A ski patroller at Vail’s Heavenly Mountain Resort South Lake Tahoe was killed in a serious incident. Heavenly Ski Patrol responded to 
the scene on the Mott Canyon double black diamond trail where they found 36-year-old patroller, Christopher John Nicholson. The critically injured patroller was transported via Care Flight to Carson Valley Medical Center in Gardnerville where he succumbed to his injuries.
Continue reading Heavenly Resort Ski Patroller Dies in Skiing Incident
Vail Resorts has closed its $265 million acquisition of Missouri-based Peak Resorts. The transaction adds 17 US ski areas to Vail’s network of resorts, bringing the total number of owned and operated resorts to 37 worldwide. Most Peak locations have historically been staffed with volunteer ski patrols affiliated with the NSP. Vail does not anticipate making significant changes to the way the patrols operate this season.
Continue reading Vail Completes Peak Resorts’ Acquisition
The body of missing Kirkwood Mountain ski patroller, John Greever, was discovered in the Georgetown, area on 13 August, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s office. Georgetown is the northeastern-most town in the “California Mother Lode” territory, about 40 miles west of Lake Tahoe. Continue reading Missing Kirkwood Patroller found dead
A recent study by Ski-Patrol.net found that Ski Patrollers, Lifeguards and others involved in recreational protective service work (“Patrollers and other RPS Workers”) are among the lowest paid workers in America. Data for our research came from the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, a reputable source, so we decided to take a closer look at the statistics to see if we could determine why that is.
After all, “paid” patrollers are highly trained workers with certifications across a number of skill areas, many of which are re-certified annually. It seems illogical that their compensation would rank somewhere near the bottom of the pay scale for American workers, below parking lot attendants and just marginally above wages that waiters and waitresses “claim” on their tax returns. In fact, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, over 97% of all US professions have higher compensation than Patrollers and other RPS Workers. 
It’s important to note that 90%+ of ski patrollers that are also National Ski Patrol members in the US take no compensation for their work, and do not appear in this category of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The compensation of those 20-25,000 or so patrollers Continue reading Ski Patroller Among Worst Paying Jobs in America
National Ski Patrol (NSP) Executive Director, Timothy White, resigned from the NSP and the search for his successor is under way. White unofficially announced his resignation at an April meeting of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) in Palm Springs. A rushed member communication came from the NSP National Office within a few days of the NSAA session.
White left the NSAA in 2007, where he served as Education Director, to join the NSP as Executive Director. His resignation was effective 31 July 2013, but he left around 15 May upon the appointment of Darcy Hanley, the NSP’s Education Director. Ms. Hanley now serves as NSP “Managing Director”, a temporary position, until a successor for Mr. White is found. The NSP formally announced its search for a new Executive Director on 27 June. Continue reading NSP Searches for New Executive Director
The California Senate has passed legislation amending the state’s Health and Safety Code to require ski resort operators in California to increase transparency of their skier/boarder safety programs, and the results of those programs. 
Resorts will be required to prepare an annual safety plan that conforms with the requirements of federal regulations applicable to resorts operating on federal property, whether or not that resort actually operates on federal property. Those annual safety plans will need to be made available to members of the general public on the day of the request.
Resort owners will also be required to disclose known information on incidents and fatalities related to any snow sports activity the resort provides. Incident information that will need to be disclosed includes Continue reading California Skier Safety Legislation Passes State Senate
Dr. Gary S. Dankworth, 60, a patroller and Toboggan Instructor Trainer at Heavenly Area in California and Nevada died in an incident after summiting 13,855-foot Norman Clyde peak in the Sierras. 
An official from the Carson Tahoe Medical Center confirmed the news, saying, “The Carson Tahoe family is saddened by the news of Dr. Dankworth’s death. The past several days have been difficult and we, like the rest of the community, have been hoping for the best. We are a small, close knit community and tragedies within our medical staff affect us all. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and we will do all we can to support them during this very sad time.” Continue reading Obituary: Heavenly Area Patroller Dies in Climbing Incident