are the ones who get the extra certifications for avalanche control, extra medical training, etc. The National patrol (volunteers) are helpful for minor injuries and mostly for crowd control on busy weekends, but there aren’t nearly enough of them to cover any of the major hills.
If they can charge $200 for a day ticket, they can pay trained professionals. I want a pro taking care of me for my $200.
My brother never made that much but he had a summer job that paid him more (construction) and he makes more now that he’s retired but working at the hot springs park 2 nights a week.
My son went to WP this week. I’m not familiar with the different parking options but I’m sure he picked the cheapest. He said it was crowded, conditions weren’t great, and because not all lifts were running it took him over an hour to walk back to the parking lot.
