Ski Patrol pioneer, rescue toboggan inventor and 10th Mountain Division skiing skills trainer, Nelson Bennett, passed away just a few months after his 101st birthday. 
Bennett was the recipient of a National Ski Patrol (NSP) National Appointment, #1304, in the 1950s.
Bennett, a native of Lancaster, New Hampshire, graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1940 with a degree in Forestry. He was also an early member of the UNH Ski Team, and during school breaks worked at Peckett’s Inn on Sugar Hill in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, one of America’s first resorts and ski schools. During World War II, Bennett was drafted in 1942 and served as a skiing skills trainer for the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division and in Italy, as a member of this US alpine infantry Continue reading Ski Patrol Pioneer, Nelson Bennett, Dies at 102 →
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 →
Former Lookout Pass, Idaho, Patroller, William Charles (Bill) Fout, died at 89 on 9 July in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Originally from Andes, Montana, Fout served as a pilot in the in the Army, flying as a spotter on search and rescue missions over China in WW II. After the war, he worked for Washington Water Power (now Avista) as a lineman for more than 30 years. 
Fout was chairman of the local chapter of the American Red Cross, and taught first aid and CPR to high school students. He also taught hunter safety courses. He skied with his children and became a member of the Lookout Pass Ski Patrol and taught at the mountain’s free ski school. He was also involved with the Idaho Ski Club at Lookout Pass, and also previously managed the lodge and worked in mountain operations. Continue reading Obituary: Former Lookout Pass Idaho Patroller, Bill Fout →
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