We are now about half way through the Patrol year; as we started in August with Instructor Training, and will end in May with the awards banquet. For some of us, we will be just as busy in the summer as in the winter doing the the 5 Peaks trail running events, the MS150, the ITU, Marathons, Kids of Steel, and the Sour Dough Raft Race. All this hard work would not get done without a large group of dedicated volunteers working in the background to make sure that the little things get done.
As your season progresses, please take the time to recognise and thank those who make your lives easier, or at least more “interesting”. As the awards banquet approaches after the season is over, I will be asking you to nominate one or more of your colleagues for one of our annual Edmonton Zone awards (details of awards can be found here)
We are about 90% complete in getting every Patroller completing a vulnerable sector check. This has been in the works for 15 years, and as we are in a position of authority on the ski hill and at summer events, it soon will be required of all Patrollers across the country. We are lucky in Alberta, that this check is done at no charge to you, because Volunteer Alberta is picking up the cost. So please get your check done ASAP, as more resorts are requiring it to be done before you “work” there. Your Patroller ID card cannot be issued until we have that document on file.
CSP Mountain Division skills and training seminar is set for March 13 and 14, 2020 at Marmot Basin. Friday is setup as an educational training day, and topics that have been covered in past years include CPR in a toboggan, difficult extrications, transceiver practice and running belay. You will get the opportunity to see these new skills and try them in an on-snow environment. Saturday is the day to demonstrate your First Aid and Toboggan skills in a fun and competitive manner. Teams consist of 3 Patrollers, an Instructor and a Patient. The morning consists of a triage situation, and the afternoon consists of a controlled rapid descent through a series of gates with a loaded toboggan. Edmonton Zone is sponsoring five teams to go to this competition, so if you are interested in attending, send your name to John Nesbit. There will be teams attending from across the Province, so you will get an opportunity to discuss Patrolling at different areas over a beverage at the banquet.
Mike Cava, Zone President