PlanetSKI Heads Out with the Glenshee Ski Patrol

Despite over 20 years of skiing, I’ve never been the most technical or agile person on the slopes.

But that’s not the reason I find myself wrapped around a fence halfway down a green run at Glenshee Ski Centre on a Saturday afternoon in January.

It is, thankfully, a training exercise that myself and others are taking part in.

I’m here in the Scottish Highlands to shadow two days of training with the British Association of Ski Patrollers, BASP, and it’s my turn to be the casualty.

Under the guidance of BASP president Gerard “Gerry” Cameron, I’ve skied about halfway down Claybokie, positioned myself as though my day has ended with a yard sale, and am now awaiting rescue from two men who are going through today’s training.

Skiing and snowboarding are of course inherently risky – patroller and retired surgeon John Holmes, who’s here overseeing the first aid sessions, recalls seeing 13 broken collarbones in a single day at Glenshee.

Fortunately in a resort setting, ski patrol is on hand to help reduce those risks through education, managing hazards and emergency care and evacuations.

I’ve been invited here by Helly Hansen ahead of International Ski Patrol Day on February 10th to learn more about the extensive training required for patrol.

BASP was founded in 1987 to ensure uniform ski patrol standards across the UK and to support the profession through training in outdoor first aid and ski rescue.

Training like this one means that if you find yourself on a collision course with a lift tower, you can expect the same standard of professional care as you would in the Alps, the Rockies or anywhere else in the world where chairlifts spin.

“We have people from a medical background, from a ski patrol background, from a mountain rescue background who are BASP trainers,” says Cameron, who’s also a 40-year veteran of Glenshee patrol.

Each year, the organisation trains up to 2,500 patrollers, coast guard and military personnel and hillwalking clubs and its trainees attend global summits held by the Fédération Internationale des Patrouilles de Ski (FIPS) where they can share ideas with and learn from patrollers in other countries.

“It’s all about keeping your own skill level up,” says Cameron.

Words that offer me some reassurance today.

There are well over a thousand skiers out on the slopes enjoying the best snowfall in years, several of whom appear to be making their debut on skis and careen uncomfortably close to us.

Whether they’re out of control or just want to gape is hard to tell, but my watch shows it’s nearly 3:30 p.m., otherwise known as the busiest time for ski patrol because it’s when people get tired and lose focus.

Fortunately my chariot soon arrives in the form of a sledge towed by two trainees, assisted by two more patrollers.

In a real-life scenario, the more patrollers you have at your disposal the better, though it won’t always happen as swiftly as it does for me.

Glenshee is spread out across four mountains, meaning help can be a long time coming if you come a cropper in one of the more remote areas. Sometimes, icy conditions and off-piste incidents mean it’s not as simple as just skiing down to a casualty.

“You get someone cragfast on a really slippery day and you have to get your crampons on and get them out of there,” says Cameron.

In my case, it’s not so much ice that’s the issue as rain and warming temperatures, which in the relatively short time I’ve been waiting means holes start to open up in the snow beneath us.

If we’re not careful we could find ourselves plunging through into the bog beneath.

As soon as my team arrives, the men kick off their skis and set several pairs up in a large X formation a little uphill to warn skiers to give us a wide berth.

“When you come across a casualty you’re assessing the whole scene,” explains Holmes.

That means first of all ensuring there are no risks to the patrollers themselves, such as blind spots and wayward skiers, and assessing the terrain.

Under the tutelage of Rory Duncan, who’s an officer with Police Scotland by day, and trainee-paramedic Chris Feltham, the trainee rescuers start assessing me to determine the nature of my injuries, and what kind of care I’m going to need.

As we’ve learned during the morning’s first aid session, there’s a cast of recurring characters that patrol expects to see on the hill:

• ACL tears
• Broken femurs
• Wrists and collarbones
• Dislocated shoulders

During my time here, incidents err on the relatively tame side.

One skier wants to get checked out after suffering an arrhythmia and another is perhaps overly concerned about a small cut on his thumb.

But on the hill as in life, any medical emergency is possible: cardiac arrests, asthma attacks, skiers falling over in the car park and diabetics who have forgotten to eat breakfast.

Ski patrollers need to be skilled enough to deal with every possible emergency and they need to do so under unique and challenging conditions.

If I required CPR, they’d do their best to administer it without removing my clothes as freezing conditions and exposed skin don’t go hand in hand.

If I’d suffered a lower leg injury, they’d need to remove my ski boot to prevent swelling from cutting off circulation.

Every ski boot is different and in our field tests it takes three patrollers to remove one boot.

Then you’ve got the fact that any piece of gear that’s set down can go sliding downhill into oblivion if precautions aren’t taken.

“We have to think outside the box,” says Duncan.

We’ve settled on a shoulder injury for me, so my boots stay on, much to my relief as the temperatures are suddenly dropping.

With no blood flow to stem or chest compressions to administer, it’s a case of getting my arm in a sling – something that in a real-life scenario would be assisted with a dose of Entonox, a fast-acting gas that would give me a little pain relief for about a minute.

Then it’s all about helping me down the mountain so I can get to the hospital.

There’s nothing wrong with my legs, and I’m not that far from the bottom, so couldn’t I just hike down, I wonder?

Here Holmes is quick to point out that another fall could only make matters worse.

The aim of the game now is making me as comfortable as possible and getting me to safety quickly.

“What we’re doing is getting people off the hill. That’s what we’re about as ski patrollers,” says Holmes.

And despite the unusual conditions, it all happens surprisingly swiftly.

While my sling is secured, the sledge is pulled behind me and I’m helped down onto a Vac Mat.

The patrollers secure the mat and use a pump to remove the air so that it moulds itself around my body, essentially immobilising me.

The mat is actually quite comfortable and provides good insulation, but as we take off at a brisk pace, me with my head pointing downhill, I’m aware that any combination of shock, pain, claustrophobia or motion sickness could make this all rather stomach-churning indeed.

And that’s not to mention the likelihood of distressed family members milling around and passing skiers who whip out their phones and start filming.

We’re on the move.

A patroller in a perpetual, thigh-burning snow plough to retain control, the goal is to pick the best path possible, ideally avoiding especially steep, bumpy or busy terrain.

Easier said than done, as it turns out, when we’re nearly derailed by a terrified first-time skier who’s blocking our intended route and is unable to get out of our way.

Every second that ticks by means I get colder.

Eventually Duncan breaks away and helps coach her across the run and down to the bottom safely.

After that obstacle, it only takes a minute or two for us to arrive at the base where the patrollers divide between those who’ll help me inside and those who are heading right back uphill to start closing down the mountain.

My fingers and toes are starting to nip and I consider myself lucky that I can simply unclip, stand up, brush myself off and head to the cafe for a hot chocolate.

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• International Ski Patrollers day takes place
• Ski patroller dies in Mammoth Mountain
• Jackson Hole ski patrollers aim to set up union

About Julia Clarke

Julia Clarke is a Glasgow-born journalist, hiker and skier.

She spent 20 years in the US including over a decade in the Colorado Rockies before realising that Scotland is the most beautiful place on earth and came home in 2020.

Her recent adventures include walking several of the UK’s beautiful long distance trails as well as trekking to Everest Base Camp.

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