Youth Patrol is for advanced skiers and boarders under age 18, generally 11 to 17 years of age. Applicants must be able to ski making parallel turns safely and in control down the Upper Omigosh trail, or be able to snowboard making carving turns safely and in control down Upper Omigosh trail. Not all applicants can be accepted.

 

You could be a good fit for Youth Patrol if you:

• Have the ski/ride skis noted above.

• Have an intrinsic motivation to help others through acts of conscientious service, team building, and learning and growing together.

• Are willing to learn how to better communicate with and better meet the needs of others who are injured or ill.

• Wish to improve your ski / ride technique to increase your safety and enjoyment on any slope.

• Want to grow and succeed to the best of your ability in all areas of your life.

 

Youth Patrol is a fun way to learn about Ski Patrol service, emergency medicine, effective communication, team building, resort management, and advanced ski and ride technique. Joining the National Ski Patrol is not required. The program may or may not be compatible with service credit--check with your school. You do not need to be an extrovert or know anything about ski patrol, risk management, medicine, etc. to join.

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Youth Patrol typically requires a commitment to at least two sessions during the season. (For 2022-2023, 12 sessions are offered.) Sessions are typically held 7:30 AM to noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Dates, times, and number of sessions may vary in 2023-2024 based on resources and mountain conditions.

 

Youth Patrol tends to meet in groups of 12 for each session. For ski/ride training and risk management duties, the preferred ratio is one National Ski Patrol leader per three to four youth participants.

 

At age 15, a person can begin the medical training to become a Young Adult Patroller (YAP). YAP is available to people ages 15-17. Youth Patrol is not a pre-requisite for YAP. Youth Patrol participation will increase the likelihood that a person is a good fit for patrolling and increase the likelihood of quickly learning the medical, ski/ride, toboggan handling, and team skills required to be an effective patroller on any mountain.