2008 Woodie Awards
Freshman volunteers for ski patrol
Patroller must ski runs daily, respond to emergencies
Kelly MacDonald, Staff Writer
Issue date: 12/5/06
Last Updated: 12/29/07
Skiers and snowboarders fly down the mountain runs, weaving in and out of others like them, the snow and fog obscuring their view. Adrenaline spurs them forward, careening them down the hill.
But for many, the euphoria can quickly end when one skier or boarder goes too fast, loses control and ends up injured on the mountain. It is the ski patrol who must attend to the injured on a snow hill in any condition, the ski patrol who must transport a victim in a toboggan down runs. Freshman Phil Dawson is one such ski patroller.
Dawson began skiing as a six-year-old. He then began to find his purpose on the mountain. After watching his father, Mike Dawson, become a ski patroller at 49° North Ski Resort Phil decided that he too wanted to help the injured.
Phil took and completed the Outdoor Emergency Course allowing him to be a member of the National Ski Patrol after on-hill training. He began volunteering at 16 and has continued to volunteer each season there after.
"I like to help people," Dawson said about his job. "I don't know how to explain it. I feel rewarded."
Dawson won the Pacific Northwest Division Student Patroller of the year last season and is in the running for the National Student Patroller of the Year. The results will be available after the end of this season.
Over the years, Dawson has encountered many obstacles on the mountain. He and his fellow patrollers must ski the runs daily before the public are allowed to enter to make sure the conditions are safe; they must mend cut lines, help clear runs or even set up races. However, there is more to being a patroller than maintenance.
When someone is hurt patrollers are the first responders on the mountain. They assess the situation and correctly identify the problem in order to keep the victim stable. Then they must transport the victim down the mountain in a toboggan to the treatment center.
In one such incidence a person was ejected from a chair lift and was unconscious in the snow. It was Dawson who assisted with the treatment of the injured.
But for many, the euphoria can quickly end when one skier or boarder goes too fast, loses control and ends up injured on the mountain. It is the ski patrol who must attend to the injured on a snow hill in any condition, the ski patrol who must transport a victim in a toboggan down runs. Freshman Phil Dawson is one such ski patroller.
Dawson began skiing as a six-year-old. He then began to find his purpose on the mountain. After watching his father, Mike Dawson, become a ski patroller at 49° North Ski Resort Phil decided that he too wanted to help the injured.
Phil took and completed the Outdoor Emergency Course allowing him to be a member of the National Ski Patrol after on-hill training. He began volunteering at 16 and has continued to volunteer each season there after.
"I like to help people," Dawson said about his job. "I don't know how to explain it. I feel rewarded."
Dawson won the Pacific Northwest Division Student Patroller of the year last season and is in the running for the National Student Patroller of the Year. The results will be available after the end of this season.
Over the years, Dawson has encountered many obstacles on the mountain. He and his fellow patrollers must ski the runs daily before the public are allowed to enter to make sure the conditions are safe; they must mend cut lines, help clear runs or even set up races. However, there is more to being a patroller than maintenance.
When someone is hurt patrollers are the first responders on the mountain. They assess the situation and correctly identify the problem in order to keep the victim stable. Then they must transport the victim down the mountain in a toboggan to the treatment center.
In one such incidence a person was ejected from a chair lift and was unconscious in the snow. It was Dawson who assisted with the treatment of the injured.
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